Michele L. M. Mutschler

Michele L. M. Mutschler serves as a Contract Specialist within the Contract Administration Services Division (70RCAS) of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Procurement Operations. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of complex professional, scientific, and technical service acquisitions critical to national security readiness. Her responsibilities include solicitation development, source selection, contract negotiation, and post-award administration, with a focus on ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and mission-driven outcomes. She primarily handles high-stakes procurements in research and development, systems engineering, and advanced instrumentation, supporting DHS’s mission to enhance cybersecurity, physical science capabilities, and operational systems integrity. Mutschler collaborates with a diverse array of prime contractors and subcontractors, including research institutions, engineering firms, and specialized technology providers delivering advanced scientific services and precision measurement systems. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for performance-based, outcome-oriented agreements that emphasize technical excellence and mission alignment. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages with vendors possessing deep expertise in physical and engineering sciences, fostering long-term partnerships built on technical reliability and regulatory compliance. Mutschler’s procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic alignment with DHS’s operational imperatives, where technical capability and mission-critical performance take precedence over socioeconomic preferences. While she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her approach ensures that all competitors—regardless of size—are evaluated on technical merit and capacity to deliver complex scientific solutions. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541712 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences), encompassing advanced R&D in physics, materials science, and systems engineering, with a secondary emphasis on NAICS 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing), including specialized sensors, calibration equipment, and control systems. Her technical domain expertise centers on procuring mission-critical instrumentation and scientific services that underpin DHS’s operational infrastructure and technological resilience.