James C. Simms

James C. Simms serves as a Contract Specialist within the W6QK Acc-rsa office of the Department of the Army, where he plays a pivotal role in executing complex procurements for mission-critical aerospace and missile defense systems. His responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle of contract actions—from solicitation and source selection to award and administration—for advanced avionics, propulsion systems, sensor suites, and guided missile technologies supporting platforms such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache. Simms ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning acquisitions with the Army’s strategic modernization goals for aerial and missile defense capabilities. He maintains long-standing, high-stakes relationships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation and Alaska Aerospace Corp., engaging them on technically demanding programs involving integrated combat systems, radar guidance modules, and flight control hardware. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based requirements, risk mitigation through rigorous technical evaluation, and close coordination with engineering and logistics stakeholders to ensure system interoperability and operational readiness. Simms’ procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of his acquisitions conducted without set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs. This reflects the agency’s prioritization of mission-critical capability over socioeconomic preferences, as the technical complexity and security requirements of these systems often necessitate qualified industrial base partners with specialized aerospace certifications and cleared manufacturing facilities. His primary procurement focus is squarely on NAICS 334511—Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing—where he specializes in acquiring advanced electro-optical/infrared sensors, digital signal processors, flight management computers, and integrated weapon control systems. His expertise lies at the intersection of defense aerospace engineering and federal contracting, ensuring that acquisition strategies directly support the Army’s next-generation air and missile defense architecture.