Berenice Valenzuela

Berenice Valenzuela serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions related to critical infrastructure projects, with a primary focus on power and communication line construction. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while facilitating timely, cost-effective, and technically sound contract awards that support national utility and communications network resilience. Her role is central to executing the agency’s mission of maintaining and expanding essential energy and telecommunications infrastructure through rigorous solicitation, evaluation, and contract administration processes. She routinely handles complex construction and engineering service contracts requiring detailed technical specifications and performance-based outcomes. Valenzuela works with a broad spectrum of contractors specializing in utility line installation, substation construction, and telecommunications infrastructure development. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she engages with firms possessing specialized capabilities in overhead and underground line deployment, trenching, pole setting, and fiber optic cabling. Her contracting approach emphasizes competitive bidding, clear performance metrics, and contractor accountability, fostering relationships built on technical proficiency, safety compliance, and timely delivery. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for unrestricted competition, with 100% of her awards issued under the “No Set-Aside” category. This indicates a focus on selecting the most qualified offerors regardless of socioeconomic status, prioritizing technical capability and past performance over set-aside programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, she remains compliant with all applicable small business subcontracting requirements. Her primary NAICS specialization is 237130 — Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction — underscoring her deep expertise in utility-scale infrastructure projects. She procures services including transmission and distribution line installation, right-of-way clearance, pole and tower erection, and associated civil works, requiring knowledge of OSHA standards, NESC codes, and utility coordination protocols. Her technical domain expertise ensures that contracts align with engineering best practices and operational reliability standards.