(a) The contracting officer must determine the qualification of the recipient, as described in §§ 603.510 and 603.515.

(b) As the business expert working with the program official, the contracting officer also must address the financial aspects of the proposed agreement. The contracting officer must:

(1) Determine that the total amount of funding for the proposed effort is reasonable, as addressed in § 603.520.

(2) Assess the value and determine the reasonableness of the recipient's proposed cost sharing contribution, as discussed in §§ 603.525 through 603.555.

(3) If contemplating the use of a fixed-support rather than expenditure-based TIA, ensure that its use is justified, as explained in §§ 603.560 and 603.565.

(4) Determine amounts for milestone payments, if used, as discussed in § 603.570.