Mistelle Watkins

Mistelle serves as a Contract Specialist within the Procurement Directorate Contracting Division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where she plays a critical role in executing acquisitions that sustain the agency’s operational readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of contracts for specialized services and equipment essential to border security and canine enforcement programs, with a focus on facility support, detection instrumentation, and mission-critical logistics. Her work directly enables the Border Patrol’s K9 units and secure infrastructure operations by ensuring timely, compliant, and cost-effective procurement solutions aligned with federal acquisition regulations. Mistelle collaborates with a diverse array of vendors, including small businesses, service providers, and technical contractors, to deliver essential support services. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her procurement patterns reflect consistent engagement with firms capable of delivering specialized janitorial, landscaping, and pet care services—critical to maintaining operational environments at border facilities. She fosters transparent, performance-driven relationships grounded in FAR compliance and risk mitigation, ensuring vendors meet stringent security and quality standards. Mistelle demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with the majority of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate strategy to expand opportunities for small businesses. She also regularly incorporates HUBZone set-asides, aligning with agency goals to promote economic development in underserved areas. Her contracting approach prioritizes broad small business participation while maintaining rigorous performance accountability. Her primary NAICS focus includes janitorial services (561720), pet care (812910), and landscaping (561730), underscoring her expertise in procuring facility maintenance and support services critical to secure federal installations. She also handles niche acquisitions in amusement and recreation (713990) and information services (511210), indicating a broad yet mission-aligned technical domain expertise focused on sustaining the day-to-day functionality of CBP’s frontline operations.