Melissa M. Burris

Melissa M. Burris supports the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in managing critical acquisitions aligned with its mission to advance undersea warfare technologies. She oversees procurement activities for engineering services and infrastructure projects essential to the development, testing, and sustainment of sonar systems, underwater sensors, and ruggedized computing platforms used in submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles. Her work ensures timely delivery of technical solutions that maintain U.S. naval superiority in undersea domains, with a focus on mission-critical electronic warfare and signal processing capabilities. Burris handles complex, high-stakes contracts requiring deep technical oversight and compliance with Department of Defense acquisition regulations. Burris maintains consistent partnerships with a select group of specialized contractors, including ORDNANCE TECHNOLOGY SERVICE, INC., Boh Environmental, L.L.C., and AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, which provide advanced engineering, environmental support, and mission-critical technology integration. She also engages MCKENZIE CONSTRUCTION & SITE DEVELOPMENT LLC and EOS OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. for facility upgrades and specialized hardware procurement. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established vendors with proven expertise in undersea systems, emphasizing technical capability, security clearance readiness, and past performance in classified environments. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with 88.9% of awards issued without set-aside designation, reflecting the specialized nature of undersea warfare requirements. However, she actively supports small business participation through 8(a) competed contracts, demonstrating a measured commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising mission-critical performance standards. This balance ensures access to innovative capabilities while maintaining operational readiness. The majority of her acquisitions fall under NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), supporting systems engineering, signal processing, and electronic warfare development. Additional activity includes NAICS 236220 and 237990 for facility and civil infrastructure projects that enable test ranges and underwater research facilities. Her domain expertise centers on ruggedized computing, underwater acoustics, and sensor integration—core competencies vital to the Navy’s undersea dominance.