Amanda Pagnotta

Amanda Pagnotta serves as a Contract Specialist within the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (N61340), where she plays a pivotal role in acquiring advanced simulation, avionics, and immersive training systems critical to naval aviation readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions—from market research and solicitation development to contract award and administration—ensuring alignment with Department of the Navy modernization priorities. Her acquisitions primarily support the development and sustainment of tactical flight simulators, mission rehearsal environments, and integrated training infrastructure, requiring deep technical understanding of defense aviation systems and compliance with DoD acquisition regulations. Pagnotta maintains strong, sustained relationships with key contractors including STRACON SERVICES GROUP, LLC and FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL INC, both of which provide high-fidelity simulation platforms and crew training solutions. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established industry partners with proven capabilities in aerospace training systems, often resulting in long-term, performance-based contracts that emphasize technical innovation, system interoperability, and lifecycle support. She collaborates closely with technical stakeholders to ensure contractual deliverables meet rigorous operational standards for naval aircrew training. Pagnotta’s procurement portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of qualified vendors capable of delivering mission-critical, high-complexity training systems, rather than prioritizing socioeconomic set-asides. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, she ensures all solicitations are structured to allow equitable access for firms of all sizes based on technical merit and past performance. Her primary procurement focus lies in defense training systems, encompassing simulation hardware, embedded training software, synthetic environment development, and avionics integration services. She operates within the intersection of aerospace engineering and instructional systems design, ensuring acquired technologies support realistic, data-driven pilot and aircrew training across diverse maritime operational scenarios.