Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / The role of the contracting officer has evolved through our nation's history from one of simply an intermediary between supplier and consumer to that of a sophisticated manager of requirements and resources. In the execution of his many and varied duties and responsibilities, the present-day contracting officer must interact with a variety of individuals and organizations. This report attempts to identify these various relationships, to analyze their characteristics, and to determine how each affects the contracting officer' s accomplishment of his primary tasks and responsibilities. The researcher proposes a model of the contracting officer's environment and identifies ten relationships involving the contracting officer which appear to predominate in this environment. The 169 procurement tasks compiled by Fowler from previous research are analyzed in the context of these relationships . The researcher concludes by revising the proposed model and suggesting that it be further refined by subsequent field validation. / http://archive.org/details/characteristicse00lawl / Captain, United States Army