Nicole Hance

Nicole Hance serves as a key procurement professional within the Agricultural Marketing Service, supporting the agency’s mission to stabilize domestic and international food supply chains through strategic acquisitions of processed and preserved agricultural commodities. She manages contracts for the procurement of value-added food products, ensuring alignment with federal nutrition assistance programs and global food aid objectives. Her acquisitions primarily involve the manufacturing and distribution of shelf-stable, high-volume food items, with a strong emphasis on quality assurance, safety compliance, and supply chain reliability. She operates within the USDA’s broader framework to enhance food security through efficient, transparent contracting practices. Hance maintains consistent working relationships with leading food processors and agricultural cooperatives, including Tyson Foods Inc., Associated Milk Producers Inc., Bongards Creameries, Tony Downs Foods Co., and Archer-Daniels-Midland Company. These partnerships reflect a focus on large-scale, vertically integrated suppliers capable of meeting stringent federal food safety standards and delivering consistent volumes of processed goods such as dairy derivatives, peanut butter, and roasted nuts. Her contracting approach prioritizes operational scalability and supply chain resilience over fragmented vendor networks, fostering long-term, performance-based vendor relationships. Hance’s procurement activity shows no use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a deliberate strategy to prioritize capacity, compliance, and continuity over targeted socioeconomic preferences, aligning with the agency’s need for high-volume, low-risk sourcing of essential food commodities. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, her contracting decisions are guided by technical capability and operational reliability rather than socioeconomic criteria. Her primary procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 311911—Roasted Nuts and Peanut Butter Manufacturing—demonstrating deep specialization in the production and packaging of shelf-stable, protein-rich food products. She oversees the acquisition of finished goods that meet USDA nutritional specifications, requiring expertise in food processing standards, allergen controls, and packaging integrity. Her domain expertise lies in the technical and regulatory dimensions of manufactured food commodities, ensuring procurement decisions support both domestic nutrition goals and international humanitarian needs.