Darlene Howes

Darlene R. Howes serves as a Contracting Officer for the W7NC Uspfo Activity Me Arng under the Department of the Army, where she manages procurement activities critical to sustaining the readiness of the Maine Army National Guard. Her portfolio focuses on non-combat support functions essential to troop welfare, including meal services, medical care infrastructure, and temporary lodging for personnel in pre-deployment cycles. She executes acquisitions under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) with an emphasis on ensuring timely, compliant, and mission-aligned procurement of essential services that directly support training and operational sustainment. Ms. Howes maintains strong, recurring relationships with key vendors such as JEFF’S CATERING & BAKE SHOP, INC. and ARCABEL SOLUTIONS LLC, reflecting a pattern of long-term vendor partnerships grounded in reliability and performance. These contractors provide specialized services including institutional food service, facility maintenance, and logistical support, indicating a preference for vendors with proven capacity in high-volume, mission-critical environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes consistency and accountability, fostering trusted vendor relationships that ensure continuity of operations across dynamic training and deployment cycles. Her procurement strategy demonstrates a robust commitment to small business participation, with 42.9% of her awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. While the majority of her acquisitions are unrestricted, she consistently prioritizes socioeconomic programs that empower small businesses, aligning with Department of Defense objectives to broaden vendor diversity and enhance local economic resilience. Ms. Howes specializes in procurement under NAICS 236220 for commercial and institutional building construction, supporting facility upgrades for training sites; NAICS 812332 for industrial laundering services critical to uniform and gear hygiene; NAICS 721199 for temporary lodging; and NAICS 423210 for furniture and equipment procurement. Her expertise lies in integrating logistical, environmental, and human services contracts into a cohesive support framework that enables operational readiness without direct combat dependency.