Nakesha Walton

Nakesha Walton supports the Agricultural Research Service’s Office of Acquisition and Procurement in facilitating critical scientific infrastructure and operational services for USDA’s research missions. She manages the acquisition of high-precision laboratory equipment—including ultra-low-temperature freezers, micro-CT scanners, and sterilization systems—as well as specialized biological and analytical services essential to agricultural research. Her procurement activities ensure the readiness of both field and laboratory facilities, aligning with the agency’s mandate to advance cutting-edge agricultural science through reliable, compliant, and mission-driven contracting. Walton maintains consistent relationships with a focused set of vendors, including MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC for facility upgrades, LARKOS PACKING AND DISTRIBUTION INC. for logistics and sample handling, ARABIC INTERPRETERS LLC for language support in multilingual research environments, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC for technical instrumentation services. These partnerships reflect a preference for contractors with proven expertise in scientific support, field logistics, and specialized service delivery, indicating a pattern of selecting vendors with niche capabilities tailored to research-specific needs. Her contracting portfolio reflects a balanced approach to socioeconomic goals, with approximately one-third of awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to small business participation. While the majority of procurements remain open to all competitors, her consistent use of small business set-asides signals a proactive effort to expand vendor diversity within the scientific contracting ecosystem. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 112111 (Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming) and 561320 (Temporary Help Services), indicating a dual emphasis on supporting on-site agricultural research operations and securing skilled temporary personnel for laboratory and field research teams. This reflects deep domain expertise in the intersection of biological research infrastructure and workforce support services critical to USDA’s scientific mission.