Erik E. Torres

Erik E. Torres serves as a key procurement lead at NASA Ames Research Center, managing acquisitions that support the Center’s mission to advance aerospace innovation through cutting-edge instrumentation and control systems. He specializes in securing specialized equipment for measuring, displaying, and controlling industrial process variables, ensuring that NASA’s research platforms—ranging from autonomous flight systems to planetary exploration sensors—are equipped with high-precision, mission-critical instrumentation. His acquisitions directly enable scientific experimentation, flight testing, and advanced computing infrastructure, aligning with NASA’s strategic goals in aeronautics and space technology development. Torres maintains a consistent working relationship with AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, a trusted vendor specializing in the design and manufacturing of high-reliability instrumentation for extreme environments. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical alignment, and performance-based contract structures that ensure compliance with NASA’s stringent engineering and quality standards. He prioritizes partners with proven expertise in aerospace-grade sensor systems, data acquisition hardware, and environmental ruggedization. His contracting activity is fully committed to small business participation, with 100% of his acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to foster innovation from niche manufacturers and emerging technology firms capable of delivering specialized, low-volume instrumentation solutions. He actively engages with small businesses that hold relevant certifications and demonstrate technical agility in meeting NASA’s unique requirements. Torres focuses exclusively on NAICS 334513, procuring precision instruments for industrial process control, including pressure, temperature, flow, and vibration sensors used in hypersonic wind tunnels, flight test rigs, and planetary lander systems. His technical domain expertise lies in ruggedized, real-time data acquisition systems that operate under extreme thermal, vibrational, and vacuum conditions—ensuring mission success across NASA’s most demanding research environments.