Pauline Jaffe

Pauline Jaffe serves as a Contracting Officer within the 693JJ3 Acquisition and Grants Management unit of the Federal Highway Administration, where she oversees the procurement of technical services critical to advancing the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Her responsibilities include managing full lifecycle contract actions for engineering research, operational consulting, and specialized measurement systems that directly inform highway design, safety analysis, and data-driven infrastructure planning. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with the agency’s mission to promote resilient, innovative, and evidence-based transportation solutions. Jaffe maintains strategic relationships with key contractors including K & M Transportation Services LLC and the University of California, Los Angeles, reflecting her focus on partnerships with both private-sector engineering firms and leading academic research institutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical rigor, and long-term collaboration, often resulting in task-order contracts under Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) vehicles for sustained research and analytical support. These relationships are characterized by consistent recompete cycles and a preference for vendors with proven expertise in transportation systems engineering. Jaffe’s procurement portfolio reflects no set-aside preferences, with 100% of her awards issued under full and open competition. While she does not currently utilize socioeconomic programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her contracting practices remain fully compliant with all federal small business goals and prioritize technical capability over socioeconomic categorization. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), which accounts for two-thirds of her activity, encompassing transportation planning, structural analysis, and traffic modeling. The remaining third centers on NAICS 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing), reflecting her need for specialized sensors, data acquisition systems, and intelligent transportation system (ITS) components. Jaffe’s expertise is grounded in technical procurement for civil infrastructure innovation, with deep familiarity in performance specifications, test protocols, and research deliverables tied to FHWA’s strategic objectives.