Valerie C Gaines

Valerie C. Gaines serves as a Contracting Officer responsible for managing a diverse portfolio of federal acquisitions aligned with statutory procurement guidelines and socioeconomic objectives. She plays a critical role in executing competitive solicitation processes, ensuring compliance with FAR provisions, and fostering transparent, efficient contract award mechanisms. Her acquisitions span both goods and services, with a strong emphasis on industrial manufacturing, logistics, and technology services, reflecting the agency’s operational needs across multiple technical domains. Gaines ensures all procurements adhere to federal standards while promoting fair competition and accountability. While specific contractor names are not available, her contracting patterns indicate consistent engagement with a broad base of vendors, particularly those certified under small business programs. She cultivates partnerships with firms capable of delivering specialized manufacturing, systems design, and moving services, often leveraging multiple award schedules and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) vehicles to streamline acquisition timelines. Her approach emphasizes vendor responsiveness, past performance evaluation, and technical capability over price alone, reinforcing a performance-based contracting philosophy. Gaines demonstrates a pronounced commitment to small business participation, with 66.7% of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to maximize opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, and other socioeconomic categories, even in the absence of specific HUBZone or SDVOSB preferences. Her consistent use of set-asides underscores a dedication to equitable economic opportunity and the statutory mandate to promote small business growth in federal contracting. Her primary NAICS focus areas include prefabricated metal building manufacturing, sporting and athletic goods production, musical instrument manufacturing, used household goods moving, and computer systems design services. This diverse technical portfolio reveals expertise in both traditional manufacturing and modern IT services, requiring nuanced understanding of supply chain logistics, quality control standards, and cybersecurity compliance. Gaines’ proficiency spans physical product procurement and complex service-based contracts, positioning her as a versatile practitioner in multi-sector federal acquisition.