Valerie Bennett

Contract Specialist serves as a key procurement professional within the Strategic Acquisition Center Fredericksburg (36C10G), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, where they are responsible for managing the acquisition of critical medical equipment and support services essential to modernizing VA healthcare delivery. Their portfolio centers on surgical instruments, electromedical devices, dental and ophthalmic supplies, and diagnostic systems, ensuring veterans receive safe, reliable, and technologically advanced clinical care. They execute full lifecycle contracting actions—from market research and solicitation development to award and contract administration—aligning each acquisition with VA’s mission to deliver high-quality, innovation-driven veteran healthcare. The Contract Specialist maintains established relationships with a select group of trusted vendors, including Fidelis Sustainability Distribution LLC, Contemporary Product Solutions, Inc., and Veterans Healthcare Supply Solutions, Inc., all of which consistently deliver specialized medical devices and supply chain solutions. Collaborations with niche manufacturers and clinical support providers reflect a preference for vendors with deep domain expertise in healthcare instrumentation and compliance with FDA and ISO standards. These partnerships are characterized by long-term reliability, technical responsiveness, and adherence to federal acquisition regulations. Set-aside preferences show a strong emphasis on open competition, with 92.3% of acquisitions conducted without socioeconomic set-asides, indicating a focus on technical merit and value-driven sourcing. However, the specialist maintains a consistent 7.7% commitment to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes competition while supporting qualified small businesses in the medical technology sector. Their primary NAICS focus lies in surgical and medical instrument manufacturing (339112) and surgical appliance manufacturing (339113), reflecting deep expertise in procuring precision medical devices and consumables. Additional emphasis on industrial process control instrumentation (334513) and general-purpose machinery (333998) underscores their technical proficiency in acquiring complex, regulated healthcare systems requiring rigorous validation and calibration standards.