Cherita Thomas

Cherita Thomas serves as a Contracting Officer within the Contract Administration Services Division (70RCAS) of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Procurement Operations, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions that support national security and operational readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of professional, scientific, and technical service contracts, with a primary focus on computer systems design and related engineering services. Her work directly enables the agency’s objectives in cybersecurity, systems integration, and research and development, ensuring that acquisitions align with federal procurement regulations and strategic technology modernization goals. Cherita collaborates with a diverse range of contractors specializing in systems engineering, software development, and IT infrastructure support. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms possessing strong technical credentials in cybersecurity architecture, cloud-enabled platforms, and mission-critical software solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous source selection, and compliance with FAR and DHS acquisition policies, fostering transparent and accountable vendor partnerships. Her procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of her contracts awarded under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic alignment with DHS priorities that demand specialized technical expertise often found only in the broader market, rather than through socioeconomic set-asides. While she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her process remains fully compliant with small business participation goals through subcontracting opportunities and vendor diversity initiatives embedded in task order evaluations. Cherita’s primary NAICS focus is on 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services) and 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), underscoring her specialization in custom software development, systems integration, and technical consulting for high-assurance environments. She procures services supporting cybersecurity frameworks, network resilience, data analytics platforms, and engineering support for DHS operational systems, demonstrating deep domain expertise in federal IT modernization and mission-critical systems engineering.