Carmen O Rios

Carmen O. Rios serves as a key procurement professional within the Contract Administration Services Division of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Procurement Operations, where she plays a critical role in managing the acquisition of professional, scientific, and technical services essential to national security operations. Her responsibilities include overseeing the full lifecycle of contracts for consulting, systems engineering, and facility support services, ensuring alignment with DHS’s mission to enhance operational readiness and infrastructure integrity. She routinely handles complex, performance-based acquisitions requiring rigorous technical evaluation and compliance with federal acquisition regulations, particularly in domains involving cybersecurity, physical science research, and mission-critical facility management. While specific contractor names are not available, Rios maintains consistent engagement with a broad base of qualified vendors offering administrative management consulting, professional technical services, and nonresidential space leasing. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for established, non-set-aside contracts, indicating a focus on mission-critical capabilities where competition is open and based on technical merit rather than socioeconomic designations. She works closely with vendors capable of delivering high-assurance services under strict compliance frameworks, fostering partnerships grounded in performance accountability and regulatory adherence. Rios’s contracting portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on maximizing technical capability and operational efficiency over socioeconomic preferences, though it does not diminish the importance of small business participation in the broader DHS acquisition ecosystem. Her approach prioritizes capability-driven selection, ensuring that contracts are awarded based on demonstrated expertise and compliance with federal standards. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541611 (administrative and management consulting), NAICS 531120 (nonresidential building leasing), and NAICS 541990 (other professional services). These categories underscore her expertise in securing facility support, strategic advisory services, and specialized technical solutions critical to sustaining DHS’s operational infrastructure and research initiatives.