Freida F. McClain

Freida E. McClain serves as Supervisory Contracting Officer at Federal Prison Industries (Unicor), where she oversees the acquisition of goods and services essential to the agency’s mission of providing vocational training and meaningful employment to incarcerated individuals. In this role, she manages a diverse portfolio of contracts spanning manufacturing, maintenance, and industrial supply chains, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations while advancing Unicor’s goal of cost-effective, high-quality production for federal agencies. Her responsibilities include leading complex solicitations, evaluating technical proposals, and ensuring alignment with Department of Justice and FAR standards, with a strong emphasis on mission-driven outcomes and operational sustainability. McClain maintains long-standing relationships with key contractors including Veterans Range Solutions, LLC, Krueger International, Inc., Veterans Environmental Group, LLC, Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, and Nightingale Corp. These partnerships reflect a consistent preference for vendors capable of delivering specialized industrial products and services, particularly those with experience in institutional or government-scale manufacturing and repair. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, quality control, and alignment with Unicor’s rehabilitative objectives, often fostering collaborative vendor engagement to meet unique production requirements. While the majority of her acquisitions are conducted under open competition, McClain demonstrates a notable commitment to small business participation, with approximately 37.9% of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate effort to include qualified small businesses, particularly those with expertise in industrial production and service delivery, though she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides. Her procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 313210 (Broadwoven Fabric Mills) and 339993 (Fastener, Button, Needle, and Pin Manufacturing), indicating deep specialization in textile and hardware production. She also frequently procures industrial machinery repair and maintenance services under NAICS 811310 and industrial equipment wholesale distribution under NAICS 423830, showcasing technical expertise in durable goods supply chains critical to federal institutional operations.