Yi W. Kum

Yi W. Kum serves as a Real Property Leasing Officer within the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center’s Management Services Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, Kum is responsible for securing and managing nonresidential real property leases to support field operations, conservation programs, and rural service delivery across underserved regions. Their procurement activities center on acquiring facility space for USDA personnel, including offices, field stations, and operational hubs essential to farm assistance and disaster response initiatives. Kum ensures compliance with federal real property regulations while aligning leasing decisions with strategic agency goals for geographic accessibility and operational scalability. Kum maintains consistent working relationships with a focused group of real estate and property management vendors, including Greenwood Properties, L.L.P. and McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC. These contractors provide long-term leasehold solutions, property management services, and site development support critical to sustaining USDA’s physical infrastructure footprint. The working relationship is characterized by repeat engagement and a preference for vendors with demonstrated expertise in rural property acquisition and federal compliance, reflecting a reliance on proven partners with regional knowledge and operational reliability. Kum’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of acquisitions conducted without set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic categories. This approach prioritizes broad market access and value-driven outcomes over targeted socioeconomic preferences, consistent with the agency’s need for rapid, scalable, and geographically diverse real property solutions. The primary NAICS classification underpinning Kum’s acquisitions is 531120—Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses). Their expertise lies in negotiating commercial lease agreements for office, storage, and operational facilities, with a technical focus on zoning compliance, build-out allowances, utility infrastructure, and federal property standards. Kum’s domain knowledge ensures that leased spaces meet the operational demands of USDA’s mission-critical field programs.