Barbara A. Lodes

Barbara A. Lodes serves as a key procurement lead within the Telecommunications Division (HC1013) of the Defense Information Systems Agency, where she manages critical acquisitions to sustain and modernize the Department of Defense’s global telecommunications infrastructure. Her responsibilities include overseeing the planning, solicitation, and award of contracts for secure, high-capacity satellite-based communication systems that enable resilient military and federal network operations. She specializes in end-to-end acquisition lifecycle management for mission-critical telecom services, with a focus on ensuring interoperability, cybersecurity compliance, and operational continuity across distributed environments. Lodes maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of established contractors including AT&T Technical Services Company, Inc., Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Liberty Communications, Inc., AOC Connect LLC, and Norfolk Fiber, LLC. These partnerships are characterized by long-term engagement in delivering secure satellite telecom solutions, network modernization services, and infrastructure deployment. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and vendor accountability, fostering collaborative relationships with vendors capable of meeting stringent DoD security and reliability standards. Lodes’ contracting portfolio reflects a strict preference for full and open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside categories. This indicates a deliberate focus on selecting the most technically capable and cost-effective providers regardless of socioeconomic status, prioritizing mission readiness over targeted small business set-asides. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, all vendors are evaluated on technical merit, past performance, and compliance with federal telecom standards. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 517410 (Satellite Telecommunications), encompassing the acquisition of geosynchronous and low-earth orbit satellite services, ground station infrastructure, encrypted data links, and managed network operations. She specializes in procuring end-to-end satellite communication systems that support secure, real-time command and control, intelligence dissemination, and global force mobility, reflecting deep expertise in space-based telecommunications architecture and DoD spectrum management requirements.