Catrina M. Vitez

Catrina M. Vitez serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Air Division, where she plays a pivotal role in acquiring mission-critical aviation systems that support air superiority and fleet readiness. She manages the full lifecycle of complex procurement actions, including sole-source, competitive, and performance-based contracts for advanced avionics, electronic warfare subsystems, and aircraft integration services. Her work directly enables the development and sustainment of next-generation naval aircraft platforms, ensuring alignment with strategic modernization goals in sensor suites, communications, and mission systems. Vitez specializes in high-technical-acquisition environments requiring rigorous compliance with DoD acquisition regulations and technical specifications. She maintains established working 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 experienced defense contractors with proven capabilities in aerospace systems engineering, avionics integration, and mission-critical testing. Vitez consistently engages these vendors through performance-based contract structures that emphasize technical excellence, schedule adherence, and lifecycle support. While the majority of her acquisitions are conducted under open competition—83.3% with no set-aside—she maintains a meaningful commitment to small business participation, with 16.7% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Her socioeconomic contracting approach prioritizes capable small firms with relevant technical expertise, particularly in niche aerospace and systems integration domains. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS codes 488190 (other air transportation support activities) and 334511 (aeronautical system and instrument manufacturing), reflecting deep expertise in airborne sensor integration, flight test support, and precision instrumentation. She regularly procures services and equipment related to electronic signal testing, flight training systems, and embedded computing platforms essential to modern naval aviation.