Josh Kaufmann, right, the chief of the contracting office at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, shares a laugh with Connie Ferguson, a contracting officer, after presenting her with a coin and certificate to recognize her 15 years of federal service in Pittsburgh, Jan. 30, 2024. The contracting office is responsible for researching and writing contracts for goods and services that meet specific needs provided by vendors or agencies outside of the government. In fiscal year 2023, Pittsburgh District’s contracting office completed more than 500 actions worth over $140 million. For the past three decades, the office executed contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the navigation system on the Monongahela River, and it will offer new contracts worth hundreds of millions more to construct new chambers on the Ohio River. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)