Laura Herms

Laura Herms serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions for critical energy and petroleum-related acquisitions. Her role is central to ensuring timely, compliant, and cost-effective contract execution in support of federal operational requirements. She specializes in complex commercial item acquisitions under FAR Part 12, with a focus on solicitation development, source selection, contract negotiation, and post-award administration. Her portfolio primarily involves the procurement of refined petroleum products, bulk fuel logistics, and related manufacturing services, requiring deep familiarity with federal supply chain regulations and industrial specifications. Her contractor relationships are predominantly with large-scale petroleum merchant wholesalers and refinery operators, reflecting the nature of the commodities procured. She engages with a limited but consistent base of vendors possessing the technical capacity to meet stringent quality, delivery, and safety standards for fuel and petroleum-based products. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she maintains long-term working relationships with firms capable of fulfilling high-volume, just-in-time delivery requirements under firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials contract types. Laura demonstrates a strong preference for open competition, with 96.2% of her acquisitions issued without set-asides, aligning with the market’s limited availability of qualified small businesses in the petroleum manufacturing and wholesale sectors. Nevertheless, she actively supports small business participation when feasible, with 3.9% of awards directed under Total Small Business Set-Asides per FAR 19.5, ensuring eligible firms have access to opportunities where market conditions permit. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 424720 (Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers), 324110 (Petroleum Refineries), and 324199 (All Other Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing). She possesses specialized expertise in procuring refined fuels, lubricants, and specialty petroleum derivatives, requiring technical knowledge of ASTM standards, hazardous material handling, and energy infrastructure logistics. Her domain expertise ensures acquisitions meet both operational readiness and regulatory compliance objectives.