Debra L. Powell-Schaffer

Debra L. Powell-Schaffer serves as a Contract Specialist within the Telecommunications Division (HC1013) of the Defense Information Systems Agency, where she plays a critical role in executing mission-critical acquisitions to secure and modernize the Department of Defense’s global communications infrastructure. She manages end-to-end contracting processes for complex telecommunications and network modernization initiatives, including the procurement of secure virtual private networks, high-capacity data transmission systems, and resilient fiber-optic solutions. Her work directly supports DISA’s strategic objective of ensuring interoperable, classified, and unclassified connectivity across military and federal operations, with a strong emphasis on lifecycle management and compliance with DoD cybersecurity standards. Powell-Schaffer maintains consistent, long-term relationships with key 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 centered on delivering advanced telecom engineering services, network integration, and infrastructure deployment. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical rigor, and vendor accountability, fostering collaborative engagements that prioritize reliability, scalability, and mission readiness in high-stakes operational environments. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of her awards issued under no set-aside categories. This indicates a deliberate preference for full and open competition, leveraging the technical depth and capacity of established industry leaders rather than socioeconomic set-asides. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her award patterns, her process remains fully compliant with federal acquisition regulations and promotes fair competition across all vendor sizes. Her primary NAICS code focus is 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)—reflecting her specialization in advanced telecom R&D, network architecture design, and next-generation communications system development. She procures highly technical services involving protocol engineering, secure data transport, fiber network optimization, and integrated telecom solutions that support classified and unclassified DoD networks.