Kelly Burk

Kelly Burk serves as a key procurement lead within the W7M8 Uspfo Activity IA ARNG, supporting the Iowa National Guard’s mission to enhance domestic security capabilities through specialized training and operational support. Responsible for managing acquisition programs aligned with counterdrug operations, law enforcement tactics, and personnel readiness, Burk oversees the solicitation and award of contracts for technical instruction, field support services, and mission-critical logistics. Their role is central to ensuring the agency’s compliance with federal acquisition regulations while maintaining operational tempo for state-level military units engaged in homeland defense missions. Burk maintains consistent partnerships with a select group of contractors including Triplex Enterprises, L.L.C., Cardno TEC-Leidos, LLC, and Ecology Mir Group LLC, each providing specialized services in tactical training support, environmental compliance, and operational logistics. These relationships reflect a pattern of sustained engagement with vendors possessing proven expertise in military-adjacent technical instruction and field operations, often requiring security clearances and domain-specific certifications. The procurement approach emphasizes vendor reliability, past performance, and mission alignment over volume-driven contracting. A defining feature of Burk’s procurement strategy is the exclusive use of Total Small Business Set-Aside authority under FAR 19.5, with 100% of acquisitions reserved for small businesses. This reflects a deliberate and institutionalized commitment to fostering economic opportunity within the defense support ecosystem, prioritizing small disadvantaged, HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned firms without exception. The agency’s socioeconomic strategy is tightly aligned with federal mandates to empower small business participation in national security missions. The procurement portfolio is overwhelmingly focused on NAICS 722310 (Food Service Contractors) and 722320 (Caterers), indicating a primary need for mission-tailored meal services, field catering, and logistical food support for training deployments and operational readiness events. This specialization underscores a unique intersection of military logistics and civilian contract food services, requiring precise adherence to DoD nutritional standards and expeditionary feeding protocols.