Valeria F Baker

Valeria F. Baker serves as a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Census Bureau within the Department of Commerce, where she manages the acquisition of professional, scientific, and technical services critical to modernizing the nation’s data infrastructure. Her portfolio centers on supporting the Bureau’s mission to deliver accurate, timely demographic and economic data through advanced digital collection systems, analytical platforms, and geospatial technologies. She oversees full lifecycle procurement activities for complex service contracts, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and alignment with strategic priorities for the 2030 Decennial Census and ongoing survey modernization initiatives. Her contractor relationships are primarily with professional services firms specializing in data science, survey methodology, and technical consulting. She regularly engages with vendors offering research and analysis in the social sciences, statistical modeling, and data visualization, fostering partnerships with both large-cap contractors and agile small businesses capable of delivering innovative, scalable solutions. Her approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, outcome-driven deliverables, and rigorous vendor evaluation to ensure technical excellence and mission alignment. Valeria maintains a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions issued as non-set-aside procurements. While she does not routinely utilize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, she actively promotes broad market participation and ensures fair and transparent competition among all qualified vendors, aligning with the Bureau’s emphasis on efficiency and scale in high-volume data operations. Her primary NAICS focus includes Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), with significant activity in Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720) and All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990). She procures services related to survey design, statistical analysis, data quality assurance, and digital infrastructure modernization, demonstrating deep expertise in the technical domains underpinning national statistical operations.