J. Burriss

J. Burriss serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Management, Office of Acquisition, supporting the agency’s mission to enhance institutional capacity and program effectiveness through strategic contracting. Responsible for managing professional services acquisitions, Burriss ensures alignment with USAID’s global development objectives by securing expert advisory services in policy implementation, program design, and governance reform. Their work directly enables evidence-based decision-making and inclusive development by facilitating access to specialized technical expertise across international operations. The acquisitions under their purview are primarily non-personal services contracts requiring high-level analytical, advisory, and capacity-building support. Burriss maintains a broad and competitive contractor base, engaging a diverse range of professional service providers without reliance on a concentrated group of vendors. Their procurement approach emphasizes open competition and merit-based selection, fostering partnerships with firms possessing demonstrated expertise in international development, public administration, and institutional strengthening. Vendor relationships are characterized by transparency, compliance with FAR regulations, and a focus on performance outcomes rather than historical relationships, ensuring accountability and value in every acquisition. Burriss exhibits no preference for socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of procurements conducted as full and open competition. This reflects a strategic commitment to maximizing competition and selecting the most qualified providers regardless of business size or certification status. While small business participation is not formally incentivized through set-asides, the open competition framework inherently allows qualified small and mid-sized firms to compete on equal footing, promoting market access without mandated preferences. The primary NAICS classification under Burriss’s oversight is 541990, encompassing all other professional, scientific, and technical services. This includes procurement of advisory services in governance reform, monitoring and evaluation, organizational development, and technical assistance for public sector institutions. The focus is on high-caliber consulting expertise to support USAID’s complex, multi-country development programs, ensuring interventions are grounded in best practices and locally relevant solutions.