Melissa Sanders

Melissa Sanders serves as a key procurement professional within the Office of Naval Research, supporting the agency’s mission to advance naval technological superiority through strategic science and technology investments. She manages a portfolio of research and development contracts focused on engineering services that translate fundamental scientific discoveries into operational naval capabilities. Her acquisitions primarily support advanced domains including autonomous systems, maritime sensing, advanced propulsion, and next-generation naval platforms, ensuring alignment with the Department of the Navy’s long-term technological roadmap. She operates within a highly technical acquisition environment, overseeing complex R&D contracts that require deep domain expertise in physical and engineering sciences. Sanders maintains consistent relationships with leading defense and science contractors, including CHEROKEE STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, BAE SYSTEMS INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS INTEGRATION INC., SKYDWELLER US INC., and ABBOTT LABORATORIES INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established firms with proven capabilities in systems integration, sensor development, and applied research. Her contracting patterns emphasize technical excellence and mission-critical innovation, often engaging vendors with specialized expertise in naval-relevant engineering disciplines and advanced materials. Her procurement activity shows no use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a mission-driven focus on technical capability over socioeconomic criteria, prioritizing the most qualified performers to meet urgent naval R&D needs. While small business participation is not formally targeted, the nature of the work allows for subcontracting opportunities through prime contractors. Her primary procurement focus is NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), encompassing systems engineering, test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, and advanced prototyping. She consistently acquires high-complexity engineering services supporting the Navy’s next-generation platforms, with deep technical alignment to autonomy, sensor fusion, and maritime domain awareness technologies.