Shara L. Ihrke

Shara L. Ihrke serves as a Contracting Specialist within the W071 Endist Portland office under the Department of the Army, where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex procurement actions to sustain critical civil infrastructure across the Pacific Northwest. Her responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle management of contracts for heavy civil engineering, environmental compliance, and maintenance of federal waterways, hydropower systems, and defense-related facilities. She specializes in procuring technical services and specialized equipment essential to operational readiness, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and mission-critical infrastructure resilience goals. Ihrke maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of established contractors, including MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC, AECOM B&V PORTLAND AE JV, CORNFORTH-GANNETT FLEMING, STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES INC., and TETRA TECH, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with demonstrated expertise in hydraulic engineering, environmental remediation, and industrial maintenance services. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical compliance, and long-term vendor reliability, fostering collaborative, results-driven relationships with both large and mid-tier service providers. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with 66.7% of awards issued without set-asides, while maintaining a meaningful commitment to small business participation through Total Small Business Set-Asides (FAR 19.5), accounting for 33.3% of her portfolio. This balanced approach ensures market competition while actively supporting small business growth in the civil engineering and technical services sectors. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), reflecting her emphasis on engineering consulting, environmental analysis, and technical support services. She also routinely procures commercial and industrial machinery repair (811310), testing laboratory services (541380), and specialized industrial instrumentation (334513), demonstrating deep technical expertise in infrastructure maintenance and monitoring systems essential to federal water resource management.