Michelle Suzzette Chardon

Michelle Chardon serves as a key procurement lead at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a Department of Energy contractor facility dedicated to advancing fundamental science through precision instrumentation and mission-critical infrastructure. She manages complex acquisitions for highly specialized industrial systems essential to particle accelerator operations, photon science experiments, and ultrafast research platforms. Her portfolio centers on the procurement of engineered components requiring stringent tolerances, radiation-hardened materials, and vacuum-compatible designs, ensuring alignment with SLAC’s technical mission to enable next-generation quantum and high-energy physics research. Chardon oversees full lifecycle contracting processes—from market research and requirements definition to source selection and contract administration—for mission-essential hardware and control systems. Chardon maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse base of industrial suppliers specializing in precision manufacturing and process control technologies. She works closely with vendors possessing advanced machining capabilities, ISO 9001 certification, and experience in low-volume, high-precision production environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical compliance, supply chain resilience, and long-term vendor performance, fostering partnerships with firms capable of delivering custom-engineered solutions under strict DOE and national laboratory standards. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages manufacturers with proven expertise in aerospace-grade fabrication and scientific instrumentation. Chardon’s procurement strategy reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions designated as non-set-aside. This approach prioritizes technical capability and performance over socioeconomic classifications, ensuring access to the most qualified industrial suppliers regardless of business size or certification status. While small business participation is not formally incentivized through set-asides, she evaluates all vendors on technical merit, quality assurance, and delivery reliability, maintaining a neutral stance toward socioeconomic programs while upholding federal contracting integrity. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 332911 (industrial valves), 333912 (air and gas compressors), 333517 (machine tools), and 334513 (industrial process instrumentation). She routinely procures high-vacuum valves, cryogenic compressor systems, CNC machining centers, and precision process control instruments—components critical to accelerator beamlines, detector systems, and experimental end stations. Her domain expertise spans vacuum engineering, motion control systems, and industrial automation, ensuring acquisitions meet the extreme operational demands of cutting-edge scientific facilities.