Hillary Heard

Hillary Heard serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Kennedy Space Center, supporting the agency’s mission to sustain and modernize critical launch infrastructure and flight systems. She manages complex acquisitions for specialized industrial and engineering services essential to spaceport operations, including gas systems, propulsion support, and vehicle handling equipment. Her work directly enables mission-critical launch readiness by ensuring timely delivery of technically demanding solutions aligned with NASA’s safety and operational standards. She handles a mix of competitive and sole-source contracts under FAR Part 15, often coordinating with engineering and safety teams to align procurement outcomes with technical requirements. Heard maintains consistent relationships with a select group of specialized contractors, including NUMUNU MARTINEZ JV, LLC and CINKA CONSTRUCTION & CONSULTING SERVICES LLC, both of which provide niche expertise in industrial gas systems and heavy equipment fabrication. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical capability, quality control, and compliance with aerospace-grade standards. She prioritizes contractors with proven experience in high-reliability environments and often engages them through performance-based contract structures to ensure mission-critical outcomes. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 77.8% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a focus on technical merit and market capability over socioeconomic preferences. Nevertheless, she actively supports small business participation, with 22.2% of awards directed under Total Small Business Set-Asides, demonstrating a balanced commitment to both competition and broad vendor access. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 325120 (Industrial Gas Manufacturing), reflecting deep expertise in cryogenic, compressed, and specialty gas systems vital to launch pad operations and spacecraft processing. She also frequently procures under NAICS 336212 (Truck Trailer Manufacturing), particularly for specialized transport and handling trailers used in rocket stage movement and ground support equipment. Her domain knowledge centers on hazardous material handling, pressure system integrity, and aerospace logistics infrastructure.