Laura B. Cherryholmes

Laura B. Cherryholmes serves as a key procurement professional within the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), supporting the Department of Defense’s mission to ensure fiscal accountability and operational readiness through robust financial management systems. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on modernizing financial infrastructure, automating compliance workflows, and enhancing audit readiness. Her work centers on securing mission-critical services that support DFAS’s digital transformation, including software development, data analytics, and financial reporting platforms. She operates within the Federal Acquisition Regulation framework to deliver scalable, secure, and compliant solutions across the defense financial ecosystem. Cherryholmes maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors, including Soderberg Company Inc., Ecology Mir Group LLC, Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc., and Roche Diagnostics Corporation Indianapolis, reflecting a blend of specialized financial services, regulatory intelligence, and technical support providers. Her contracting patterns indicate a preference for established vendors with proven expertise in defense financial systems, compliance automation, and data integration. These partnerships are typically formed through competitive, full-and-open solicitations, with occasional use of small business set-asides to foster innovation and capacity building. Her procurement strategy prioritizes full-and-open competition, with 80% of awards issued without set-aside designations, while maintaining a deliberate 20% allocation to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a balanced approach—leveraging large-capability vendors for complex, enterprise-wide needs while actively engaging small businesses to inject agility and niche technical capabilities into DFAS’s modernization pipeline. Her primary NAICS focus lies in Other Computer Related Services (541519) and Computer Systems Design Services (541512), underscoring her specialization in IT modernization, financial system integration, and automated reporting platforms. She routinely procures cloud-enabled financial tools, audit-ready software solutions, and data analytics services that support DFAS’s transition to a fully digital, audit-compliant financial architecture.