Karen L. Simmons

Karen L. Simmons serves as a Contract Specialist within the W072 Endist Huntington under the Department of the Army, where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex civil infrastructure acquisitions aligned with the agency’s mission to sustain and modernize military installations. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for heavy civil engineering, facility maintenance, and environmental infrastructure projects, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and mission-critical timelines. Her work directly supports the resilience and operational readiness of Army infrastructure by facilitating timely, transparent, and legally sound contract awards for essential public works. Simmons maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of experienced contractors, including MPR Associates, Inc., STANTEC Consulting Services Inc., and MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC, among others. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in civil engineering, site development, and facility maintenance. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, leveraging past performance and technical capability evaluations to ensure quality delivery of mission-critical infrastructure services. A strong advocate for small business participation, Simmons consistently prioritizes Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, with over two-thirds of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses. She also actively supports Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and HUBZone set-asides, reflecting a deliberate socioeconomic strategy to broaden contractor diversity while maintaining high standards of performance and accountability. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and 541330 (Engineering Services), with significant activity in highway, bridge, water control, and landscaping projects. She specializes in procuring integrated civil works solutions that combine design, construction, and environmental compliance, demonstrating deep technical understanding of federal infrastructure standards and sustainable construction practices.