Karen Gardner

Karen Gardner serves as a Contract Specialist within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Office of Acquisition and Procurement, where she plays a pivotal role in securing mission-critical resources that advance national agricultural science. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisitions for high-precision analytical instrumentation, specialized research services, and field-ready agricultural equipment essential to crop, pest, and soil research. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to sustain cutting-edge scientific capabilities by ensuring timely, compliant, and technically sound procurement of complex laboratory and field systems. Karen maintains consistent working relationships with key vendors including Lab Leasing Co. of Stevensville, MD, and Boh Environmental, L.L.C., who provide specialized laboratory infrastructure and environmental compliance services critical to ARS research operations. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical alignment, and performance-based contract management to ensure reliability and scientific integrity of delivered solutions. She frequently engages with niche suppliers capable of customizing or modifying commercial-off-the-shelf equipment to meet unique research requirements. A strong advocate for small business participation, Karen consistently structures solicitations with a 55.6% total small business set-aside rate under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate strategy to expand opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and economically disadvantaged firms. Her contracting patterns prioritize socioeconomic inclusion while maintaining rigorous technical standards, ensuring that small businesses with specialized capabilities contribute meaningfully to the agency’s scientific mission. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) and 333111 (Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing), with additional emphasis on precision measurement devices and industrial control systems. She specializes in acquiring mass spectrometers, chromatography systems, soil sensors, and automated field monitoring equipment—technologies requiring deep domain expertise in agricultural science and laboratory operations.