Anne M. Cardenas

Anne Cardenas serves as a key procurement professional within the IT Contracting Division – PL83 of the Defense Information Systems Agency, supporting the Department of Defense’s mission to sustain and modernize critical defense information systems. She manages complex acquisitions for mission-critical IT services and software solutions that enhance cybersecurity, interoperability, and operational resilience across DoD networks. Her portfolio primarily encompasses contract actions under NAICS 541519 for other computer-related services, including systems integration, legacy infrastructure modernization, and secure software development. Cardenas ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with strategic DoD digital transformation goals. Her contractor relationships span a diverse ecosystem of technology providers, with a strong emphasis on firms capable of delivering secure, scalable, and defense-grade IT solutions. While no single vendor dominates her award portfolio, she consistently engages with vendors possessing DoD authorization levels, CMMC compliance, and experience in classified environments. Cardenas fosters collaborative partnerships with both large systems integrators and specialized small businesses, prioritizing technical capability, past performance, and cybersecurity readiness in source selection. Cardenas demonstrates a clear preference for open competition, with 81.8% of her acquisitions conducted without set-asides. However, she actively supports socioeconomic programs, regularly awarding contracts under Total Small Business and HUBZone set-asides, reflecting a balanced commitment to fostering innovation from small, disadvantaged, and geographically targeted firms. Her contracting patterns align with DoD directives to broaden vendor participation while maintaining mission-critical performance standards. Her primary technical focus lies in IT services supporting secure communications, network operations, and custom software development, with secondary emphasis on communications equipment manufacturing and software publishing. Cardenas specializes in procuring solutions that integrate with legacy DoD architectures while enabling next-generation capabilities such as zero-trust architecture, cloud migration, and automated threat detection.