Catherine Sheppard

Catherine Sheppard serves as a Contracting Officer within the W072 Endist Detroit office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where she manages complex civil engineering and infrastructure support acquisitions critical to military readiness. Her portfolio centers on the design, construction, and maintenance of waterways, harbors, breakwaters, and dredging systems, ensuring the operational resilience of key logistics corridors. She oversees full lifecycle contracting activities—from solicitation and evaluation to award and administration—primarily under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, with a focus on heavy civil works and security-related services essential to Army infrastructure missions. Sheppard maintains established working relationships with a core group of contractors including KOONTZ ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, STRATUS SECURITY MANAGEMENT INC, MORRISH-WALLACE CONSTRUCTION, INC., GREAT LAKES DOCK AND MATERIALS, L.L.C., and TOGIAK MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC. These partnerships reflect a balanced mix of specialized electrical, security, marine construction, and management services providers, indicating a preference for vendors with proven expertise in military-grade infrastructure and operational support. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and contractor accountability in high-stakes, mission-critical environments. Sheppard exhibits a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, allocating 50% of her acquisitions to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, while maintaining an equal portion as open competitions. This balanced strategy supports broad small business participation without compromising mission flexibility, aligning with Army goals to foster competitive, diverse vendor pools while ensuring technical capability. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing) and 561612 (Security Guards and Patrol Services), with significant activity in 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction). She also procures professional training services under 611430 and industrial machinery maintenance under 811310, demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach to sustaining complex military infrastructure systems. Her expertise spans maritime construction, physical security operations, and technical facility maintenance, making her a key steward of Army civil works modernization.