Cynthia L. Shartzer

Cynthia L. Shartzer serves as a Contracting Officer for USAID/Ethiopia (Agency Code: 720663), where she manages the acquisition lifecycle for technical assistance and capacity-building programs aligned with the agency’s mission to strengthen public health systems, improve education and governance outcomes, and enhance community resilience. She is responsible for planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts that support institutional development, program implementation, and localized expertise across Ethiopia’s development sector. Her portfolio primarily consists of professional services contracts requiring deep technical knowledge in public health, mental health, and institutional strengthening initiatives, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and USAID’s development objectives. While specific contractor names are not publicly disclosed, Ms. Shartzer engages a broad spectrum of U.S.-based and international professional services firms, including consulting organizations with demonstrated expertise in international development, health systems strengthening, and governance support. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for performance-based, outcome-driven agreements that emphasize measurable impact, local stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management. She works closely with prime contractors and subcontractors to ensure alignment with USAID’s technical priorities and compliance with U.S. government procurement standards. Ms. Shartzer’s set-aside preferences show a strong orientation toward open competition, with 92.3% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions. However, she consistently supports small business participation, allocating 7.7% of awards to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate effort to foster competition and expand opportunities for qualified small businesses in the international development services sector. Her procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), which accounts for 76.9% of her activity, followed by NAICS 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services) and NAICS 541611 (Administrative Management Consulting). She routinely procures technical advisory services, monitoring and evaluation support, training programs, and policy analysis—services critical to advancing USAID/Ethiopia’s strategic goals in health, education, and institutional capacity.