Charlene Bunting

Charlene Bunting serves as a key procurement professional within the Contracting and Procurement office of the Transportation Security Administration under the Department of Homeland Security, where she supports the acquisition of mission-critical security technologies essential to aviation and transit infrastructure. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for advanced detection systems, irradiation equipment, and GPS-enabled rail monitoring solutions, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and TSA’s strategic security objectives. She plays a central role in translating operational requirements into technically sound solicitations, evaluating proposals for compliance and capability, and facilitating timely contract awards to sustain national transportation security. Bunting maintains collaborative relationships with a broad spectrum of professional service providers, particularly those specializing in security systems integration, technical consulting, and operational support services. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms possessing deep expertise in homeland security technologies, including those certified in cybersecurity, systems engineering, and risk assessment. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous technical evaluation, and vendor accountability to ensure delivery of reliable, high-integrity solutions. Bunting’s procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted without set-asides, indicating a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic categorization. This approach underscores her commitment to securing the most qualified vendors based on performance, innovation, and mission alignment, rather than socioeconomic designations such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. Her primary focus lies within NAICS 813920 (Professional Organizations), where she procures specialized technical services including systems analysis, security consulting, and operational support for detection and monitoring technologies. She regularly engages firms offering expertise in explosives detection, radiation screening, and transportation security infrastructure modernization, demonstrating deep domain knowledge in the technical and regulatory landscape of federal security procurement.