1. Kevin J. Harris
2958 Hampton Cove Way
Hampton Cove, Alabama 35763
harris.kevin.j@gmail.com
November 10, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my privilege to write this letter of recommendation for a superb supervisor,
contracting officer and purchasing agent. I have known Ms. Abitsou Jallow both
professionally and personally since August, 2014, in her capacity as coworker in the
Embassy of the United States of America, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa. Ms.
Jallow provided exceptional results in purchasing and contracting for goods,
services and construction in an extremely difficult market.
Ms. Jallow directly supervised two subordinate purchasing agents. Responsibilities
included day-to-day work assignments, counseling, mentoring, preparing annual
performance evaluations, and planning training.
Ms. Jallow has a great breadth of experience and training in U.S. Government
acquisition regulations, rules and practices. Succeeding at the Embassy required
Ms. Jallow to solve a wide variety of problems including supporting important
facility security upgrades and construction; solving residential and office building
electrical, generator and plumbing emergencies; coordinating acquisition for
Ambassadorial events; and supporting outside customers such as the Department
of Defense’s AIDs education. All of this was accomplished within very tight
deadlines.
Each day Ms. Jallow succeeded in a marketplace riled by an unstable local currency;
constantly changing prices; mismatched electrical and plumbing components
imported from different parts of the world; poor quality electrical supplies
presenting a fire hazard; and merchants and vendors who lacked the financial
resolve to operate in this marketplace. In this chaos, Ms. Jallow was able to quickly
identify products and services, and vendors, to complete purchases meeting the
demands and quality standards of internal customers, while abiding by acquisition
regulations and rules of the U.S. Government.
Ms. Jallow’s calm and professional demeanor was a wonderful attribute in a
sometimes stressful environment. Ms. Jallow’s written and verbal communication is
top-notch. Ms. Jallow maintained excellent professional contacts so that, for
example, some of the best construction companies in the country would accept Ms.
Jallow’s phone calls and respond for emergencies and proposals.
I give my highest recommendation for this ultimate acquisition professional. Please
feel free to contact me if you desire further information.

2. Warm Regards,
Kevin J. Harris
Foreign Service, General Services Officer
Contracting Officer
U.S. Department of State