Norma Birch

Norma Birch serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions, from requirements validation and market research to contract award and administration. She plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and advancing the agency’s mission through timely, transparent, and legally sound contracting practices. Her portfolio primarily consists of complex, high-stakes acquisitions in the energy and chemical manufacturing sectors, requiring deep technical understanding and rigorous source selection processes. She routinely handles indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts, firm-fixed-price (FFP) task orders, and performance-based service agreements aligned with mission-critical infrastructure needs. While specific contractor names are not publicly identifiable, Birch maintains consistent working relationships with a select pool of qualified vendors possessing specialized capabilities in petroleum refining operations and basic organic chemical production. Her procurement approach emphasizes vendor pre-qualification, performance evaluation, and contract compliance monitoring, fostering long-term partnerships with firms that demonstrate technical excellence and regulatory adherence. She prioritizes clear performance metrics and risk mitigation strategies in all awarded contracts. Birch’s contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for unrestricted competitions, with 92.3% of her awards issued under the “No Set-Aside” category. Nevertheless, she actively supports small business participation, consistently awarding 7.7% of her contracts as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. Her approach aligns with agency goals to foster competition while ensuring equitable access for small businesses without compromising mission readiness or technical requirements. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 324110 (Petroleum Refineries), accounting for 96.2% of her activity, where she procures engineering services, maintenance support, environmental compliance systems, and process optimization technologies. The remaining 3.9% falls under NAICS 325199 (All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing), involving procurement of laboratory equipment, safety systems, and specialty chemical production infrastructure. Her expertise centers on industrial-scale operations requiring stringent safety, environmental, and operational standards.