Carrie Cawley

Carrie Cawley serves as a primary contracting professional at the Naval Research Laboratory, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing the agency’s mission of foundational R&D for naval and national security systems. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions centered on advanced instrumentation, electronic warfare components, signal processing systems, and autonomous navigation technologies. Her work directly supports the lab’s focus on transitioning cutting-edge scientific innovations into operational maritime capabilities, ensuring that procurement aligns with technical requirements for high-precision sensors and next-generation electronic systems. Cawley routinely handles complex, research-driven contracts requiring specialized technical oversight and agile acquisition strategies. She maintains strong, long-term relationships with key contractors including Assurance Technology Corp, L3Harris NexGen Communications LLC, Envisioneering Inc, Integration Innovation Inc, and Analex Corporation. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in defense-grade electronics, embedded systems, and mission-critical software development. Cawley consistently engages contractors capable of rapid prototyping, systems integration, and compliance with stringent DoD technical standards, fostering collaborative procurement environments that prioritize innovation and technical fidelity. Cawley’s contracting patterns show a strong emphasis on open competition, with 72.8% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions. However, she actively supports small business participation, allocating 27.2% of awards to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. While she does not frequently utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her consistent use of small business set-asides demonstrates a deliberate commitment to expanding the defense industrial base through competitive, capability-driven contracting. Her primary NAICS focus lies in software publishing (513210), reflecting heavy investment in signal processing algorithms, embedded firmware, and autonomous control systems. She also procures specialized instrumentation (334515, 334516) and semiconductor components (334413), underscoring deep technical expertise in electronic systems development for naval applications. Cawley’s procurement strategy is tightly aligned with the NRL’s engineering and scientific priorities, ensuring acquisitions directly enable advanced maritime technology development.