Karen A. McSween

Karen A. McSween serves as a Contract Administrator responsible for managing the full lifecycle of federal acquisitions, from solicitation through contract award and closeout. She ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations, including the FAR and agency-specific policies, while supporting mission-critical needs through timely and transparent contracting processes. Her work directly enables the agency to secure essential services across diverse technical domains, with a focus on efficiency, accountability, and regulatory adherence. She typically handles competitive sealed bids and negotiated procurements for professional, technical, and support services, balancing operational urgency with fiscal responsibility. McSween maintains collaborative relationships with a broad spectrum of vendors, including structural steel and precast concrete contractors, transportation support firms, and management and educational consulting providers. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages both large primes and small businesses under open competition, fostering a fair and inclusive marketplace. Her approach emphasizes clear requirements development, rigorous source selection, and post-award performance monitoring to ensure contractor accountability and service quality. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her awards issued without set-aside designations. This indicates a strategic focus on maximizing competition and value rather than reserving opportunities for specific socioeconomic categories. While she does not prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, she remains compliant with all small business participation goals and may include small business subcontracting requirements where appropriate. McSween’s primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 238120 (Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors), 488999 (Transportation Support Activities), 541613 and 541618 (Marketing and Management Consulting Services), and 611710 (Educational Support Services). She specializes in procuring engineering, logistics, advisory, and training services that support infrastructure, operational readiness, and workforce development initiatives, demonstrating deep familiarity with technical specifications and performance-based acquisition methods.