Velma D. Grant

Velma D. Grant serves as a Contract Specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ W07V Endist Vicksburg office, where she manages complex procurement actions supporting civil infrastructure resilience and military engineering projects across the Mississippi River basin. Her role encompasses the full lifecycle of contract acquisition—from solicitation and source selection to award and administration—for projects involving flood control systems, navigation channel maintenance, and dredging operations. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with the agency’s mission to safeguard national security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability through engineered water resource solutions. Grant maintains established working relationships with a core group of experienced contractors, including MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC, BAIRD-STANTEC JOINT VENTURE, ARCADIS U.S., INC., SOL-MERRICK JOINT VENTURE II, LLC, and LINFIELD, HUNTER & JUNIUS, INC. These partnerships reflect her focus on large-scale, multi-disciplinary engineering and construction services, often involving joint ventures and specialized technical firms with proven expertise in hydraulic structures, environmental remediation, and marine operations. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and rigorous contractor qualification standards. A strong advocate for small business participation, Grant consistently prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, with over half of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses. She also supports Women-Owned Small Business set-asides, reflecting a deliberate effort to broaden vendor diversity and enhance community economic impact. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising technical rigor or mission readiness. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 811310 (commercial and industrial machinery repair), NAICS 488330 (navigational services to shipping), and NAICS 238220 (plumbing and HVAC contracting), underscoring her technical expertise in maintaining critical infrastructure systems. She frequently procures specialized services related to dredging equipment maintenance, lock and dam operations, and waterway navigation support, requiring deep domain knowledge in civil works engineering and federal environmental compliance.