Denise L. Randolph

Denise L. Randolph serves as Deputy Head, Contracting at the Naval Research Laboratory, where she oversees the acquisition of advanced scientific and technological capabilities critical to naval and national security missions. In this role, she leads the planning, solicitation, and award of contracts for high-precision instrumentation, electronic warfare systems, signal processing technologies, and autonomous navigation R&D. Her procurement strategy aligns with the Laboratory’s mission to deliver foundational innovations in physical sciences and engineering, ensuring timely access to cutting-edge solutions through compliant, performance-based contracting methods under FAR and DFARS frameworks. Randolph maintains strategic relationships with a core group of specialized contractors, including Assurance Technology Corp, L3Harris NexGen Communications LLC, Envisioneering Inc, Integration Innovation Inc, and Analex Corporation. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with deep expertise in sensor development, laboratory instrumentation, and systems integration for defense applications. Her contracting patterns emphasize long-term technical collaboration, often involving sole-source or limited competition procurements for proprietary or classified technologies requiring specialized clearance and domain knowledge. Her procurement portfolio demonstrates a balanced commitment to small business participation, with 41.7% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and 8.3% reserved for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. While half of her acquisitions remain open to all competitors, her consistent use of socioeconomic set-asides underscores a deliberate effort to foster innovation from niche, agile vendors with proven capabilities in defense-relevant engineering domains. Randolph’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) and 334513 (Industrial Process Control Instruments), with significant activity in 541330 (Engineering Services) and 541712 (R&D in Physical and Engineering Sciences). She routinely acquires custom-built sensors, signal analyzers, embedded control systems, and specialized test equipment, reflecting deep technical alignment with NRL’s work in electronic systems, maritime surveillance, and autonomous platform integration.