Catherine V. Sheaffer

Catherine V. Sheaffer serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, supporting the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. She manages complex acquisitions for mission-critical aircraft subsystems, including avionics, electronic warfare suites, communications systems, and auxiliary aircraft components. Her work directly enables the Navy’s strategic priorities in air superiority and fleet readiness, ensuring timely delivery of technically sophisticated solutions across legacy and next-generation platforms. Sheaffer’s portfolio emphasizes integrated systems procurement, requiring close coordination with engineering, test, and logistics teams to align contract requirements with operational needs. Sheaffer maintains longstanding relationships with leading defense contractors 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 industry leaders with proven capabilities in aerospace systems integration, mission software development, and high-reliability manufacturing. Her contracting approach prioritizes technical excellence, risk mitigation, and performance-based outcomes, often utilizing indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) and cost-reimbursement contract types to accommodate evolving requirements in complex R&D environments. Sheaffer’s procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical expertise rather than socioeconomic set-asides, aligning with the high-performance, mission-critical nature of the programs she supports. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through set-asides, she ensures competitive fairness and transparency across all solicitations. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing) and 336412 (Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334290 (Communications Equipment) and 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services). Sheaffer specializes in acquiring integrated avionics architectures, embedded software systems, electronic attack components, and mission-critical hardware that support airborne sensor fusion and networked warfare capabilities.