Watch FAR Part 1 explained
A government customer asks your team to start extra work. Before anyone says yes, your first question should be about authority—not enthusiasm.
Understand the issue
FAR Part 1 explains the acquisition regulatory system and contracting authority. Contracting officers bind the Government only within their delegated authority. A contracting officer’s representative supports monitoring and administration within a written designation; that role does not carry authority to change contractual price, quantity, delivery, or other terms.
Check the version before using the reference
Before applying a section number, threshold, or procedure, check the current FAR, the agency’s applicable deviation, and the actual solicitation or contract. The FAR overhaul model is not automatically applicable to every agency action. This article distinguishes the codified text from model-deviation coverage. For example, COR coverage is at codified 1.602-2(d) and model 1.404. Preserve the source context when using a reference.
Avoid the shortcut
A job title, a relationship, or an urgent request does not establish authority to authorize a contract change. Ratification is a separate process with conditions; it is not a dependable business plan for work started without proper authorization.
A hypothetical business example
Consider a hypothetical engineering supplier asked by a technical contact to add testing outside its existing scope. Its project lead records the request, compares it with the current requirement, and sends the issue through the company’s contracts lead to the contracting officer. The team identifies possible cost and schedule effects before promising a change. This example illustrates a control; it does not decide the rights or duties under a particular contract.
A practical readiness exercise
Build a contact-and-authority sheet for one active engagement. Identify the contracting officer, the designated technical representative, your authorized company signer, and your internal escalation owner. Keep the current award, modifications, and delegations available to the people who need them. Have staff explain where they would send a request that might change scope. Walk through a request for extra work. What was requested? Which requirement does it affect? Who can approve it? What cost or schedule effects need review? What written direction is needed before commitment? Record the unresolved questions rather than assuming that silence or urgency settles them.
Make the next decision clearer
A clear authority path helps your team respond promptly without making commitments based on assumptions. GovAssessment™ provides a structured business-readiness baseline based on your responses. Score Only includes the overall GovSuccess Score, readiness category, core pillar results, and separately reported GovSecure readiness. It does not certify compliance, determine contractor responsibility, or guarantee an award. Choose the level of review that fits the decision you need to make.
Explore GovAssessment and get your GovSuccess Score.
Official sources and reference notes
Codified FAR 1.602-1, 1.602-2(d), and 1.602-3; RFO model 1.401, 1.404, and 1.405.
Source review: October 31, 2026. Recheck before publication and whenever the material is reused. General educational information, not legal advice or a determination about a particular acquisition. Practical exercises and hypothetical examples are GovSuccess teaching guidance, not additional FAR requirements.
