Rita W. Jackson

Rita W. Jackson serves as a Contracting Officer within the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Procurement Center (DCMA-AQP), where she plays a pivotal role in advancing the Department of Defense’s workforce development mission through strategic acquisition of specialized educational and technical services. Her portfolio centers on procuring graduate-level training programs, systems engineering support, and advanced computing services designed to enhance the competencies of defense contractors and government acquisition professionals. She manages full and open competitions and set-aside contracts aligned with the agency’s goal of building a highly skilled defense acquisition workforce through partnerships with academic institutions and technology providers. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identifiable, Jackson routinely engages with a diverse range of vendors, including higher education institutions, systems engineering firms, and IT service providers, to deliver mission-critical training and technical solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous evaluation criteria under FAR Part 15, and alignment with DoD workforce modernization objectives. She fosters collaborative vendor relationships grounded in transparency, compliance, and measurable competency outcomes. Jackson’s contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for full and open competition, with 83.3% of acquisitions conducted without set-asides. However, she consistently allocates 16.7% of opportunities to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to small business participation without prioritizing specific socioeconomic categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. Her approach balances broad market access with targeted support for small business capacity building. Her primary NAICS focus includes Other Computer Related Services (541519), reflecting demand for IT training and systems integration support, followed by Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), underscoring her role in securing accredited graduate-level defense education. She also procures electronic computer manufacturing services (334111) and related software and data services (511210), indicating deep technical expertise in defense-focused IT infrastructure and workforce upskilling programs.