Alison Duff

Alison Duff supports the Agricultural Research Service’s Office of Acquisition and Procurement in facilitating critical scientific infrastructure and operational capabilities for USDA research missions. She manages the acquisition of high-precision laboratory equipment, specialized agricultural machinery, and mission-critical services essential to sustaining cutting-edge agricultural research. Her procurement portfolio centers on ensuring the readiness of field and laboratory facilities through the timely delivery of ultra-low-temperature freezers, micro-CT scanners, sterilization systems, and related analytical support services, aligning closely with the agency’s mandate to advance scientific discovery through reliable, mission-driven procurement. Duff maintains strategic relationships with a select group of contractors, including McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC for facility infrastructure, Larkos Packing and Distribution Inc. for specialized logistics, Arabic Interpreters LLC for linguistic support in multilingual research environments, and AMD International Technologies LLC for advanced instrumentation and technical integration. These partnerships reflect a pattern of engaging vendors with proven expertise in niche, science-adjacent domains, emphasizing technical competence, regulatory compliance, and operational reliability over broad-scale commercial capacity. Her contracting approach reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with equal portions of procurements set aside for total small business participation under FAR 19.5 and open competitions without set-asides. This indicates a deliberate strategy to foster small business engagement while maintaining flexibility to meet urgent scientific needs, ensuring that qualified small firms have equitable access to high-value research support contracts. Duff’s procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 115116 (Farm Management Services) and 333111 (Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing), underscoring her expertise in acquiring precision agricultural technologies and operational support services essential to USDA’s research infrastructure. She routinely sources specialized equipment, maintenance contracts, and field-deployable systems that enable large-scale agricultural experimentation and data collection, demonstrating deep familiarity with the technical demands of modern agri-research environments.