Melissa A. Vaughn

Melissa A. Vaughn serves as a key procurement lead within the W07V Endist New Orleans office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the acquisition of critical civil infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing flood risk reduction and coastal resilience across the Gulf Coast. She manages complex engineering and construction contracts under the Department of the Army’s civil works mission, focusing on large-scale hydraulic systems, dredging operations, and erosion control initiatives. Her procurement portfolio centers on ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical infrastructure through competitive bidding, performance-based contracting, and rigorous compliance with federal acquisition regulations. Vaughn maintains sustained working relationships with leading heavy civil contractors including WEEKS MARINE, INC., M.R. PITTMAN GROUP, L.L.C., and MUDDY WATER DREDGING, LP, reflecting a preference for firms with proven expertise in marine construction, dredging, and coastal engineering. Her contracting patterns indicate a reliance on experienced, high-capacity vendors capable of executing technically demanding projects in sensitive environmental zones, often involving specialized equipment and permitting coordination. These partnerships are characterized by long-term trust, performance accountability, and repeated award cycles based on past performance. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with approximately 80.7% of awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on maximizing technical capability and schedule reliability. However, she consistently supports small business participation, allocating roughly 16.1% of contracts as total small business set-asides and 3.2% as HUBZone set-asides, demonstrating a balanced approach between mission needs and socioeconomic objectives. Vaughn’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction), reflecting her leadership in acquiring complex civil works such as levees, floodwalls, and navigation channel improvements. She also procures related engineering services (NAICS 541330) and environmental consulting (NAICS 541620) to support design, permitting, and ecological compliance, underscoring her technical expertise in integrated infrastructure delivery within ecologically sensitive regions.