Kristen Unfried

Kristen Unfried serves as a key procurement professional within the IT Contracting Division – PL83 of the Defense Information Systems Agency, where she supports the acquisition of mission-critical information technology solutions that sustain and modernize DoD-wide communication and computing infrastructures. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of IT contracts, from requirements definition through contract award and performance oversight, with a focus on cybersecurity-enabled systems, legacy infrastructure modernization, and scalable software platforms. She plays a central role in ensuring the agency’s acquisitions align with DoD digital transformation goals, emphasizing secure, interoperable, and resilient IT environments for warfighter operations. While specific contractor names are not publicly available, Unfried routinely engages with a diverse pool of vendors specializing in defense-grade IT services, including system integrators, software publishers, and cybersecurity solution providers. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for performance-based, outcome-driven contracts that prioritize technical innovation, compliance with NIST and DoD RMF standards, and seamless integration with existing enterprise architectures. She fosters collaborative vendor relationships grounded in transparency, compliance, and measurable mission outcomes. Unfried’s procurement strategy prioritizes broad market access, with 83.3% of her acquisitions conducted as unrestricted competitions and 16.7% structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate balance between maintaining competitive urgency and actively supporting small business participation, particularly firms capable of delivering specialized IT services in high-demand technical domains. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 517919 (Other Telecommunications), encompassing secure network services and mission-critical communications, followed by NAICS 513210 (Software Publishers) for custom and commercial-off-the-shelf defense software, and NAICS 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services) for architecture, integration, and cybersecurity consulting. She consistently procures solutions that enhance operational resilience, support zero-trust architectures, and enable agile software development across classified and unclassified DoD networks.