Sherry Balmain

Sherry Balmain serves as a Contract Specialist for the Department of Defense Education Activity’s Americas Regional Office, where she plays a pivotal role in executing procurements that support the educational and safety needs of military-connected students. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisition actions, from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration, ensuring compliance with FAR and DoD-specific regulations. Her portfolio primarily encompasses contracts for educational support services and security systems, aligning directly with DODEA’s mission to deliver equitable, high-quality K–12 education and secure learning environments across domestic and overseas installations. While specific contractor names are not publicly disclosed, Balmain consistently engages with a diverse pool of vendors, including small businesses certified under socioeconomic programs and firms specializing in educational infrastructure and physical security solutions. Her working relationships reflect a collaborative, compliance-driven approach, emphasizing vendor responsiveness, performance accountability, and adherence to service-level expectations critical to student welfare and operational continuity. Balmain demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 75% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to foster economic opportunity and enhance competition, prioritizing small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone firms, and other eligible entities. Her contracting patterns consistently channel resources toward socioeconomic goals, reinforcing DoD’s broader equity and resilience objectives in the acquisition ecosystem. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561621 (Security Systems Services) and 611710 (Educational Support Services), indicating deep expertise in procuring school safety infrastructure—such as surveillance, access control, and emergency response systems—as well as supplemental educational services like tutoring, behavioral health support, and administrative assistance for special education programs. Her technical domain knowledge ensures that acquisitions directly enhance student safety, learning outcomes, and institutional capacity.