Artimae Shepherd

Artimae Shepherd serves as a Contracting Officer at the Defense Media Activity (DMA) Riverside, under the Department of Defense, where she leads the acquisition of multimedia and communications infrastructure critical to military public affairs, operational training, and internal communications. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of contracts—from market research and solicitation to award and closeout—Shepherd ensures that all procurements align with DoD standards for security, interoperability, and technological modernization. Her portfolio primarily encompasses broadcast systems, digital content delivery platforms, and secure media distribution technologies, supporting DMA’s mission to maintain a resilient, next-generation media ecosystem for both classified and public-facing audiences. Shepherd collaborates with a diverse array of contractors specializing in broadcast engineering, video production, and communications hardware, including firms with expertise in DoD-compliant cybersecurity protocols and military-grade media formats. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages vendors capable of delivering integrated solutions that meet stringent DoD interoperability requirements, such as STANAG 4607 and MIL-STD-188 compliance. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical validation, and vendor responsiveness to evolving operational needs. Her set-aside preferences reflect a strong commitment to small business participation, with over 24% of her awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. While 8(a) competed set-asides are minimal, her pattern demonstrates a preference for broad-based small business engagement over narrow socioeconomic categories, aligning with DMA’s operational urgency and need for agile, scalable solutions. Shepherd’s procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 334220 (radio and television broadcasting equipment) and 512120 (motion picture and video distribution), indicating deep expertise in procuring broadcast infrastructure, media servers, encoding systems, and digital distribution platforms. She frequently sources hardware and software solutions that support live-streaming, secure content archiving, and multi-platform delivery—domain-specific capabilities essential to sustaining DoD’s multimedia readiness.