Jared Smith

Jared Smith serves as a procurement specialist within the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Office of Acquisition and Procurement, where he manages mission-critical acquisitions to support advanced agricultural research. His responsibilities include soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for high-precision laboratory instrumentation, environmental control systems, and infrastructure maintenance at federal research facilities. He plays a central role in enabling scientific innovation by ensuring timely access to cutting-edge analytical equipment and mission-enabling infrastructure, aligning procurement activities with the agency’s strategic goals of data-driven science and operational resilience across field stations and experimental sites. Smith maintains consistent working relationships with a focused group of contractors, including McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC for facility upgrades, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC for specialized environmental and instrumentation systems, and L1 Enterprises Incorporated for technical support and maintenance services. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical reliability, compliance with federal standards, and proven performance in delivering complex scientific equipment and infrastructure solutions. These relationships are cultivated through structured solicitation processes and performance-based contract management. Smith’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on non-set-aside acquisitions, with 100% of awards issued under open competition. This pattern indicates a prioritization of technical capability and mission readiness over socioeconomic set-asides, reflecting the specialized nature of the equipment and services required to sustain high-stakes agricultural research operations. His primary procurement activity centers on NAICS 334516—Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing—where he procures mass spectrometers, chromatography systems, climate-controlled growth chambers, and other precision scientific instruments essential to agricultural biotechnology and environmental analysis. His expertise lies in navigating the technical specifications and compliance requirements unique to federal research-grade equipment, ensuring acquisitions meet the rigorous standards of USDA-ARS scientific missions.