Jennifer H. Knutson

Jennifer H. Knutson serves as a key procurement professional within the Department of Defense Education Activity’s Pacific Region Office, supporting the delivery of K–12 educational services to military-connected students across the Indo-Pacific theater. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions critical to sustaining school infrastructure, operational safety, and student engagement programs in remote and overseas locations. Her work ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurement activities with the agency’s mission to provide academically robust and stable learning environments. Knutson typically handles service-based contracts spanning facility maintenance, educational support, and administrative operations, often coordinating with multiple stakeholders to meet urgent operational needs in geographically dispersed communities. Her contractor relationships are broad-based, engaging vendors across janitorial services, building finishing, photographic equipment supply, and postproduction services. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently works with firms capable of delivering scalable, mission-critical support under tight timelines. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for open competition, with the majority of awards issued under general solicitations rather than set-asides. She maintains collaborative, performance-driven relationships with vendors who demonstrate reliability, compliance, and adaptability in challenging operational environments. Knutson’s set-aside preferences reveal a strong orientation toward open competition, with 91.4% of awards issued without socioeconomic restrictions. Small business participation is modest but intentional, with 5.2% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, and minor allocations to HUBZone and 8(a) programs. Her approach reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising mission readiness or operational efficiency. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 711219 (Other Spectator Sports), indicating significant investment in extracurricular and student engagement activities, alongside substantial spending in janitorial services (561720) and building finishing (238390). She also procures photographic equipment and teleproduction services to support educational media and communications. This unique blend of technical domains underscores her expertise in managing non-traditional DoD education contracts that prioritize student experience and institutional sustainability.