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Credit Check for COs/CORs


Vbus

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I am posting the following situation and question for a colleague:

Situation: Contracting Officers and Contracting Officer Representatives are responsible for the solicitation, award and administration of very high dollar level Government contracts funded with taxes paid by the U.S. taxpayers. The ability to make sound and ethical financial decisions on behalf of the Government is crucial in these roles.

Question: Should Contracting Officers and Contracting Officer Representatives be subject to a credit check and minimum credit score requirement in order to be appointed?

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Most agency background checks for sensitive positions include a credit check. So that's part of the process now for both new employees, ones that move to a sensitive/classified position, or require an update.

I think many agencies are considering credit checks as part of the process to become a Purchase Card holder.

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Guest carl r culham

Many agenices require a OGE-450 to be filed. http://www.usoge.gov/forms/form_450.aspx Noting this as it relates to what appears to be the intent of a credit check and application of a certain standard.

My questions would be - Is intent to implement for all CO's, in other words anyone receiving a warrant? Is there intent to include anyone getting a Government purchase card? Government travel card? Asking as the effort and cost should pinpoint the highest risk areas. Are CO's and those that they delegate their authority to the highest risk/cost area or is it those using credit cards and travel cards?

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Guest Vern Edwards

Risk is a measure of the probability of an injurious event and the dollar value of the injury caused by the event. It may be that the probability of misbehavior by a purchase card holder in credit trouble might be higher than that for COs spending larger amounts. However, misbehavior due to credit woes by COs working on larger efforts, although less frequent in occurrence, might represent a higher risk since the dollar amounts involved are likely to be much larger and the public attention much greater. Of course, the cost of credit checks could be reduced by reducing the number of card holders and COs.

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Question: Should Contracting Officers and Contracting Officer Representatives be subject to a credit check and minimum credit score requirement in order to be appointed?

I agree with the first part, CO and CORs should be subject to a credit check.

I don?t agree, however, with the second part of establishing a ?minimum credit score requirement?.

The credit check should be tool as part of an overall investigation. Having a minimum score doesn?t differentiate between someone that has always had a history of poor decision making and one who has recently gone through say a divorce and lost their home etc.

I think the information should be reviewed as a whole and any ?red flags? should be investigated. Simply relying on a number at one point in time doesn't tell the story of someone?s character.

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I agree with the first part, CO and CORs should be subject to a credit check.

I don?t agree, however, with the second part of establishing a ?minimum credit score requirement?.

The credit check should be tool as part of an overall investigation. Having a minimum score doesn?t differentiate between someone that has always had a history of poor decision making and one who has recently gone through say a divorce and lost their home etc.

I think the information should be reviewed as a whole and any ?red flags? should be investigated. Simply relying on a number at one point in time doesn't tell the story of someone?s character.

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When I started in my new agency in July, I had to go through a new process of background investigation and credit checks even though I had been a govt employee for over 10 years...

I don't agree with a minimum credit score. Credit records are often not accurate and they are geared to the creditors. I know it took me a long time and a lot of effort to get erroneous information off of my record. When you ask them to prove it, it is a simple sheet sent to someone in India who calls the company that doesn't check. They just reverufy bad information and do not investigate it like they are supposed to. In addition, a lot of people have been hit with hard times in this economy with a spouse losing a job, medical bills, divorce, etc.

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