Rickie J Bowens

Rickie J. Bowens serves as a Contracting Officer within the Office of Acquisition and Grants at the Social Security Administration, where they play a pivotal role in securing mission-critical goods and services that support the administration of national social security programs. Responsible for end-to-end procurement execution, Bowens manages complex acquisitions in IT modernization, cybersecurity, facility maintenance, and administrative support services, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and alignment with SSA’s strategic priorities of operational resilience and public trust. Their portfolio emphasizes technology integration and infrastructure reliability to sustain benefit delivery systems. Bowens maintains established working relationships with a core group of contractors including CA, Inc., Johnson Controls, Inc., East Coast Welding & Construction Co., Inc., and ColorID, LLC, reflecting a balanced approach to vendor engagement across enterprise IT, facilities management, and specialized construction services. These partnerships are characterized by sustained performance, technical proficiency, and consistent adherence to contract obligations, with a preference for vendors capable of delivering scalable, secure, and compliant solutions across SSA’s distributed operational environment. A strong advocate for socioeconomic opportunity, Bowens consistently prioritizes small business participation, with over 70% of their acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This commitment underscores a deliberate strategy to expand access for small businesses across diverse sectors, fostering competition and innovation while meeting agency mission needs through inclusive contracting practices. Despite the agency’s focus on technology and infrastructure, Bowens’ procurement activity is notably concentrated in NAICS 621111 and 621112—offices of physicians—which suggests a unique alignment with health-related administrative support services, possibly tied to SSA’s disability determination and medical documentation systems. Additional activity in electrical contracting and waste management reflects a broader scope of facility and operational support, demonstrating adaptability across non-traditional domains to fulfill SSA’s holistic mission requirements.