Michele McDermott

Michele McDermott serves as a Contract Specialist responsible for managing the full lifecycle of professional services acquisitions, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations and alignment with agency mission objectives. She specializes in soliciting, evaluating, and awarding contracts for consulting services, with a focus on delivering high-value, performance-based outcomes. Her role is critical in translating operational needs into legally sound, competitively awarded contracts that support efficient and effective government operations. She routinely handles complex requirements under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), emphasizing transparency, fairness, and accountability in all procurement actions. Michele cultivates relationships with a diverse pool of vendors offering management and technical consulting services, including firms specializing in strategic planning, organizational development, and operational efficiency. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages both large professional services firms and small business competitors, fostering a competitive environment that drives innovation and value. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for open competition and merit-based selection, with a strong emphasis on evaluating technical approach, past performance, and cost realism. Michele’s procurement activity is entirely focused on open, non-set-aside competitions, with 100% of her awards issued without socioeconomic set-asides. This reflects a deliberate strategy to prioritize technical excellence and value over socioeconomic preferences, while still ensuring full and open competition. Her approach underscores a commitment to equitable access for all qualified vendors, regardless of size or certification status, maintaining strict adherence to FAR Part 19 guidelines without leveraging targeted programs. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services), 541618 (Other Management Consulting Services), and 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services). She regularly acquires advisory services related to process optimization, policy implementation, and organizational change management, demonstrating deep expertise in procuring high-level professional services that enhance governmental efficiency and decision-making capacity.