Chris A. Rawlings

Chris A. Rawlings serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), supporting the lifecycle acquisition and sustainment of naval aviation systems critical to U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operational readiness. He manages complex contracts for advanced aircraft components, avionics, and auxiliary equipment, ensuring alignment with NAVAIR’s mission to maintain air superiority through modernization and technical innovation. His work spans the full acquisition lifecycle—from requirements validation and source selection to contract administration and performance oversight—focusing on high-priority programs involving carrier-based and expeditionary aircraft platforms. Rawlings maintains consistent, long-term relationships with industry leaders including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, partnering with prime contractors who deliver cutting-edge aerospace systems and integrated logistics support. His procurement approach emphasizes technical rigor and performance-based outcomes, often engaging vendors with proven expertise in flight control systems, radar integration, and unmanned aerial vehicle platforms. These partnerships are characterized by collaborative engineering support and robust contract performance management to ensure mission-critical readiness. Rawlings’ contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of awards issued without set-aside designations. This indicates a focus on technical capability and industrial capacity over socioeconomic classifications, prioritizing mission need and system interoperability above small business set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413—Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing—reflecting deep specialization in subsystems such as mission computers, electro-optical sensors, and maintenance support equipment. He also engages in NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing) for platform-specific upgrades, demonstrating technical fluency in naval aviation systems, propulsion integration, and survivability enhancements for tactical aircraft fleets.