Karen Petty

Karen Petty supports the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Office of Acquisition and Supply Chain Management in securing critical analytical and laboratory capabilities essential to the nation’s meat, poultry, and egg product safety infrastructure. She manages procurement activities for advanced diagnostic instrumentation, laboratory consumables, and data analytics systems that enable real-time detection of biological and chemical hazards. Her role is central to ensuring the agency’s scientific surveillance missions are enabled through timely, compliant, and technically robust acquisitions aligned with FSIS’s science-driven mandate. Her contractor relationships are primarily with manufacturers of analytical laboratory equipment and specialized technical service providers, fostering partnerships with firms capable of delivering high-precision instrumentation and validated testing protocols. While specific vendor names are not disclosed, her procurement patterns reflect consistent engagement with vendors possessing ISO-certified manufacturing processes, FDA-registered facilities, and validated calibration capabilities. She prioritizes vendors with proven track records in delivering mission-critical lab systems under strict regulatory compliance frameworks. Karen demonstrates a strong preference for open competition, with approximately 70.6% of acquisitions conducted without set-asides, reflecting the technical complexity and specialized nature of the goods procured. Nevertheless, she actively supports small business participation, with nearly 24% of awards directed to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5 and approximately 6% to Women-Owned Small Businesses, aligning with federal socioeconomic goals without compromising technical requirements. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 334516 for analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing, followed by professional training services under NAICS 611430 to ensure staff proficiency with complex diagnostic platforms. She routinely acquires mass spectrometers, PCR systems, and data integration tools, demonstrating deep expertise in laboratory automation, biosafety compliance, and analytical validation protocols critical to food safety surveillance.