Tomei B Funderburk

Tomei B. Funderburk serves as a Contract Specialist at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), part of the Department of Commerce, where she manages the acquisition of goods and services critical to modernizing the nation’s intellectual property infrastructure. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts that support the USPTO’s mission to enhance digital examination systems, secure IP data, and improve public access to patent and trademark resources. She primarily handles commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) acquisitions, professional services, and facility support contracts, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations and strategic alignment with agency modernization goals. Funderburk maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including IP.COM I, LLC and Innovative Transducer Implementation, LLC, engaging them for specialized technical and administrative support services. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for established vendors with proven capabilities in niche domains such as intellectual property analytics and sensor-based systems, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in performance accountability and regulatory adherence. While she collaborates with a limited number of primary contractors, her approach emphasizes reliability, technical specificity, and vendor stability over broad competition. Her contracting activity reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with nearly 38% of awards designated for small business set-asides, including a significant 25% allocation to Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) and 12.5% to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. The majority of her awards, however, are unrestricted, indicating a pragmatic focus on mission-critical needs while still actively promoting small business participation. Funderburk’s procurement portfolio is heavily concentrated in NAICS 337214 (Office Furniture Manufacturing), reflecting the USPTO’s need for ergonomic and secure workspace solutions, alongside significant activity in administrative consulting (541611), janitorial services (561720), and other professional technical services (541990). Her expertise lies in procuring facility support and operational services that enable the USPTO’s frontline examiners and IT teams to function efficiently in a mission-critical environment.