Amanda Sickels

Amanda Sickels serves as a Contracting Officer within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she manages complex procurements aligned with the agency’s mission to advance environmental science, climate resilience, and maritime safety. She oversees the acquisition of critical infrastructure, communications systems, and operational support services essential to NOAA’s observational networks, data collection platforms, and coastal resilience initiatives. Her portfolio primarily involves full and open competitions with a balanced emphasis on small business participation, ensuring compliance with FAR provisions while delivering mission-critical capabilities across federal, academic, and private-sector partnerships. Sickels maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors including the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP, JNB Services LLC, Pure Enviro-Management, LLC, and The Regents of the University of Colorado. These partnerships reflect a mix of academic research institutions, specialized environmental consultants, and service providers with proven expertise in operational support and communications technology. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, clear statement of work development, and long-term vendor collaboration to ensure technical reliability and mission continuity. Her contracting patterns show a strong commitment to small business participation, with approximately one-third of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. While the majority of her acquisitions are open to all competitors, she actively leverages socioeconomic programs to foster innovation and broaden vendor participation, particularly among firms with demonstrated capabilities in environmental services and communications systems. Sickels’ primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561210 (Facilities Support Services) and 334220 (Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing). She routinely procures environmental monitoring equipment, satellite ground station support, data transmission systems, and field operations services critical to NOAA’s oceanic and atmospheric observation networks. Her technical expertise spans communication infrastructure, sensor integration, and operational logistics for remote and maritime environments.