Mary JoVarel

Mary Jo Varel serves as a Contract Specialist within the 763d Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, part of the Department of the Air Force’s FA4452 organization, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions that sustain airpower readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for advanced technology and enterprise support services, with a primary focus on custom computer programming solutions that enhance pilot training systems, communications resilience, and logistics automation. Her work directly enables operational capability across combat, training, and enterprise functions by ensuring timely delivery of secure, scalable software systems aligned with Air Force modernization priorities. Varel collaborates with a diverse array of defense contractors specializing in software development, systems integration, and mission-critical IT services. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with firms possessing demonstrated expertise in DoD-compliant development environments, including those certified under CMMC, ISO 27001, and NIST SP 800-53 standards. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous technical evaluations, and contract compliance, fostering long-term vendor partnerships built on transparency and accountability. Varel’s procurement activity reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her actions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic designations, though she remains compliant with all federal small business requirements. Her approach prioritizes mission need and acquisition efficiency, ensuring that the most qualified vendors—regardless of size or status—are selected based on technical excellence and past performance. Her primary industry focus is NAICS 541511, Custom Computer Programming Services, where she specializes in procuring tailored software solutions for flight simulation, mission planning systems, data analytics platforms, and secure enterprise applications. She possesses deep technical familiarity with agile development methodologies, DevSecOps pipelines, and cloud-native architectures, ensuring acquisitions align with Air Force digital transformation objectives and cybersecurity imperatives.