Benjamin Hansford

Benjamin J. Hansford serves as a Contracting Officer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where he plays a pivotal role in acquiring advanced aviation systems critical to maintaining naval air superiority. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of complex procurements, he specializes in the development, testing, and sustainment of mission-critical avionics, communications, navigation, and electronic warfare subsystems. His acquisitions support next-generation aircraft platforms and legacy system modernization, ensuring operational readiness across the fleet. Hansford routinely handles sole-source, competitive, and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts under FAR and DFARS guidelines, with a focus on high-technology, low-volume aerospace components and integrated system upgrades. He maintains enduring relationships with key industry partners including SABRE SYSTEMS, LLC, THE BOEING COMPANY, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, SYSTEMS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS, INC., and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established defense aerospace primes and specialized systems integrators capable of delivering classified, ruggedized, and mission-unique hardware and software solutions. His contracting approach emphasizes technical rigor, risk mitigation, and performance-based outcomes, often involving engineering services, prototype development, and sustainment support under cost-reimbursement and fixed-price incentive structures. Hansford’s procurement portfolio is overwhelmingly non-set-aside, with 94.9% of awards conducted without socioeconomic preferences, reflecting the specialized, low-supplier nature of naval aviation systems. Small business participation is limited but intentional, with approximately 4.6% of awards under Total Small Business Set-Asides and a minimal but structured use of 8(a) competed contracts, indicating a compliance-driven rather than aspirational approach to socioeconomic contracting. His primary technical focus lies in NAICS 336413—Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing—where he procures specialized avionics enclosures, mission computer interfaces, and flight control subsystems. He also engages in acquisitions under NAICS 334511 for airborne sensor and navigation systems, and 334220 for secure communication modules, demonstrating deep domain expertise in aerospace electronics, electromagnetic compatibility, and military-grade system integration.