Charles N. Nurse

Charles N. Nurse serves as a Contracting Officer for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), where he leads the acquisition of engineering services critical to advancing the nation’s rail infrastructure safety and operational resilience. In this role, he is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions—from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration—ensuring alignment with FRA’s mission to modernize rail systems through data-driven engineering solutions. His portfolio primarily encompasses technical contracts for rail inspection systems, human factors analysis, and predictive modeling tools designed to enhance capacity planning and accident prevention. Mr. Nurse maintains a broad network of engineering service providers with deep expertise in rail systems engineering, transportation modeling, and infrastructure diagnostics. While no single contractor dominates his award portfolio, he consistently engages firms with proven capabilities in rail-specific technical domains, including structural integrity assessment, signal system optimization, and safety compliance analytics. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous technical evaluation, and vendor accountability under performance work statements and cost-reimbursement or time-and-materials contract types. Mr. Nurse’s procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of his acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic classifications, prioritizing the most qualified firms regardless of size or certification status. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in his portfolio, he remains compliant with all federal contracting regulations and evaluates all offerors under the same technical and evaluative criteria. His primary NAICS focus is 541330 (Engineering Services), with acquisitions centered on advanced rail engineering, systems integration, and data analytics for transportation infrastructure. He procures specialized services including finite element analysis, risk modeling, human-machine interface design, and real-time monitoring system development, demonstrating deep domain expertise in rail safety engineering and performance-based acquisition strategies.