Michaela Simmons

Michaela Simmons serves as a Contracting Officer for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), where she plays a pivotal role in securing critical capabilities to support the nation’s layered ballistic missile defense architecture. She manages complex acquisitions spanning research and development, systems integration, and engineering services essential to midcourse and terminal-phase interception technologies. Her portfolio includes high-priority programs involving sensor modernization, guidance system development, and missile defense system testing, ensuring alignment with MDA’s strategic objectives of operational readiness and technological superiority. Simmons operates within a rigorous acquisition framework governed by FAR and DFARS, prioritizing technical excellence, risk mitigation, and mission-critical delivery timelines. She maintains longstanding contracting relationships with prime defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, frequently engaging them for systems engineering, integration, and advanced technology development. Jacobs Technology Inc. is also a consistent partner, providing specialized logistics and technical consulting services. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursement mechanisms, and robust oversight of technical deliverables to ensure system interoperability and operational effectiveness across the defense architecture. Simmons demonstrates a strong preference for open competition, with 91.7% of her awards issued without set-aside designations, reflecting the highly specialized and classified nature of MDA’s mission requirements. While small business participation is limited to 8.3%, it is strategically targeted through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, ensuring qualified firms contribute to non-critical support functions without compromising program integrity or national security. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541715 (Research and Development in Physical and Engineering Sciences), followed by engineering services (541330) and aerospace system manufacturing (334511). She routinely procures advanced radar and tracking sensors, command and control software, interceptor guidance systems, and systems engineering support services, demonstrating deep expertise in missile defense technologies and the complex supply chains that sustain them.