Tara Laumand

Tara Laumand serves as a key procurement lead within the Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters, overseeing the acquisition of advanced technological systems critical to federal drug enforcement operations. She manages contracts for high-performance surveillance, forensic detection, and secure communications equipment, ensuring alignment with DEA’s mission to disrupt illicit drug networks through cutting-edge intelligence capabilities. Her portfolio emphasizes mission-critical hardware and analytical tools that support lawful intercepts, laboratory analysis, and real-time operational response, requiring strict compliance with federal security and interoperability standards. Laumand maintains strategic relationships with specialized vendors including OCTASIC US INC. and OBSIDIAN INTEGRATION, LLC, who provide tailored signal intelligence and data analytics platforms, as well as CAYMAN CHEMICAL CO INC. for forensic reference standards and FOCUS CAMERA LLC for high-resolution surveillance imaging systems. Her contracting approach favors technical partners with proven expertise in law enforcement-grade equipment, often engaging in long-term, performance-based partnerships that prioritize reliability, security certification, and rapid field deployment. A strong advocate for small business participation, Laumand consistently directs over half of her acquisitions to small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate commitment to fostering innovation from niche suppliers. Her contracting patterns demonstrate balanced support for small disadvantaged businesses and other socioeconomic categories, enabling agile, mission-responsive procurement while expanding the pool of qualified defense and forensic technology vendors. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334516 (analytical laboratory instrumentation) and 334517 (irradiation apparatus manufacturing), reflecting deep expertise in forensic chemistry and evidence processing systems. She also procures specialized detection and navigation instruments (334511) and secure communication hardware, demonstrating technical fluency in the domains of forensic science, electronic surveillance, and law enforcement-specific instrumentation. Her work ensures DEA’s operational readiness through the acquisition of mission-essential, federally certified technologies.