Koren Wheeler

Koren Wheeler serves as a secondary procurement liaison within the Federal Railroad Administration, supporting the agency’s mission to enhance rail safety, operational resilience, and infrastructure modernization through strategic acquisition of technical and educational services. While not a primary contracting officer, Wheeler plays a critical role in identifying, evaluating, and facilitating acquisitions aligned with the FRA’s priorities in rail system innovation, human factors analysis, and predictive modeling. Their work primarily supports the procurement of training, research, and professional development services that build workforce capacity and advance engineering excellence across the national rail network. Wheeler collaborates with a diverse range of vendors, including educational support providers, professional associations, and research institutions specializing in transportation engineering and safety analytics. Though no single contractor dominates their portfolio, they consistently engage firms with expertise in rail-specific workforce development and systems-level performance analysis. Their procurement patterns reflect a preference for established, non-traditional contractors capable of delivering customized technical solutions rather than off-the-shelf commercial products, fostering partnerships grounded in subject-matter expertise and adaptive service delivery. Set-aside preferences reveal a strong orientation toward open competition, with over 90% of acquisitions conducted without socioeconomic set-asides. However, Wheeler does support targeted small business participation, with approximately 9% of awards directed toward local area and total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and 26.2, indicating a measured but intentional commitment to expanding vendor diversity without compromising technical rigor. The primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 611430 (Professional and Management Development Training) and 611710 (Educational Support Services), reflecting a strategic investment in workforce upskilling and institutional knowledge transfer. Additional activity in NAICS 813920 and 541715 underscores engagement with professional organizations and applied research entities focused on rail safety, operational modeling, and human performance optimization—domains critical to the FRA’s long-term modernization agenda.