Kathrena Merritt

Kathrena Merritt serves as a key procurement professional within the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), supporting the agency’s mission to secure the defense industrial base through rigorous personnel vetting and cybersecurity compliance. She manages a portfolio of acquisitions focused on information technology services critical to background investigation systems, continuous vetting platforms, and insider threat mitigation tools. Her work ensures that DCSA maintains secure, scalable, and compliant IT infrastructure to support national security clearances and workforce integrity, aligning closely with the agency’s strategic modernization goals. Merritt maintains consistent relationships with leading defense and IT service providers, including Peraton Risk Decision Inc., CACI Premier Technology, LLC, Echelon Services, LLC, DDC IT Services LLC, and RELX Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for contractors with deep expertise in secure software development, data analytics, and cybersecurity compliance solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and contract vehicles that enable agile delivery of mission-critical services, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in technical proficiency and regulatory adherence. Her procurement strategy reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with approximately half of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, and the remainder open to all competitors. This approach ensures robust competition while actively promoting opportunities for small disadvantaged firms, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and other certified small entities that bring innovation to national security missions. Merritt’s primary technical focus lies in NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services) and 513210 (Software Publishers), underscoring her specialization in custom software development, secure application platforms, and cloud-based systems for personnel security operations. She procures services including identity verification tools, threat detection analytics, automated adjudication systems, and cybersecurity compliance automation—domains requiring stringent adherence to NIST, DIACAP, and FedRAMP standards. Her expertise ensures that DCSA’s digital infrastructure remains resilient, scalable, and aligned with evolving national security requirements.