Lawrence J. Yates

Lawrence J. Yates serves as a Contracting Officer with Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), a critical support agency within the Department of Defense responsible for enabling enterprise-wide administrative and operational efficiency. In this role, he manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for mission-critical infrastructure and technical services that sustain DoD institutional functions. His portfolio primarily encompasses construction, facility modernization, and specialized technical systems procurement, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning with WHS’s strategic priorities in digital transformation and resource optimization. He exercises full contracting authority under FAR Part 15, conducting competitive negotiations and evaluating proposals for complex, high-stakes acquisitions. Yates maintains established relationships with a core group of contractors including Clarity Innovations LLC, Cynergy Professional Systems LLC, Signature Renovations LLC, AMD International Technologies LLC, and Guidehouse Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in defense-sector facility upgrades, IT modernization, and institutional consulting. His contracting patterns indicate consistent engagement with vendors capable of delivering integrated solutions across physical infrastructure and technical systems, often requiring specialized security clearances and compliance with DoD standards. His set-aside preferences are predominantly non-set-aside, with approximately 77.8% of awards issued under full and open competition. The remaining 22.2% are allocated to small business set-asides, evenly split between Total Small Business and 8(a) competed contracts, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes market competition while maintaining meaningful opportunities for socioeconomically disadvantaged firms. Yates’s procurement focus centers on NAICS 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), which accounts for one-third of his activity, followed by specialties in electric power distribution, highway and bridge construction, and instrument manufacturing for electrical testing. His expertise lies in managing complex, multi-disciplinary projects requiring coordination between construction, utilities, and technical instrumentation, reflecting a deep understanding of defense infrastructure modernization needs.