Procurement Representatives (Procurement Officer Representative, POR)

In NATO's procurement framework, the role behind the term procurement representative is the Procurement Officer Representative, or POR. A POR is a person in a requisitioning office, such as a service manager, project manager or team leader, whom a Procurement Officer formally designates to act as that officer's representative in administering a specific contract.

The role applies to high-value, complex or strategic contracts. It is set out in NATO's procurement manual, which states that Procurement Officers and PORs work together in contract administration. NATO's general terms and conditions use the related word "Representative" for the person who coordinates, monitors and controls a supplier's performance.

Who can serve as a Procurement Officer Representative

A POR sits within a requisitioning office, the part of the organization that needs the goods or services. NATO gives three examples of the people who may fill the role:

• a service manager
• a project manager
• a team leader

A POR does not take on the role by default. The manual requires that a Procurement Officer formally designate the individual. The designation is also tied to a particular contract, so a POR administers the specific contract named in the designation and not procurement in general.

How a POR differs from a Procurement Officer

NATO's manual states that Procurement Officers hold exclusive legal authority to procure goods and services on behalf of the Organization. A POR does not hold that authority. A POR acts as the Procurement Officer's designated representative for administering specified contracts.

The manual places PORs within the wider group of staff involved in procurement activities. That group also includes:

• requisitioners
• purchasing-card holders
• buyers

Each of these roles has its own place in the process. The POR role is the one linked to contract administration on high-value, complex or strategic contracts.

The Representative in NATO's general terms and conditions

Suppliers meet the same idea from the contract side. NATO's general terms and conditions refer to a "Representative", meaning the person or persons designated in the purchase order to coordinate, monitor and control the supplier's performance under the contract.

The terms also state where to find that person. The Representative's contact details are specified in the purchase-order form. For a supplier delivering to NATO, the purchase order is therefore the document that identifies who oversees day-to-day performance.

NATO publishes its current opportunities on its procurement opportunities page, and suppliers can review the policy documents there before they bid.

What it means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

The POR title belongs to NATO's internal procurement framework. Canadian solicitations and contracts set out their own contact roles, so a Canadian supplier should read the solicitation or contract itself. It will show whether the document names a procurement representative, technical representative, contract-authority representative or another point of contact, and what authority that person holds.

On NATO work, check the purchase-order form for the designated Representative and record the contact details. Keep in mind that the Procurement Officer holds the legal authority to procure on NATO's behalf, while the POR and the Representative administer and monitor performance on the specified contract.