Nadine Cruz

Nadine Cruz serves as a key procurement lead within the Division of Acquisitions Policy HQ at the Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services, where she supports the strategic acquisition of technical and professional services critical to modernizing tribal and urban Indian health programs. Her work directly advances operational readiness and clinical effectiveness by ensuring compliant, efficient procurement of health information technology and workforce development services. She manages a diverse portfolio of contract actions centered on IT modernization, systems integration, and professional services supporting federal health standards, with a strong emphasis on mission-aligned vendor partnerships that enhance service delivery to underserved populations. Cruz maintains a primary working relationship with J.E. Federal Enterprises, LLC, a trusted contractor delivering specialized technical support and systems implementation services. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for long-term, performance-based partnerships with vendors capable of sustaining complex health IT environments across geographically dispersed tribal communities. She consistently engages contractors with demonstrated expertise in federal health compliance, interoperability standards, and culturally competent service delivery, fostering collaborative relationships that prioritize reliability and mission continuity. A defining feature of Cruz’s contracting approach is her strong commitment to socioeconomic inclusion, with 60% of her acquisitions set aside specifically for Indian Small Business Economic Enterprises (ISBEE), a designation unique to the Indian Health Service and Department of the Interior. This reflects a deliberate strategy to empower Native-owned businesses and ensure that economic benefits of federal spending flow directly to tribal economies. The remaining 40% of awards are competitively open, maintaining transparency while prioritizing small business participation. Her procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), where she acquires health IT modernization, data analytics, and cybersecurity services, and NAICS 813920 (Professional Organizations), supporting workforce training and technical advisory services. Her expertise lies in procuring solutions that enhance health information exchange, electronic health record interoperability, and clinical workforce capacity within federally recognized tribal health systems.