Leslie F. Simpson

Leslie Simpson serves as a Contracting Officer for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA1), where she plays a critical role in acquiring advanced scientific, technical, and operational capabilities to counter weapons of mass destruction and emerging national security threats. She manages a diverse portfolio of professional services contracts aligned with the agency’s mission to detect, deter, and neutralize chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive threats. Her acquisitions primarily support research, analysis, and field-deployable technologies, often involving complex technical requirements in threat intelligence, forensic science, and defense systems engineering. Simpson ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while fostering innovation through agile contracting methods tailored to high-consequence mission needs. She maintains strong, long-standing relationships with leading technical service providers including TECHTRANS INTERNATIONAL INC, BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE, AERIS LLC, APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC., and AMAZON WEB SERVICES, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established firms with proven expertise in defense science, analytical modeling, and cloud-enabled data infrastructure. Simpson consistently engages contractors capable of delivering classified and unclassified R&D support, laboratory testing, and real-time threat assessment systems, emphasizing technical excellence, security clearances, and rapid response capabilities in her source selection processes. Simpson’s procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on full and open competition, with 100% of her awards issued under no set-aside preferences. She does not routinely utilize socioeconomic programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, instead prioritizing mission-critical capability over socioeconomic targeting. Her approach underscores the agency’s need for specialized, high-tier technical expertise that is often concentrated among large, well-resourced firms with the infrastructure to support sensitive defense operations. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), which accounts for two-thirds of her activity, and NAICS 541380 (Testing Laboratories and Services), representing the remainder. She regularly procures advanced analytical services, forensic diagnostics, simulation modeling, and laboratory testing for WMD threat characterization, demonstrating deep domain expertise in defense science and technical services critical to national security.