Jana Knapp

Jana Knapp serves as a primary procurement lead within the Institute of Education Sciences, supporting the agency’s mission to advance evidence-based education policy through rigorous research and evaluation. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions centered on social science research, data analytics, and technical services that inform federal education programs. Her work directly enables the design and implementation of large-scale evaluations under initiatives such as Title I flexibility pilots and Perkins V Career Technical Education programs, ensuring that contracting activities align with the agency’s commitment to scientific rigor and equity in educational outcomes. Knapp cultivates strategic partnerships with research institutions, data analytics firms, and management consulting providers, often engaging vendors with deep expertise in educational policy evaluation and mixed-methods research. While no specific contractors are currently identified in the procurement record, her pattern of engagement favors firms capable of delivering high-quality, peer-reviewed evidence and scalable data infrastructure solutions. She maintains a collaborative, compliance-driven approach to vendor relationships, emphasizing transparency, performance metrics, and adherence to federal acquisition regulations. Her contracting strategy reflects a strong emphasis on small business participation, with 20% of awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This demonstrates a deliberate commitment to expanding opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and minority-owned firms capable of delivering specialized research and technical services. While no other socioeconomic set-asides are predominant, her portfolio consistently prioritizes small business eligibility and capacity-building. Knapp’s procurement focus is anchored in NAICS 541720 (Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities), which constitutes nearly half of her acquisitions, followed by custom computer programming (541511) and management consulting (541611). She regularly procures services related to longitudinal data analysis, program evaluation design, survey development, and education technology implementation—reflecting deep domain expertise in the intersection of education policy and empirical research methodologies.