Gary Taylor

Gary Taylor serves as the New Business Development Office Lead for Propulsion, driving the identification and acquisition of innovative propulsion technologies to support national aerospace and defense priorities. In this role, he acts as a strategic liaison between government mission needs and emerging industry capabilities, focusing on early-stage engagement with vendors to shape future solicitation strategies. His procurement portfolio centers on research-driven contracts that bridge advanced engineering development with operational readiness, typically managing complex, high-technical-risk acquisitions in propulsion systems, hypersonics, and space-based propulsion technologies. Taylor’s contractor relationships are characterized by engagement with a broad spectrum of technology developers, including established aerospace primes, specialized propulsion startups, and university-affiliated research entities. He cultivates partnerships with firms possessing deep expertise in solid, liquid, and hybrid propulsion architectures, as well as those advancing next-generation combustion and thruster systems. His approach emphasizes collaborative pre-solicitation outreach to ensure technical requirements align with market capabilities, fostering transparent and competitive acquisition pathways. Taylor’s contracting patterns show a strong preference for unrestricted competitions, with 100% of his acquisitions classified as non-set-aside. This reflects a mission-driven focus on technical excellence and schedule-critical innovation, where the primary selection criteria are capability, performance, and systems integration maturity rather than socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is not formally mandated in his portfolio, he actively encourages qualified small firms to compete through open industry days and targeted market research. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 927110 (Space Research and Technology) and 541715 (Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences), underscoring his specialization in foundational propulsion R&D. He routinely procures advanced propulsion prototypes, computational fluid dynamics modeling services, materials testing, and flight qualification support, demonstrating deep technical fluency in aerospace propulsion systems and spaceflight-enabling technologies.