Essential Work in Extraordinary Times: How the Contracting Officer Representative team carried on the mission

Essential Work in Extraordinary Times: How the Contracting Officer Representative team carried on the mission

While the government shutdown disrupted many federal agencies, DCAA continued providing critical and essential service to the Department and the Warfighter. Many operations paused, but DCAA’s dedicated workforce continued working to ensure vital tasks continued to support the mission throughout the 43-day lapse in appropriations.

Contracting Officer Representative team

The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) team consists of four members: Kathy Hightower, Program Manager; Joseph DiSantis, COR; Karla Harrison, COR; and Christopher Miller, COR. Throughout the shutdown, the COR team sustained critical operations with contractual deadlines. The team was there to make sure monthly contractor milestones were met, entrance conferences were conducted, audit reports were issued on time, and rate agreement letters were signed and delivered to Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) offices of Southern California, Mid-Atlantic, and Huntsville. Additionally, the team provided urgent negotiation support to DCMA Southern California, resulting in $53,000 in savings for the Government.

Recognizing the risks from delaying operations, the COR team kept the program on track by advancing acquisition packages with the Defense Logistics Agency and by completing technical evaluations so fiscal year 2026 task orders could immediately begin once funding was restored. This foresight prevented any backlogs and ensured success for the program. “The team takes immense pride in how we upheld the mission during the shutdown. Even without pay, we stayed focused on protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring critical audits continued without interruption. That commitment reflects the very best of public service,” Mr. DiSantis shares.