Cynthia Afuso

Cynthia Afuso serves as a primary procurement lead for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, overseeing the acquisition of critical infrastructure support services essential to the state’s transportation network. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of contracting activities for civil engineering and construction-related projects, ensuring alignment with state and federal compliance standards. Her responsibilities include soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for building systems and mechanical infrastructure, with a focus on delivering resilient, long-term solutions for Hawaii’s island communities. She works closely with project engineers and program managers to translate technical requirements into enforceable procurement documents that support the agency’s mission of safe, efficient mobility. Afuso collaborates with a diverse pool of qualified contractors specializing in plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and commercial institutional construction. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages firms with proven experience in island-specific construction challenges, including corrosion-resistant materials, seismic retrofitting, and remote logistics coordination. Her procurement approach emphasizes vendor reliability, technical competence, and adherence to environmental and safety standards, fostering long-term partnerships with contractors who demonstrate capacity to deliver under Hawaii’s unique geographic and climatic conditions. Afuso’s contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of procurements conducted under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on maximizing market participation and technical capability rather than socioeconomic set-asides, though small businesses remain eligible and competitive within the open bidding process. Her approach prioritizes value, performance, and resilience over socioeconomic classifications, ensuring the most qualified firms are selected regardless of size or certification status. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors) and 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), reflecting deep expertise in mechanical systems integration and large-scale facility construction. She routinely procures HVAC systems, building envelope components, structural reinforcements, and related construction services for state-owned transportation facilities, demonstrating specialized knowledge in infrastructure resilience and climate-adaptive design.