Sonji Epps

Sonji Epps serves as a key procurement professional within DLA Energy, supporting the Department of Defense’s mission to ensure uninterrupted energy supply for global military operations. Responsible for managing strategic energy acquisitions, Epps oversees the contracting lifecycle for petroleum-based fuels and related logistics infrastructure, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations and operational readiness requirements. Their work centers on securing reliable, high-volume fuel supplies through complex, mission-critical contracts that support forward-deployed forces and contingency operations. Epps specializes in large-scale, single-source and competitive acquisitions under the Defense Logistics Agency’s energy portfolio, with a focus on long-term supply chain resilience. Epps maintains a concentrated partnership with Qatar Fuel (WOQOD) and United Capital Investments Group, two primary contractors integral to the global fuel supply network. These relationships are characterized by sustained, performance-based contracting arrangements that emphasize operational continuity, fuel quality assurance, and just-in-time delivery under dynamic operational conditions. The contracting pattern reflects a preference for established, high-capacity energy providers with proven global logistics capabilities, rather than fragmented vendor networks. These partnerships are built on rigorous performance metrics and long-term contractual frameworks designed to mitigate supply chain risk. Epps’s procurement portfolio reflects a 100% non-set-aside approach, with no utilization of 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. This reflects the nature of DLA Energy’s mission, which prioritizes scale, reliability, and global operational capability over small business set-asides. The contracting strategy is aligned with the agency’s mandate to secure energy at the volume and readiness level required by combatant commands, where specialized infrastructure and international supply chains limit the availability of qualified small business vendors. The primary NAICS code underpinning Epps’s acquisitions is 324110 (Petroleum Refineries), indicating a deep specialization in crude oil processing, refined fuel production, and bulk fuel distribution systems. Their expertise lies in procuring refined petroleum products—including jet fuel, diesel, and marine fuels—along with associated storage, transportation, and quality control services essential to military readiness. This technical domain requires stringent adherence to military specifications and international fuel standards.