Kate Behrens

Kate Behrens serves as the primary contracting lead for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ W07V Endist Rock Island office, overseeing the acquisition of civil infrastructure and environmental works critical to national water resource management. She manages a diverse portfolio of construction, engineering, and technical services contracts aligned with the agency’s mission to design, construct, and maintain flood control systems, navigation locks, dams, and riverine infrastructure. Her procurement activities ensure operational readiness, public safety, and environmental compliance across federal civil works projects, with a strong emphasis on technical precision and long-term asset sustainability. Behrens maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of experienced contractors, including J.F. Brennan Company, Inc., Sealevel Construction Inc., JohnPac, LLC, Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., and Ellicott Dredge Technologies, LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in heavy civil engineering, dredging, and structural construction. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, requiring rigorous compliance with federal engineering standards and environmental regulations, and fostering long-term vendor collaboration to deliver complex, mission-critical infrastructure. A strong advocate for small business participation, Behrens prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, directing approximately 75% of her acquisitions to small businesses. This reflects a deliberate strategy to broaden vendor diversity and enhance competition within the civil works sector, aligning with Department of the Army socioeconomic goals. While no set-aside remains a secondary option, her portfolio consistently includes small disadvantaged, service-disabled veteran-owned, and HUBZone firms, reinforcing equitable access to federal contracting opportunities. Her technical procurement focus centers on NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction), with additional emphasis on prefabricated metal building manufacturing, structural metal fabrication, and software publishing for infrastructure monitoring systems. She procures specialized equipment such as dredging machinery, hydraulic structures, and digital modeling tools, demonstrating deep expertise in civil engineering systems, environmental remediation technologies, and resilient infrastructure design.