Amber Hughes

Amber Hughes serves as the primary contracting lead for the DSC Contracting Services Division within the National Park Service, overseeing the acquisition of critical infrastructure services essential to preserving and modernizing America’s national parks. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions, she ensures compliance with federal contracting regulations while advancing the agency’s mission to rehabilitate historic structures, upgrade utility systems, and enhance visitor facilities in ecologically sensitive and remote locations. Her portfolio primarily includes construction, engineering, and architectural services, with a strong emphasis on complex, mission-critical projects requiring technical precision and environmental stewardship. Hughes maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of established contractors, including HDR Engineering Inc., Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC, BookCliff Partners, LLC, and Aleut Construction LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in historic preservation, civil infrastructure, and remote-site construction. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and long-term vendor collaboration, fostering accountability and technical alignment with the National Park Service’s preservation goals. While the majority of her acquisitions are open to full and open competition—reflecting a 73.5% no set-aside rate—she actively supports small business participation, with 26.5% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a deliberate commitment to socioeconomic diversity, regularly engaging qualified small businesses with specialized capabilities in construction and engineering services. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), followed by engineering services (541330) and architectural services (541310). She frequently procures services related to structural rehabilitation, water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, and roofing systems, demonstrating deep technical expertise in the intersection of historic preservation, civil engineering, and sustainable construction practices.