Mitchell Howard

Mitchell Howard serves as a key procurement professional within the Federal Correctional Institution Manchester, operating under the Bureau of Prisons, where he oversees the acquisition of mission-critical food services essential to the dietary and nutritional needs of the incarcerated population. His responsibilities include managing contracts for Kosher-certified meat products, fresh dairy, and baked goods, ensuring compliance with federal dietary standards and religious observance requirements. He plays a central role in sustaining operational continuity by securing reliable, high-quality food supply chains aligned with the agency’s commitment to humane and constitutionally adequate subsistence services. His acquisitions are predominantly governed by FAR Part 12 and FAR Part 19, emphasizing streamlined procurement for commercial items. Howard maintains consistent working relationships with a diverse base of food manufacturers and processors, particularly those certified under small business programs. While no specific contractors are publicly identified, his procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for vendors capable of meeting stringent food safety, labeling, and religious certification standards. He routinely engages with suppliers possessing HACCP and USDA inspection compliance, fostering partnerships with firms experienced in large-scale, federally regulated food production. His contracting activity is heavily skewed toward small business set-asides, with 72.7% of awards reserved under FAR 19.5 for small businesses, demonstrating a robust institutional commitment to socioeconomic inclusion. This pattern underscores a deliberate strategy to expand opportunities for small, minority-, and veteran-owned enterprises in the federal food supply chain. Howard’s primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 311612 (meat processing), 311812 (commercial baking), 311999 (miscellaneous food manufacturing), and 311511 (fluid milk production). His technical expertise lies in securing perishable, certified, and shelf-stable food items that meet federal correctional dietary mandates, with deep familiarity in kosher certification, dairy pasteurization standards, and bakery production protocols for institutional feeding environments.