Liz McConnell

Liz McConnell serves as Chief of Administration and Business Services for the DSC Contracting Services Division within the National Park Service, where she oversees the strategic acquisition and management of infrastructure-related contracts critical to preserving and modernizing the nation’s park systems. In this leadership role, she directs the procurement lifecycle for complex, mission-critical projects involving historic preservation, utility system upgrades, and visitor facility enhancements across ecologically sensitive and remote locations. Her portfolio primarily encompasses engineering, construction, and recreational infrastructure services, ensuring compliance with federal environmental and historic preservation standards while aligning acquisitions with the agency’s long-term resilience goals. McConnell maintains longstanding partnerships with leading engineering and construction firms including AECOM Technical Services, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, HDR Engineering, and McKenzie Construction & Site Development. These relationships are characterized by sustained performance, technical collaboration, and a shared focus on delivering high-quality, sustainable infrastructure solutions tailored to the unique challenges of National Park Service sites. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, integrated design-build delivery models, and contractor accountability in meeting stringent environmental and safety benchmarks. McConnell’s procurement strategy reflects a consistent preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions issued without set-aside designations such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through socioeconomic set-asides, her office maintains an open and competitive environment that allows all qualified vendors to compete on technical merit and past performance. Her primary procurement focus is centered on NAICS 713990, All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries, which encompasses the design, construction, and rehabilitation of recreational infrastructure including trails, visitor centers, interpretive facilities, and associated utilities. This specialization reflects deep expertise in managing projects that balance public access with ecological preservation, requiring nuanced understanding of federal land use regulations and adaptive reuse methodologies.