Caryn L.M. Hargrave

Caryn Hargrave serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex procurement actions to support the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. Her portfolio centers on acquiring specialized avionics, flight control instrumentation, diagnostic tools, and maintenance infrastructure critical to maintaining operational readiness. She manages full lifecycle contracts under FAR and DFARS guidelines, ensuring compliance with technical specifications and performance requirements for high-reliability aerospace systems. Her work directly enables NAWCAD’s mission to advance next-generation airpower through rigorous RDT&E support. Hargrave maintains enduring relationships with key defense contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., PCI Aviation LLC, Critical Communications, Controls and Instruments, LLC, and Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC. These partnerships reflect a focus on prime contractors with deep expertise in military-grade electronics, embedded systems, and aviation maintenance solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based acquisition methods, technical risk mitigation, and rigorous source selection processes to ensure mission-critical capabilities are delivered on schedule and within compliance. Her procurement activity is overwhelmingly non-set-aside, with 89.7% of contracts awarded without socioeconomic preferences, reflecting the specialized nature of the technical requirements and the limited pool of qualified vendors. Nevertheless, she consistently supports small business participation through Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a measured but deliberate commitment to expanding the industrial base for niche aerospace and avionics services. Hargrave’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 811219—Aircraft Maintenance and Repair—with 75% of her contracts targeting repair, overhaul, and calibration of flight-critical systems. She also procures electronic computer manufacturing (334111) and printed circuit assembly (334418) services, underscoring her technical expertise in avionics integration, electronic assembly, and diagnostic instrumentation. Her domain knowledge spans flight data acquisition systems, embedded firmware, and military-spec test equipment, positioning her as a key enabler of naval air system sustainment.