James Bedsole

James Bedsole serves as a key procurement lead within the Missile Defense Agency, overseeing the acquisition of advanced research and development services critical to the nation’s layered missile defense architecture. He manages contracts aligned with MDA’s mission to develop, test, and field integrated systems capable of intercepting ballistic threats across all flight phases. His portfolio primarily encompasses engineering analysis, sensor modernization, guidance system integration, and midcourse/terminal-phase interception technologies, ensuring technical innovation is rapidly translated into operational capability through agile contracting practices. Bedsole maintains consistent, high-impact relationships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, leveraging their deep expertise in hypersonics, radar discrimination, and kinetic kill vehicle integration. He also collaborates regularly with Jacobs Technology Inc. for systems engineering and technical assistance services. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term technical partnerships with industry leaders who can deliver complex, mission-critical solutions under stringent performance and security requirements, often involving classified environments and rapid prototyping cycles. A defining feature of Bedsole’s procurement strategy is his exclusive use of Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a steadfast commitment to expanding small business participation in high-tech national defense programs. All of his acquisitions are structured to prioritize eligibility for small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone firms, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, ensuring equitable access to opportunities in the missile defense ecosystem while fostering innovation from emerging technical vendors. His procurement focus is narrowly concentrated on NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting an exclusive emphasis on advanced R&D services. He procures cutting-edge capabilities in radar signal processing, missile trajectory modeling, command and control software, and test instrumentation, supporting MDA’s push toward next-generation defense architectures grounded in physics-based simulation and real-time data fusion.