Maria Hayes

Maria Hayes serves as a Contracting Officer at Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), a critical support agency within the Department of Defense responsible for enabling enterprise-wide administrative and operational efficiency. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of complex procurement actions, ensuring compliance with FAR and DFARS while advancing WHS’s mission to modernize defense infrastructure and streamline institutional services. Her portfolio primarily consists of professional services contracts focused on IT modernization, digital transformation, and administrative support, often requiring agile acquisition strategies to meet evolving DoD priorities. Maria maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of experienced contractors, including CLARITY INNOVATIONS LLC, CYNERGY PROFESSIONAL SYSTEMS LLC, SIGNATURE RENOVATIONS LLC, AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, and GUIDEHOUSE INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in defense-sector consulting, systems integration, and facility management services. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, clear statement of work development, and long-term vendor collaboration to ensure mission continuity and operational resilience. Her procurement strategy reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with an equal split between open competitions and Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. She actively prioritizes small business participation, consistently awarding contracts to qualified small businesses without reliance on other set-aside programs such as 8(a) or HUBZone, demonstrating a strategic focus on broad-based small business engagement across the competitive landscape. Maria’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services) and NAICS 561110 (Office Administrative Services), reflecting deep expertise in IT support, data management, enterprise systems integration, and facility operations. She routinely procures services involving cloud-enabled platforms, process automation, and administrative modernization initiatives, aligning acquisitions with WHS’s strategic imperatives to enhance DoD’s institutional efficiency through technology and operational excellence.