Susan R. Karnowski

Susan R. Karnowski serves as a Procurement and Property Specialist at the Federal Correctional Institution at Bastrop, under the Bureau of Prisons within the Department of Justice. In this role, she manages the acquisition of mission-critical food and grocery supplies essential to the safe, humane, and nutritionally compliant sustenance of incarcerated individuals. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for perishable and non-perishable food items that meet federal dietary standards, including kosher, halal, and other religiously certified accommodations. Karnowski ensures all procurements align with federal regulations, agency policy, and nutritional guidelines, supporting the institution’s core mission of dignified care through reliable supply chain management. Karnowski maintains collaborative relationships with a broad network of merchant wholesalers and grocery retailers, primarily engaging with small businesses that specialize in compliant food distribution. She works closely with vendors who demonstrate consistent adherence to federal food safety protocols, labeling requirements, and delivery timelines critical to institutional operations. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, cultural appropriateness, and scalability, fostering long-term partnerships with suppliers capable of meeting the unique and high-volume needs of a federal correctional facility. A staunch advocate for small business participation, Karnowski exclusively utilizes Total Small Business Set-Aside procedures under FAR 19.5, ensuring all procurement opportunities are reserved for small business concerns. Her contracting patterns reflect a deep commitment to socioeconomic equity, with no awards issued to large businesses, and a consistent preference for vendors certified under various small business programs, including HUBZone and SDVOSB, where applicable. Her primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 424490 and 424410, specializing in the acquisition of general line and other grocery-related products from merchant wholesalers, supplemented by limited retail grocery sourcing under NAICS 445110. She possesses technical expertise in food commodity specifications, shelf-life management, and dietary compliance frameworks, ensuring all acquisitions meet the Bureau of Prisons’ stringent nutritional and religious accommodation standards.