Michelle McDowell

Michelle McDowell serves as a Contract Specialist within the W072 Endist Pittsburgh office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, supporting critical civil infrastructure missions under the Department of the Army. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for construction, site preparation, and maintenance contracts essential to the agency’s mission of safeguarding dams, levees, locks, and water systems. Her expertise lies in executing complex acquisitions under FAR Part 36, with a focus on public works, environmental remediation, and civil works projects that ensure national flood control, navigation, and water resource resilience. McDowell ensures compliance with federal contracting regulations while aligning procurements with strategic infrastructure modernization goals. McDowell maintains enduring relationships with key contractors including MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC and C.J. MAHAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LLC, both of which regularly deliver specialized civil works and site development services. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and long-term vendor partnerships, fostering reliability and technical proficiency among contractors with proven experience in federal infrastructure environments. She actively engages with vendors capable of navigating complex regulatory and environmental compliance requirements inherent in Army Corps projects. A strong advocate for small business participation, McDowell consistently prioritizes socioeconomic set-asides, with nearly half of her acquisitions designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. She also regularly utilizes Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and Women-Owned Small Business set-asides, reflecting a deliberate commitment to expanding economic opportunity within the defense and civil works contracting community. Her procurement patterns demonstrate a balanced approach that meets mission needs while advancing federal socioeconomic objectives. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 561730 (Landscaping Services) and 238910 (Site Preparation Contractors), with additional activity in security systems and fluid power equipment procurement. This reflects her technical proficiency in managing services tied to environmental stewardship, site readiness, and infrastructure support systems critical to federal water resource operations.