Penny Powell

Penny A. Powell serves as a Contract Specialist Intern with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ W07V Endist Vicksburg office, supporting the procurement of critical civil infrastructure and engineering services under the Department of the Army. In this role, she assists in the full lifecycle management of acquisitions, including solicitation development, contract negotiation, and compliance with FAR and agency-specific regulations. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to design, construct, and maintain flood control systems, navigation channels, and levee infrastructure across the Mississippi River basin. Penny primarily handles complex engineering and technical service contracts requiring precise compliance with federal procurement standards and environmental permitting frameworks. She collaborates closely with a core group of prime contractors including MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC, AECOM TECHNICAL SERVICES, INC., BAIRD-STANTEC JOINT VENTURE, ARCADIS U.S., INC., and LINFIELD, HUNTER & JUNIUS, INC., which provide specialized expertise in civil works, environmental remediation, and hydrologic modeling. Her interactions reflect a preference for established, multi-disciplinary firms with proven experience in federal infrastructure projects, often involving joint ventures and teaming arrangements to meet technical scope demands. Penny supports a balanced approach to socioeconomic contracting, with nearly 44% of acquisitions structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a strong institutional commitment to small business participation. While no specific set-aside categories dominate, her work consistently prioritizes opportunities for small businesses in engineering and construction services, aligning with Army Corps initiatives to expand vendor diversity. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS codes related to specialized instrumentation and aerospace manufacturing, including 334511 (navigation systems), 334515 (electrical measurement instruments), and 336413 (aircraft auxiliary equipment), alongside 811219 for repair and maintenance services. These reflect a technical domain requiring precision measurement tools, sensor systems, and calibrated equipment critical to hydrographic surveying, flood monitoring, and navigation safety operations.