Heather Johns

Heather Johns serves as the primary contracting lead for the W6QK Acc-ri under the Department of the Army, overseeing the acquisition of critical industrial base capabilities essential to munitions production, battlefield equipment sustainment, and precision component manufacturing. Her role centers on ensuring the reliability and readiness of the Army’s ordnance and fabrication infrastructure through strategic procurement of aluminum processing, testing services, and specialized metal fabrication. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts spanning industrial manufacturing, technical testing, and software-enabled systems, aligning acquisitions with the Army’s modernization and lifecycle support objectives. Heather maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including AMD International Technologies LLC, Faxon Machining, LLC, Palantir USG Inc., and Allied Metal Tech, LLC—each recognized for specialized expertise in defense-grade metalworking, advanced machining, and mission-critical software solutions. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical proficiency, quality compliance, and supply chain resilience, often leveraging performance-based contracting methods to ensure deliverables meet stringent military specifications. She demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 90.5% of her awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate capacity within the defense industrial base by prioritizing small, qualified vendors, particularly those with niche capabilities in metal fabrication and testing services. Her contracting patterns consistently support socioeconomic goals without compromising mission-critical performance standards. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 331318 (Aluminum rolling, drawing, and extruding) and 331314 (Secondary aluminum smelting), underscoring deep expertise in high-purity metal supply chains for ordnance applications. She also procures testing services (541380) and software solutions (513210) to support quality assurance and digital logistics integration, positioning her at the intersection of traditional manufacturing and modernized defense systems acquisition.