Jacquelyn Benedict

Jacquelyn Benedict serves as a key procurement lead within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s FA8750 Rik office, driving acquisitions that advance foundational research in aerospace and defense technologies. She manages a portfolio of scientific and engineering contracts focused on autonomous systems, resilient communications, AI-enabled battle-space awareness, and quantum-enabled technologies. Her role centers on translating mission-critical R&D objectives into actionable contracting strategies, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations while accelerating innovation pipelines. She routinely handles complex research and development solicitations, including basic and applied science contracts, prototyping efforts, and technology transition initiatives under FAR Part 35 and Other Transaction Authority mechanisms. She maintains strong, recurring partnerships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and Eaton Corporation, alongside specialized small businesses such as Technergetics, LLC and Caelight, Inc. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term collaboration with vendors possessing deep technical expertise in physical sciences, embedded systems, and optical communications. She favors partners with proven capabilities in high-risk, high-reward R&D environments and often structures contracts to enable agile development, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing cycles. Benedict demonstrates a pronounced commitment to small business participation, with over 71% of her awards set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns consistently prioritize small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged entities capable of delivering niche technological solutions. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate innovation from emerging players while maintaining access to specialized capabilities not readily available in larger firms. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334111 (Electronic Computer Manufacturing) and 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services), reflecting a strong emphasis on hardware-software integration for autonomous platforms and AI-driven data processing systems. She also procures related services in computer systems design and specialized instrumentation, underscoring her technical domain expertise in next-generation aerospace computing architectures and secure, real-time signal processing systems.