Iris Bates

Iris Bates serves as the primary procurement lead for the FPAC Business Center–Management Services Division within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overseeing the acquisition of real estate infrastructure critical to supporting field-level agricultural operations and conservation initiatives. Her role centers on securing and managing nonresidential property leases and related real estate services to ensure USDA personnel have accessible, scalable physical footprints across rural and underserved regions. She manages a high-volume portfolio of space acquisition contracts, primarily focused on leasing facilities to house farm service centers, disaster response units, and conservation program offices, ensuring operational continuity and mission readiness through strategic real estate procurement. Bates maintains longstanding relationships with key contractors including Greenwood Properties, L.L.P., and McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC, who provide property leasing, site development, and facility management services. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established real estate service providers with demonstrated capacity in federal compliance, property asset management, and rural infrastructure adaptation. These partnerships are characterized by repeat engagements and a focus on long-term operational stability rather than transactional procurement. Her procurement activity shows a strong preference for non-set-aside acquisitions, with 98.3% of awards issued under full and open competition, indicating a focus on market-wide efficiency and value. Only 1.7% of awards are competed under the 8(a) program, reflecting minimal reliance on socioeconomic set-asides and a prioritization of capability and readiness over socioeconomic criteria. Bates’s technical domain expertise lies primarily in NAICS 531120 (Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings) and 531190 (Lessors of Other Real Estate Property), where she procures turnkey leased facilities, ground leases, and property management services tailored to federal operational needs. Her work ensures that USDA’s physical infrastructure aligns with programmatic demands in agriculture outreach, disaster recovery, and conservation delivery across diverse geographic landscapes.