Jacqualyn R Perkins

Jacqualyn R. Perkins serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. She specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts focused on next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonics, and high-performance functional materials. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate the transition of cutting-edge engineering solutions from laboratory innovation to operational capability, ensuring timely and technically sound acquisition outcomes for mission-critical programs. Perkins maintains consistent, high-impact relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are primarily centered on technical R&D services, materials characterization, and propulsion system integration. Her negotiation approach emphasizes technical rigor, performance-based outcomes, and long-term collaboration, fostering trusted vendor relationships that align with the Air Force’s strategic innovation goals. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on non-set-aside acquisitions, with 100% of contracts awarded under unrestricted competition. This pattern underscores a mission-driven prioritization of technical capability and schedule fidelity over socioeconomic set-asides, reflecting the specialized, high-risk nature of propulsion and hypersonics research requiring proven, large-scale engineering expertise. Perkins exclusively procures under NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—focusing on advanced materials development, computational fluid dynamics, adaptive flight control systems, and thermally stable composite manufacturing. Her domain expertise lies at the intersection of aerospace engineering and applied materials science, ensuring acquisitions support the development of next-generation propulsion architectures essential to maintaining U.S. air superiority.