Amanda J Pennel

Amanda J. Pennel serves as a Contracting Officer within the Property Management - Co division of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons, where she leads the acquisition of critical behavioral health and facility support services essential to the agency’s mission of inmate reintegration and mental health care delivery. Her portfolio encompasses full lifecycle contract management for both residential and outpatient treatment programs, as well as infrastructure and operational support services for correctional facilities. Pennel ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations while aligning acquisitions with strategic objectives to expand access to evidence-based behavioral health interventions and reentry services across federal correctional institutions. Her contractor relationships are primarily with firms specializing in facilities management and community-based mental health service delivery. She engages a mix of large-capacity service providers and small business vendors capable of delivering scalable, compliant, and culturally competent care models. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her procurement patterns reflect a preference for vendors with demonstrated experience in correctional environments and trauma-informed care frameworks, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in performance accountability and regulatory adherence. Pennel’s contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic agency-wide approach prioritizing broad market access and competitive pricing over socioeconomic set-asides, though she remains attentive to small business participation through voluntary subcontracting opportunities and vendor outreach initiatives. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561210 (Facilities Support Services), encompassing maintenance, security, and operational support for correctional facilities, and NAICS 621420 (Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers), where she procures clinical services including counseling, case management, and transitional housing coordination. Her technical expertise centers on integrating behavioral health delivery systems within secure institutional environments, ensuring services meet both federal standards and the unique needs of incarcerated populations.