Katherine Bowen

Katherine Bowen serves as a Contracting Officer within the Property Management - Co division of the Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons, where she oversees the acquisition of critical behavioral health and reentry support services for incarcerated and transitioning populations. Her procurement portfolio is centered on ensuring compliant, mission-aligned contracts that expand access to residential and outpatient mental health and substance use treatment programs, as well as structured reentry services designed to facilitate successful community reintegration. She manages full lifecycle acquisitions under FAR Part 12 and Part 13, primarily utilizing indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) and requirements contracts to meet dynamic operational needs across federal correctional facilities. Bowen maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse range of service providers, including specialized behavioral health contractors, community-based treatment organizations, and clinical support vendors. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, quality assurance standards, and vendor accountability through robust contract administration and post-award oversight. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages firms with demonstrated expertise in correctional healthcare delivery, trauma-informed care models, and culturally competent counseling services. A strong advocate for small business participation, Bowen prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, with 21% of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses. Her socioeconomic contracting patterns reflect a deliberate effort to empower small, mission-driven vendors capable of delivering high-quality, scalable behavioral health services within correctional environments. She rarely utilizes other set-aside categories, focusing instead on broad small business eligibility under the general small business program. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 621420 (Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers), which accounts for nearly 87% of her activity, reflecting deep expertise in contracting for clinical mental health services, addiction counseling, and case management. She also procures related support services such as translation and interpretation, human resources consulting for correctional staffing, and limited audiovisual equipment for program delivery—all aligned with the agency’s mission to deliver integrated, accessible, and rehabilitative care.