Maritza C. Sarmiento

Maritza C. Sarmiento serves as an Acquisition Specialist at USAID/El Salvador, where she plays a pivotal role in executing the agency’s mission to strengthen democratic governance, institutional capacity, and rule of law through strategic procurement of technical advisory services. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisitions—from needs assessment and market research to contract award and performance monitoring—ensuring alignment with U.S. foreign policy objectives and international development best practices. Her portfolio primarily consists of professional services contracts supporting policy reform, public sector modernization, and global health security initiatives, often involving high-level expert consultants and technical advisors. Maritza collaborates with a diverse range of service providers, including international consulting firms, local civil society organizations, and specialized technical firms with deep expertise in governance and institutional development. Her procurement approach emphasizes competitive bidding, transparency, and value-based selection criteria, fostering partnerships with vendors capable of delivering context-specific, evidence-based solutions tailored to El Salvador’s evolving institutional needs. She maintains a vendor-neutral stance, prioritizing technical merit and local capacity building over long-term exclusivity. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open, unrestricted competitions, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under non-set-aside authorities. This underscores a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of qualified professionals rather than socioeconomic set-asides, aligning with USAID’s emphasis on technical excellence and program impact over socioeconomic targeting. Maritza’s procurement activity is heavily concentrated in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), reflecting her primary focus on advisory services in governance, rule of law, and institutional strengthening. She also regularly procures administrative and management consulting services under NAICS 541611. Her domain expertise lies in securing high-caliber technical assistance for public sector reform, human rights advocacy, and migration management, ensuring that USAID’s interventions are informed by cutting-edge expertise and locally grounded implementation strategies.