Kathy M. Marquez

Kathy M. Marquez serves as a Contract Specialist for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), where she plays a pivotal role in executing procurements that support the agency’s mission of delivering high-quality K-12 education to military-connected students worldwide. She manages the full lifecycle of contract actions, from requirements development and market research to solicitation, evaluation, award, and closeout, with a focus on facilities support and security services essential to maintaining safe, functional, and operationally resilient school environments across global installations. Her work ensures alignment with FAR guidelines and DoD acquisition policies while advancing DoDEA’s strategic goals in infrastructure and student support. Marquez maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors, including AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, CORETECH CONSULTING INC., EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES LLC, RESIDENTIAL ENHANCEMENTS, INC., and FGI SOLUTIONS LLC. These partnerships primarily involve the provision of facilities management, maintenance, and security systems services critical to the day-to-day operations of DoDEA schools. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, clear statement of work development, and vendor accountability to ensure service quality and mission readiness. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 83.3% of awards issued without set-aside designation, while 16.7% are structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This demonstrates a balanced commitment to leveraging small business capabilities without compromising operational flexibility or market competition. She actively promotes socioeconomic participation through small business set-asides, aligning with federal goals to expand opportunities for qualified small firms. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561210 (Facilities Support Services), encompassing custodial, groundskeeping, building maintenance, and utility support, as well as NAICS 561621 (Security Systems Services), covering surveillance, access control, and physical security infrastructure. Her technical expertise centers on integrating operational needs with contractor performance metrics to sustain safe, compliant, and educationally supportive learning environments.