April Smith

April Smith serves as a Contracting Officer for Federal Prison Industries (Unicor), a U.S. Department of Justice entity dedicated to providing vocational training and meaningful employment to incarcerated individuals through the production of goods and services for federal agencies. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions—from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration—ensuring alignment with Unicor’s mission of rehabilitation through industry. Her acquisitions primarily involve manufacturing and industrial supply contracts, leveraging inmate labor to produce essential federal products while adhering to federal acquisition regulations and cost-efficiency mandates. Smith maintains enduring relationships with a select group of strategic vendors, including VETERANS RANGE SOLUTIONS, LLC, KRUEGER INTERNATIONAL, INC., and BLIND INDUSTRIES AND SERVICES OF MARYLAND, among others. These partnerships reflect a preference for organizations with complementary mission-driven objectives, particularly those serving veteran, disabled, or underserved populations. Her contracting approach emphasizes collaboration with vendors capable of scaling production, meeting federal quality standards, and supporting sustainable supply chain initiatives. Her procurement portfolio is evenly split between open competitions and Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a strong commitment to expanding economic opportunity for small businesses without socioeconomic designations. While she does not routinely prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her consistent use of small business set-asides underscores a deliberate strategy to foster broad-based small business participation across diverse industries. Smith’s technical expertise centers on manufacturing sectors including aluminum sheet and foil production (NAICS 331315), sign manufacturing (339950), laminated plastics (326130), animal food manufacturing (311119), and industrial fan and blower systems (333413). She specializes in procuring durable, high-volume goods used across federal facilities, with deep familiarity in material specifications, production capacity assessments, and quality control protocols for industrial applications.