Derrick A. Wade

Derrick A. Wade serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Kennedy Space Center, where he manages complex acquisitions critical to sustaining and modernizing the nation’s premier spaceport infrastructure. His responsibilities include planning, soliciting, and awarding contracts that support launch vehicle processing, propulsion system development, and mission-critical environmental and safety systems. Wade specializes in engineering and heavy civil construction procurements, ensuring alignment with NASA’s strategic goals of expanding launch capacity and integrating next-generation flight technologies. He works closely with technical stakeholders to translate mission requirements into compliant, risk-managed acquisition strategies that uphold federal contracting standards and mission readiness. Wade maintains consistent working relationships with NUMUNU MARTINEZ JV, LLC and CINKA CONSTRUCTION & CONSULTING SERVICES LLC, both of which provide specialized engineering and construction services for high-reliability spaceport systems. These partnerships reflect a preference for experienced, technically capable vendors capable of delivering complex infrastructure under stringent safety and performance standards. His contracting patterns indicate a focus on long-term vendor collaboration, often involving performance-based requirements and integrated project delivery approaches to ensure seamless execution across mission-critical timelines. Wade’s procurement portfolio reflects no set-aside preferences, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This underscores a mission-driven emphasis on technical capability and operational readiness over socioeconomic categorization, though small business participation is not excluded—vendors are selected strictly on merit, past performance, and technical compliance. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), where he acquires civil, structural, and systems engineering expertise for launch pad modernization and propulsion support. Secondary emphasis is placed on NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and NAICS 237110 (Water and Sewer Line Construction), reflecting the need for integrated infrastructure upgrades at the spaceport. His domain expertise spans aerospace ground support equipment, hazardous material handling systems, and mission-critical utility networks essential to safe launch operations.