Heather Calhoon

Heather Calhoon serves as a procurement specialist focused on food manufacturing and related supply chain requirements, ensuring the agency’s operational needs for specialized food products are met through compliant and efficient acquisition processes. She manages the full lifecycle of contracts under the NAICS 311999 category, overseeing solicitation development, source selection, and contract administration for miscellaneous food manufacturing services. Her work supports mission-critical feeding programs, institutional nutrition standards, and specialty dietary requirements, requiring deep familiarity with FDA regulations, food safety protocols, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Calhoon’s acquisitions are typically complex, multi-year requirements involving formulation, packaging, shelf-stable storage, and Just-In-Time delivery logistics. Her contractor relationships are primarily with manufacturers and processors specializing in bulk, non-perishable, and nutritionally fortified food products. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms capable of meeting stringent federal food safety and labeling standards, including those certified under HACCP and ISO 22000. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical capability, quality assurance documentation, and supply chain resilience, favoring vendors with proven experience in federal food programs and scalable production capacity. Calhoon’s contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a deliberate strategy to maximize market competition and ensure the highest quality and most cost-effective solutions are selected without socioeconomic restrictions. While she does not prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her process remains transparent and inclusive, welcoming all qualified vendors regardless of size or certification status. Her technical expertise centers on NAICS 311999, encompassing the production of ready-to-eat meals, fortified snacks, dietary supplements in food form, and specialized food products for institutional use. She possesses advanced knowledge of food composition standards, allergen controls, and shelf-life validation, making her a key liaison between nutritionists, logistics teams, and industrial food producers.