Cynthia Harper

Cynthia Harper serves as a key procurement professional within the Department of the Air Force’s FA7014 office, responsible for managing complex acquisitions that sustain and modernize Air Force operational readiness. She oversees contracts in systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA), enterprise IT modernization, cybersecurity infrastructure, and mission-critical analytics, ensuring alignment with DoD strategic priorities. Her acquisitions focus on professional services that enhance technical capacity, reduce legacy system dependencies, and enable data-driven decision-making across mission-critical domains. Harper’s portfolio is characterized by high-complexity, performance-based requirements requiring deep domain expertise and agile contracting methodologies. She maintains strong, recurring relationships with leading technical service providers, notably SIGMATECH, INC., and PURDUE UNIVERSITY, reflecting a preference for established partners with proven capabilities in defense-oriented research and engineering support. Her contracting patterns indicate a reliance on long-term, task-order-based agreements under Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) vehicles, often leveraging Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) to accelerate innovation. These partnerships emphasize technical excellence, rapid scalability, and compliance with federal cybersecurity standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and CMMC. While the majority of her acquisitions—80%—are unrestricted, Harper consistently allocates 20% of her portfolio to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to expanding small business participation without relying on specialized socioeconomic programs like 8(a) or HUBZone. Her approach balances operational urgency with equitable access, encouraging qualified small firms to compete for high-value technical services. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 511210 (Software Publishers), 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services), 541715 (R&D in Physical/Engineering Sciences), and 423430 (Computer Equipment Wholesalers). She procures custom software solutions, enterprise cybersecurity tools, advanced analytics platforms, and integrated IT infrastructure, reflecting deep expertise in digital modernization and mission-enabling technologies for the Air Force’s evolving operational landscape.