Sutton, Karen M

Sutton, Karen M, a woman-owned sole proprietorship based in Laurel, Maryland, provides translation, interpretation, localization, and multilingual language services to the Department of State as a prime contractor on a full-and-open (non-set-aside) basis. The vendor operates entirely within a single customer and functional area: 81 of 88 awards come from the Department of State Bureau of Administration under blanket purchase agreements for language services, with the remaining 7 awards from the Department of State proper for the same service category.

Sutton's award footprint is concentrated in short-cycle BPA call orders for translation and interpretation work supporting diplomatic operations and international development programs. Representative work includes a $14,925 BPA call (October 2024) for general language services running through October 2025; a $150,000 BPA call (October 2022) encompassing 19 task orders valued between $150 and $150,000 for translation and interpretation through September 2023; and specialized consulting BPA calls including $15,060 for advanced border guard training (October 2021), $13,018 for social entrepreneurship and enterprise creation advisory (October 2021), and $12,452 for disability rights and equal access consulting (October 2021). The vendor also delivers language support for State Department functional initiatives including the Agriculture Innovation Mission, Major Economies Forum, human rights defenders operational support, and Yemen civil society strengthening.

Customer concentration is absolute. The Bureau of Administration accounts for 81 of 88 awards ($1.2 million combined potential value, 100% of portfolio), with the remaining 7 awards from the broader Department of State ($20 thousand combined potential value). The vendor sits on five active blanket purchase agreements: 190PRL25A0357 (15 task orders, $69 thousand combined potential value, running through September 2026); 190PRL24A0357 (24 task orders, $55 thousand combined potential value, running through September 2025); 190PRL23A0357 (23 task orders, $206 thousand combined potential value, completed September 2024); 190PRL22A0357 (7 task orders, $44 thousand combined potential value, completed September 2023); and 190PRL21A0357 (7 task orders, $10 thousand combined potential value, completed September 2022). The most recent BPA vehicle, awarded October 2024 with a $250,000 ceiling through September 2026, represents the current primary contract vehicle for call orders.

Activity peaked in 2023 at 25 awards, declining to 9 in 2024 and 7 year-to-date in 2025. Only one award faces completion in the next twenty-four months with $14 thousand combined potential value. The vendor carries no subcontract work; all 88 awards are prime positions. Within the combined BPA footprint, obligated dollars total $419 thousand against $1.2 million in combined potential value, indicating roughly 34 percent invoicing rate across the portfolio. All work is performed in Washington, D.C., and no socioeconomic set-asides are used across any awards, positioning Sutton as a competitive vendor based on specialized language expertise rather than SBA designation leverage.