Hermila Duran

Hermila Duran serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of federal acquisitions, from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration. She plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) while advancing mission-critical procurement objectives. Her portfolio primarily encompasses food production and agricultural supply contracts, requiring deep familiarity with quality control standards, perishable goods logistics, and food safety protocols. Duran’s acquisitions are strategically aligned to support operational readiness and institutional food service requirements, often involving complex requirements for shelf-stable and refrigerated perishable items. While specific contractor names are not publicly identifiable in available data, Duran maintains consistent engagement with a diverse pool of vendors, including manufacturers of prepared foods, specialty crop producers, and industrial food processing firms. Her contracting approach emphasizes transparency, competitive bidding, and performance-based outcomes, fostering long-term vendor partnerships grounded in reliability and regulatory adherence. She routinely evaluates vendor capabilities through past performance assessments and technical evaluations to ensure compliance with food safety and supply chain integrity standards. Duran demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 20% of her awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. While the majority of her contracts remain open to all competitors, her consistent use of small business set-asides reflects a deliberate effort to expand economic opportunity within the food and agriculture supply chain. She does not appear to prioritize other socioeconomic categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB, instead focusing on broad-based small business inclusion. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 311991 (Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing), where she acquires ready-to-serve meals, frozen entrees, and other processed food products. She also regularly procures agricultural commodities under NAICS 111998, including specialty crops, and industrial food equipment under NAICS 335129. This specialized domain requires technical knowledge of food processing standards, packaging requirements, and cold chain logistics, positioning her as a subject matter expert in food service procurement within federal operations.