Kerrie Hodges

Kerrie Hodges serves as the primary procurement lead for the Agricultural Research Service’s Agricultural Research Facility Management and Procurement Division, where she ensures the acquisition of mission-critical laboratory instrumentation, precision maintenance services, and specialized research support essential to USDA’s scientific infrastructure. Her role is central to enabling high-throughput biological and environmental research by securing state-of-the-art analytical equipment and technical services that underpin food security and sustainable agriculture innovation. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions spanning equipment repair, laboratory certification, training, and instrument manufacturing, aligning procurement actions with the agency’s scientific priorities and operational timelines. Kerrie maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of specialized vendors, including Georgia Commercial and Residential Elevator, LLC for facility infrastructure support, Germfree Laboratories, LLC for controlled-environment laboratory systems, and J’s Associates, LLC for technical consulting. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for niche, technically qualified contractors capable of delivering precision-engineered solutions and compliance-heavy services such as ISO-certified maintenance and biocontainment system calibration. These partnerships are characterized by long-term reliability, technical specificity, and a focus on mission-critical uptime. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with 71.4% of awards issued without set-asides, while maintaining a robust 28.6% commitment to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This balanced approach ensures access to specialized capabilities while actively fostering participation from qualified small businesses across multiple socioeconomic categories, demonstrating a deliberate effort to broaden vendor diversity without compromising technical rigor. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 334516 for analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing, 811210 and 811310 for precision equipment repair and maintenance, 611430 for professional training in scientific instrumentation, and 115113 for mechanized crop harvesting systems. This reflects deep expertise in procuring high-complexity, scientifically validated equipment and services critical to agricultural research, from mass spectrometry systems to automated field machinery, ensuring alignment with cutting-edge R&D needs.