Satomi Maeda

Alfredo C. Chavez serves as a key procurement professional within the Department of Defense Education Activity’s Pacific Region Office, where he supports the acquisition of mission-critical goods and services essential to delivering K–12 educational services to military-connected students across the Indo-Pacific theater. His responsibilities encompass managing contracts aligned with infrastructure modernization, student safety, and program support, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and DoD procurement policies. He typically handles acquisitions related to institutional furnishings, transportation, audiovisual equipment, and facility operations, enabling the agency to maintain operational continuity in remote and overseas school communities. Chavez maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse pool of vendors, including institutional furniture manufacturers, transportation service providers, and audiovisual equipment suppliers. While no single contractor dominates his portfolio, his contracting patterns reflect a preference for established commercial suppliers with proven capacity to deliver in austere environments. He works closely with both large-capacity contractors and small businesses to ensure timely, compliant delivery of goods and services critical to school functionality. His procurement strategy reflects a strong emphasis on small business participation, with approximately 27.2% of his acquisitions designated for small business set-asides, primarily under FAR 19.5 Total Small Business Set-Asides. A smaller but consistent portion—2.6%—is reserved for HUBZone firms, indicating a deliberate effort to promote geographic and socioeconomic diversity in the vendor base. He rarely utilizes 8(a) or SDVOSB set-asides, instead prioritizing broad small business eligibility under standard competitive procedures. Chavez’s primary NAICS focus areas include Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (337127), Furniture Merchant Wholesalers (423210), and School and Employee Bus Transportation (485410), reflecting his specialization in procuring durable classroom furnishings, educational infrastructure components, and student transportation services. He also routinely manages contracts for audio and video equipment (334310) and facility support services, demonstrating technical familiarity with educational environment standards and DoD facility sustainment requirements.