Ronelda Brister

Ronelda Brister serves as a Contracting Officer within the OCFO-NFC-ACQ-MGMT Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical procurement actions that sustain administrative and information technology operations across the department. Her responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle of federal acquisitions, from requirements definition and market research to contract award and administration, with a focus on IT services, consulting, and facility support. She ensures alignment with FAR guidelines and agency strategic priorities, enabling seamless workforce management, secure data infrastructure, and operational continuity through efficient and compliant contracting practices. Brister maintains a broad vendor engagement strategy, working with a diverse pool of contractors specializing in computer-related services and facilities management. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she routinely collaborates with firms offering IT modernization, systems integration, and administrative support solutions. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for competitive, open market procurements, fostering a transparent and inclusive vendor environment that prioritizes performance, compliance, and innovation. Her set-aside preferences are overwhelmingly aligned with open competition, with 95.7% of her acquisitions conducted without socioeconomic set-asides. Only 4.3% are designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, indicating a targeted but limited emphasis on small business participation, typically reserved for niche or specialized requirements where market capacity justifies such designation. Brister’s procurement focus centers on NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services) and 541513 (Computer Facilities Management Services), reflecting her deep expertise in procuring managed IT infrastructure, cloud support, and operational technology services. She also regularly acquires administrative management consulting and accounting services to bolster departmental efficiency. Her technical domain spans federal IT modernization, cybersecurity-enabled operations, and mission-critical facility support, positioning her as a key enabler of USDA’s digital and administrative resilience.