Kathy James Eaton

Kathy James Eaton serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of complex professional and technical service acquisitions. She ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations, including FAR and socioeconomic requirements, while facilitating timely and effective contract awards that meet agency mission needs. Her work centers on soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for high-value technical services, with a focus on engineering, research, and custom software development. She plays a critical role in aligning acquisition strategy with operational objectives, ensuring transparency, competition, and regulatory integrity throughout the procurement process. Kathy cultivates relationships with a diverse pool of vendors, primarily engaging firms specializing in professional, scientific, and technical services, as well as engineering and custom computer programming providers. She fosters competitive environments by encouraging both large and small business participation, often coordinating with industry stakeholders to clarify requirements and promote fair access. Her contracting approach emphasizes clear solicitation language, robust evaluation criteria, and post-award performance oversight to ensure contractor accountability and deliverable quality. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 86.7% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions. However, she consistently supports socioeconomic goals by allocating 6.7% of awards each to 8(a) competed contracts and Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced commitment to both competition and small business inclusion. She actively promotes equitable access for certified small businesses while maintaining rigorous standards for technical capability and past performance. Kathy’s primary acquisition focus lies in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) and 541330 (Engineering Services), with significant activity in 334111 (Electronic Computer Manufacturing) and 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services). She regularly procures advanced technical solutions including systems engineering, applied research, software development, and hardware integration, reflecting deep expertise in technology-driven service acquisition and mission-critical technical support.