Olen R. Northern

Olen R. Northern supports the W2SN Endist Alaska under the Department of the Army, managing procurement activities critical to sustaining and modernizing military infrastructure across Alaska’s remote and extreme environments. Responsible for acquiring civil engineering, environmental remediation, and facility construction services, Northern ensures mission-critical installations remain operationally ready through compliant, resilient, and climate-adapted infrastructure solutions. Their portfolio centers on long-term facility sustainment, environmental compliance, and heavy civil works, aligning with the agency’s strategic priorities in base resilience and regulatory adherence. Acquisitions typically involve complex, multi-year contracts requiring technical expertise in cold-weather construction, hazardous material remediation, and utility system integration. Northern maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized contractors, including Environmental Compliance Consultants, Inc., Shannon & Wilson Inc., and Mckenzie Construction & Site Development LLC, reflecting a preference for firms with proven experience in Arctic and subarctic conditions. These partnerships are characterized by repeat engagements and deep technical alignment, particularly in environmental site assessments, geotechnical engineering, and infrastructure rehabilitation. The contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and contractor accountability in high-risk, logistically challenging environments. Northern demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with over 41% of awards designated for small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, alongside meaningful participation from HUBZone and 8(a) certified firms. Service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses also receive targeted consideration, reflecting a balanced approach to promoting equitable access while maintaining mission readiness. The contracting strategy prioritizes small business capacity building in niche technical domains critical to Alaska’s infrastructure needs. Primary procurement activity centers on NAICS 236220 (commercial and institutional building construction) and 238210 (electrical contracting), with significant focus on remediation services (562910) and heavy civil engineering (237990). This reflects deep expertise in constructing durable facilities, installing mission-critical utilities, and managing environmental restoration in sensitive, high-latitude ecosystems.