Shelia Tucker

Shelia D. Tucker serves as a Purchasing Agent for the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Agricultural Research Facility Management and Procurement Division (ARS AFM APD), where she plays a critical role in enabling cutting-edge agricultural science through strategic procurement of high-precision laboratory instrumentation, specialized research services, and mission-critical facility support systems. Her acquisitions directly support the agency’s mission to advance food security and sustainable farming innovation by securing state-of-the-art analytical equipment, including mass spectrometers, chromatography systems, and environmental monitoring tools. Tucker manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions—from needs assessment and market research to contract award and performance oversight—ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning purchases with scientific priorities. She maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of specialized vendors, including Georgia Commercial and Residential Elevator, LLC for facility infrastructure, Germfree Laboratories, LLC for controlled-environment research systems, and J’s Associates, LLC for technical consulting services. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical specificity, vendor reliability, and long-term service support, often favoring contractors with proven expertise in laboratory instrumentation installation, calibration, and maintenance. These partnerships reflect a preference for niche suppliers capable of delivering highly engineered solutions tailored to complex research environments. Tucker’s contracting patterns show a strong orientation toward open competition, with 88.2% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, reflecting the specialized nature of the procurements. However, she consistently supports small business participation, with 11.8% of awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced commitment to both technical excellence and socioeconomic goals. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 334516 for analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing and 541511 for custom computer programming services, underscoring her expertise in procuring advanced scientific hardware and integrated data acquisition systems. She frequently acquires precision equipment for high-throughput biological research, environmental analytics, and laboratory automation, requiring deep technical understanding of instrumentation specifications and compliance with federal research standards.