Matthew Manning

Matthew R. Manning serves as a Contract Specialist within the Preparedness SECTION (PRE20) of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Department of Homeland Security. In this role, he manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions to support national resilience initiatives, including acquisition planning, solicitation development, contract award, and performance monitoring. His work directly enables the agency’s mission to strengthen emergency response capacity through administrative, technical, and logistical support. Manning typically handles service-based acquisitions aligned with incident management frameworks, workforce training systems, and operational readiness infrastructure, ensuring compliance with FAR provisions and DHS acquisition policies. Manning cultivates collaborative relationships with a diverse pool of vendors, primarily engaging professional services firms specializing in emergency preparedness, testing laboratories, and hospitality support services. While no single contractor dominates his portfolio, he consistently works with firms capable of delivering scalable, mission-critical services under time-sensitive conditions. His contracting patterns reflect a preference for competitive, transparent processes, fostering partnerships with both large-capability providers and agile small businesses that can rapidly adapt to evolving operational demands. His set-aside preferences show a strong inclination toward open competition, with 88.9% of acquisitions conducted without socioeconomic set-asides. However, he actively supports small business participation, with 11.1% of awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes both efficiency and socioeconomic equity in procurement. Manning’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 721110 (Hotels and Motels), reflecting the agency’s need for temporary lodging and operational support during disaster response operations. He also routinely procures services under NAICS 541990 (Other Professional Services) for planning and training support, and NAICS 541380 (Testing Laboratories) for equipment certification and readiness validation. His expertise centers on securing non-tactical, mission-enabling services that sustain the operational tempo of federal emergency response teams.