Michele Appello

Michele A. Appello serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of federal acquisitions, ensuring compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation and promoting efficient, transparent procurement practices. She specializes in construction and facility-related contracts, overseeing solicitation development, source selection, contract award, and post-award administration. Her role is central to fulfilling the agency’s mission of delivering mission-critical infrastructure and support services through disciplined, compliant contracting processes. Appello typically handles complex, multi-year procurements requiring coordination with technical evaluators, legal counsel, and program managers to align contractual obligations with operational needs. Appello maintains professional relationships with a diverse pool of contractors, primarily focused on commercial and institutional construction firms, electrical and building equipment subcontractors, and food service providers. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with small businesses and qualified mid-tier vendors capable of delivering high-quality construction and facility support services. Her contracting approach emphasizes competitive bidding, clear performance metrics, and structured contract management to ensure accountability and value delivery across the acquisition lifecycle. A strong advocate for socioeconomic contracting, Appello prioritizes small business participation, with over one-third of her awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. She also regularly utilizes Local Area Set-Asides under FAR 26.2 and allocates awards to HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, reflecting a deliberate strategy to foster economic opportunity and community engagement. Her consistent use of set-asides demonstrates a commitment to expanding access to federal contracting for underserved and geographically targeted businesses. Her procurement focus is heavily concentrated in NAICS 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), which accounts for the majority of her activity, with secondary emphasis on electrical contracting (238210), other building equipment installation (238290), and food service operations (722310). This specialization reflects deep expertise in facility infrastructure, utility integration, and operational support services essential to maintaining government-owned facilities. Appello’s technical proficiency spans construction standards, performance-based contracting, and facility lifecycle management.