Candice D. Byrd

Candice D. Byrd serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex acquisitions for advanced naval aviation systems. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for research, development, and sustainment of mission-critical avionics, electronic warfare suites, and communications subsystems. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurement actions with the agency’s strategic priorities of modernizing airborne sensor technologies and maintaining operational readiness across fleet platforms. Byrd typically handles competitive, performance-based contracts requiring technical rigor and systems integration expertise. She maintains longstanding 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 span high-technology engineering services, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing of communications and sensor equipment. Byrd fosters collaborative contracting environments that emphasize technical innovation, risk mitigation, and lifecycle support, often engaging contractors early in the requirements definition phase to enhance solution effectiveness. While the majority of her acquisitions are unrestricted, Byrd consistently prioritizes small business participation, with nearly 30% of her portfolio designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate effort to cultivate a diverse supplier base, regularly awarding contracts to small businesses capable of delivering specialized engineering and technical services aligned with naval aviation needs. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541712 (R&D in physical and engineering sciences) and 541330 (engineering services), with significant activity in 334118 and 334220 for computer peripherals and wireless communications equipment. She specializes in procuring advanced avionics, mission computer systems, and electronic warfare components, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace systems integration and defense technology acquisition.