Michael Morrison serves as the procurement branch chief in ONC’s procurement and grants division (PGD). He is responsible for a wide range of key functions associated with the acquisition of goods and services to carry out ONC’s responsibilities. As a senior staff member in ONC’s office of the chief operation officer (OCOO), he manages a highly trained and experienced staff. Together they navigate the complex, fast paced maze of ONC’s procurements.

1. Tell us about some of the projects or initiatives that you lead.

As the procurement branch chief, I oversee numerous ONC transactions. This includes serving as the ONC interagency agreement (IAA) coordinator to establish 60-80 IAAs annually, each worth millions of dollars. I also serve as the ONC program support services contracting officer’s representative (COR). In this role, I coordinate the development and oversight of 50+ work orders each fiscal year and serve as the lead for the COR training and certification program. Additionally, as the ONC bureau acquisition career manager, I assist to ensure that ONC CORs are properly trained and certified to be able to establish and manage ONC’s diverse contracts portfolio.

My main goal is to make the complex and sometimes daunting intricacies of federal contracting as painless and efficient as possible. My years of experience taught me that the more defined a need, the quicker an IAA can be completed. I assist ONC stakeholders to make sure their procurement tasks are in order, minimize indecision, and communicate frequently to award contracts as quickly as possible.

2. What led you to your career here at ONC?

After earning my Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School and working in litigation for several years, I went back to law school for my LLM in government procurement law. While in the LLM program, I joined ONC as a Pathways to Public Service program student intern. I have been with ONC ever since. I very much enjoy my PGD team and supporting the ONC mission.

3. What are some skills or strengths that you contribute to your work at ONC?

I am very detail oriented and excel in multitasking. I work on many different ongoing projects and processes. I pride myself and my team on being highly responsive to the needs of the people who we support. I work hard to provide effective and efficient assistance, no matter how complicated the issue. Federal procurements are very complex from beginning to end.

4. What is something you’ve accomplished at ONC that you’re most proud of, and why?

I am most proud of rolling out the contract management assessment tool and the Active Contract and Acquisition Plan dashboards. These tools provide CORs and managers with the means to track and manage contracts and significantly enhance ONC’s procurement and grant processing. I strongly believe that it’s important to provide staff with the tools to excel at their jobs. This effort is a big step forward for ONC’s project management capabilities and improved efficiency.

5. What would you say is the best or most interesting part of working for ONC?

I enjoy the fast paced, data driven environment that ONC fosters. It allows me to leverage my analytical, contractual, data-focused, and legal skills to support the ONC mission.

6. How would you characterize ONC’s success?

I think that ONC’s success is defined by the determined innovation and solidly good people. It is a pleasure to help advance the ONC mission.

7. Tell us about a project you are currently working on and how it fits into ONC’s mission.

I’m currently working on developing an ONC market research database to assist CORs in initiating the market research process. This is a critical step in the contracting process. The market research process can be a bit daunting. This effort will provide the CORs and managers a place to track and manage their contracts. It’s a big step forward.

8. What are the core values of ONC that are important to you?

I appreciate the drive and intelligence of the ONC community. There is certainly never a dull moment on the job as the ONC procurement branch chief!