Elizabeth S. Cardenas

Elizabeth S. Cardenas serves as a Contracting Officer within the Telecommunications Division (HC1013) of the Defense Information Systems Agency, where she leads the acquisition of critical telecommunications and network infrastructure services essential to the Department of Defense’s global communications mission. She is responsible for managing full lifecycle procurements under FAR and DFARS guidelines, with a focus on securing resilient, high-capacity network solutions, deploying secure virtual private networks, and modernizing legacy telecom systems. Her acquisitions directly support mission-critical DoD operations by ensuring interoperability, cybersecurity compliance, and continuous connectivity across distributed military and federal environments. Cardenas maintains longstanding 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 reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in enterprise-grade telecom engineering, fiber optic network deployment, and secure communications systems. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, robust technical evaluation, and sustained vendor collaboration to meet evolving operational requirements. A staunch advocate for small business participation, Cardenas consistently structures procurements as Total Small Business Set-Asides and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Set-Asides, each accounting for 50% of her portfolio. This dual focus underscores her commitment to socioeconomic contracting goals and ensures equitable access to DoD telecommunications opportunities for qualified small and veteran-owned firms. Her procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 541513 — Computer Facilities Management Services — encompassing managed network operations, data center support, telecom infrastructure maintenance, and secure cloud-enabled communications services. Cardenas specializes in acquiring integrated, mission-critical IT and telecom services that enable secure, scalable, and resilient connectivity for defense-wide operations.