Kurt Verner

Kurt Verner, who graduated in 1983 with a BA in Economics and minor in Business Administration, is a contract officer for the Secretary of the Department of Defense. He lives in Roseville, California.   After graduation he served in the US Army for four years to fulfill an ROTC(opens in new window) obligation. When Kurt left the military, he began working in the procurement field for a number of Department of Defense Agencies.  He started buying IT equipment for the Air Force(opens in new window) and then moved on to negotiating construction contracts for the Army(opens in new window).  Kurt now works for a Department of Defense laboratory in Northern California responsible for providing advanced technology solutions to solve obsolescence issues facing integrated microelectronic circuits.

Kurt is responsible for all aspects of the procurement process from acquisition planning through contract award. The work involves contract solicitation, proposal evaluation, contract negotiation, contract award, and contract administration for highly specialized procurements involving scientific research for highly specialized technological services.  He is responsible for negotiating research and development contracts in such areas as prototype development of integrated circuits, software systems development, and development of new concepts and approaches for the integrated design of semiconductor materials.  Duties include the evaluation of detailed cost proposals to complete a thorough cost/price analysis and identification of intellectual property restrictions in preparation for contract negotiations. 

"My degree in Economics has laid the foundation to develop the strategic skills necessary that lead to successful contract negotiations that ensure the best value for the customer,” Kurt stated in a recent email.