Karen VanBuskirk

Karen VanBuskirk serves as a key procurement professional within the GSA/FAS Office of Acquisition Operations, supporting the agency’s mission to secure efficient, secure, and compliant travel and administrative services for federal agencies. She specializes in the acquisition of technology-driven solutions that underpin the federal travel ecosystem, including air transportation, lodging, and travel management systems. Her work ensures that government mobility operations remain agile, cost-effective, and aligned with federal compliance standards. VanBuskirk routinely manages complex IT service contracts, with a primary focus on systems design and integration that support mission-critical travel infrastructure. Her contractor relationships center on firms delivering computer systems design services, particularly those capable of integrating travel data platforms, automating expense reporting, and enhancing cybersecurity for federal travel portals. She collaborates with a broad spectrum of vendors, including large systems integrators and mid-tier technology providers, all of whom must meet stringent federal IT standards such as FISMA and NIST guidelines. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, vendor accountability, and long-term service reliability over transactional procurement. VanBuskirk’s contracting patterns reflect a strict preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted without set-aside designations. This indicates a strategic focus on maximizing market competition and leveraging full industry capacity rather than socioeconomic set-asides. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, she adheres to all statutory requirements and ensures fair opportunity for all qualified vendors under full and open competition. Her primary technical domain is NAICS 541512—Computer Systems Design Services—where she procures end-to-end IT solutions for modernizing federal travel systems. This includes custom software development, cloud-based travel management platforms, data analytics tools, and interoperable systems that connect GSA’s travel services with agency-wide financial and HR systems. Her expertise lies in aligning technical requirements with operational needs in high-volume, mission-critical environments.