Jessica Loftus

Jessica Loftus serves as the primary contracting lead for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, overseeing the acquisition of mission-critical systems that support oceanic, atmospheric, and climate research operations. She manages a diverse portfolio of procurements centered on maritime infrastructure, scientific instrumentation, and operational support services, ensuring alignment with NOAA’s strategic goals of environmental stewardship and technological modernization. Her work directly enables the agency’s ability to deploy advanced sensors, maintain fleet readiness, and sustain real-time data collection capabilities essential for national weather forecasting and climate resilience. Loftus maintains consistent partnerships with leading defense and marine technology contractors including L3Harris Technologies, Raytheon Company, and General Dynamics Information Technology, alongside specialized marine builders such as Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors. These relationships reflect a focus on high-integrity, mission-critical systems requiring rigorous compliance with federal maritime and scientific standards. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical validation, and performance-based contract structures to ensure operational reliability in harsh environmental conditions. A strong advocate for small business participation, Loftus consistently prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides, with over half of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses under FAR 19.5. This pattern underscores a deliberate strategy to foster innovation and capacity building within the small business ecosystem serving federal science and maritime missions. While no other socioeconomic set-asides dominate, her portfolio reflects a balanced commitment to broad-based small business engagement across technical domains. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing) and 488310 (Port and Harbor Operations), with significant activity in 334511 (nautical system manufacturing) and 811310 (industrial machinery maintenance). She specializes in acquiring integrated marine platforms, oceanographic instrumentation, and support systems for NOAA’s research vessels and coastal observation networks, demonstrating deep technical familiarity with maritime science infrastructure and defense-grade sensor integration.