Deric E Harris

Deric E. Harris serves as a Contract Specialist within the FA5270 18 Cons Pk unit of the Department of the Air Force, where he plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions to sustain airfield infrastructure and operational readiness across the Indo-Pacific region. His responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for facilities maintenance, engineering support, and technical equipment procurement, ensuring compliance with FAR and DOD acquisition regulations. Harris specializes in procurements that directly enable force projection, including rapid airfield damage repair, grounds and facility services, and integrated security and communications systems essential to base operational sustainability. He maintains established working relationships with key contractors including GILBANE JAPAN GK and KYUNAN CO., LTD., both of which provide specialized engineering, construction, and facility support services tailored to military installation requirements. His contracting patterns reflect a preference for experienced, regionally embedded vendors with proven capabilities in austere environments, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in performance reliability and technical expertise rather than frequent vendor rotation. Harris’s contracting portfolio demonstrates a strong orientation toward open competition, with 88.9% of acquisitions conducted without set-aside preferences, reflecting the urgency and scale of mission requirements. However, he consistently allocates 11.1% of awards to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, indicating a measured but deliberate commitment to small business participation where market conditions permit. His primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 423450 for medical and hospital equipment, 334511 for aeronautical navigation and guidance systems, and 334220 for wireless communications equipment, reflecting a technical domain expertise in mission-critical instrumentation, facility utilities, and integrated defense communications. Harris’s work ensures that installed infrastructure and supporting systems remain operationally viable under demanding operational conditions.