Marlena Perez

Marlena Perez serves as a Contract Specialist at the Federal Correctional Institution at Bennettsville (15B317), part of the Federal Bureau of Prisons under the Department of Justice. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions to ensure the safe, humane, and nutritionally compliant delivery of food services to incarcerated populations. Her acquisitions focus on perishable and culturally appropriate food systems that meet federal dietary, religious, and health standards across extended care cycles. She specializes in complex, high-volume requirements governed by FAR and agency-specific guidelines, ensuring supply chain continuity for mission-critical subsistence operations. Perez maintains consistent working relationships with key vendors including Portland Foods Inc., Shaver Foods LLC, North Star Imports, LLC, and JNS Foods LLC, all of which provide specialized food products and distribution services tailored to institutional feeding programs. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established suppliers with proven capacity to deliver perishable goods under strict regulatory compliance, including temperature-controlled logistics and religious dietary accommodations. These partnerships are characterized by long-term reliability, adherence to federal food safety protocols, and responsiveness to dynamic operational needs. Perez demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with over 53% of her awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. She actively prioritizes small business participation, frequently awarding contracts to firms certified as small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone entities, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged vendors. Her procurement strategy aligns with federal goals to expand economic opportunity while maintaining the integrity and reliability of the food supply chain. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 424490 (Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers), 311615 (Poultry Processing), and 445110 (Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers), reflecting deep expertise in sourcing perishable proteins, specialty groceries, and culturally compliant food items. She also engages with 562119 (Other Waste Collection) for dietary waste compliance and 813110 (Religious Organizations) to ensure adherence to faith-based dietary requirements, showcasing technical proficiency in navigating the intersection of nutrition, culture, and federal regulation.