Clifford Darrington

Clifford Darrington serves as a key procurement lead within the FA8121 office of the Department of the Air Force, responsible for managing acquisitions critical to the sustainment and modernization of military aircraft propulsion systems. His work centers on securing advanced turbine engine components, flight-critical subsystems, and precision manufacturing services essential to maintaining the operational readiness of F100 engine fleets. He oversees a diverse portfolio of contracts spanning production, overhaul, and engineering support, ensuring compliance with defense acquisition regulations and technical performance standards for high-reliability aerospace systems. Darrington maintains long-standing partnerships with industry leaders including Ferrotherm Corp, Woodward HRT Inc, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, and RTX Corporation, who provide specialized capabilities in thermal management, fuel control systems, and engine component remanufacturing. His contracting approach emphasizes trusted vendor relationships with firms possessing deep domain expertise in jet engine maintenance and aerospace-grade manufacturing, often leveraging long-term agreements to ensure supply chain continuity and technical consistency across maintenance cycles. While the majority of his acquisitions are unrestricted, Darrington consistently allocates approximately 20% of contract opportunities to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a structured commitment to small business participation without favoring specific socioeconomic categories like 8(a) or HUBZone. His procurement strategy balances mission-critical performance requirements with broad vendor competition, ensuring access to innovative capabilities from qualified small manufacturers and service providers. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336412 (Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing), reflecting his specialization in turbine engine components, precision machined parts, and flight-safety-critical assemblies. He also procures related engineering services, machine tooling, and industrial control systems to support integrated propulsion sustainment, demonstrating deep technical fluency in aerospace propulsion lifecycle management.