Lisa LaFountain

Lisa LaFountain serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, Office of Acquisition and Procurement, where she facilitates mission-critical acquisitions to sustain scientific research infrastructure. She specializes in securing advanced laboratory instrumentation, precision environmental control systems, and specialized electrical components essential for agricultural experimentation and data-driven research at field stations. Her work directly enables the agency’s strategic goals of modernizing research capabilities and ensuring operational resilience across national experimental sites, with a focus on technical acquisitions that support high-precision scientific outcomes. She maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of specialized vendors, including Mckenzie Construction & Site Development LLC for facility integration, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC for environmental and instrumentation support, and L1 Enterprises Incorporated for technical component supply. These partnerships reflect a preference for contractors with proven expertise in custom-engineered solutions for sensitive research environments, emphasizing reliability, technical compliance, and adherence to federal standards for laboratory-grade equipment and infrastructure. LaFountain demonstrates a full commitment to small business participation, directing 100% of her procurement activities toward total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate innovation from niche vendors capable of delivering tailored, low-volume solutions that larger firms often cannot support. Her contracting patterns prioritize socioeconomic equity while maintaining rigorous performance standards for mission-critical applications. Her procurement focus is exclusively centered on NAICS 335999 — All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing — indicating deep specialization in custom electrical systems, sensors, control modules, and integrated components used in experimental agricultural research. This technical domain requires intimate knowledge of regulatory compliance, electromagnetic compatibility, and environmental durability standards, underscoring her expertise in acquiring highly specialized, non-standardized equipment critical to advancing agricultural science.