Amy S. Kerster

Amy S. Kerster serves as a key procurement professional within the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA1), supporting the agency’s mission to counter weapons of mass destruction through technical acquisition and operational contracting. She manages a diverse portfolio of scientific, engineering, and analytical services critical to threat detection, forensic analysis, and defensive capability development. Her acquisitions focus on advanced research support, cyber-enabled threat modeling, and mission-critical infrastructure services, ensuring alignment with DoD’s strategic imperatives in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive defense. Kerster’s work bridges technical innovation with operational readiness, enabling rapid deployment of cutting-edge solutions across federal and interagency partners. Kerster maintains long-standing relationships with leading technical contractors including TECHTRANS INTERNATIONAL INC, BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, AERIS LLC, APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC., and AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for high-caliber, mission-aligned firms capable of delivering complex scientific services, systems integration, and cloud-based analytical platforms. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical rigor, and sustained collaboration with vendors possessing deep expertise in WMD mitigation and defense science. Kerster’s procurement activity is exclusively conducted under full and open competition, with no set-asides designated for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. This reflects a mission-driven prioritization of technical capability and operational urgency over socioeconomic preferences, ensuring access to the most qualified entities capable of addressing high-consequence national security threats. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) and 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), underscoring expertise in advanced research support, data analytics, and systems engineering. She also procures facilities support and heavy civil engineering services to sustain secure operational infrastructure. Her domain expertise centers on threat intelligence systems, forensic science platforms, and secure cloud architectures tailored to defense and homeland security applications.