Joan M Purcell

Joan M. Purcell serves as a Contract Negotiator at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, where she plays a critical role in advancing the Department of the Navy’s mission to develop and integrate advanced maritime warfare systems. She specializes in negotiating complex acquisitions for naval sensor technologies, electronic warfare components, and integrated communication systems essential to undersea, surface, and aerial domain superiority. Her work ensures technical requirements are met through compliant, cost-effective contracting solutions aligned with DoD acquisition regulations and operational readiness goals. Purcell maintains consistent working relationships with key industry partners including Science Applications International Corporation, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Astronics Test Systems Inc, Serco Inc, and Mikel Inc. These contractors provide specialized engineering, test equipment, and systems integration services critical to NUWC’s RDT&E lifecycle. Her negotiation approach emphasizes technical alignment, performance-based outcomes, and long-term vendor collaboration, fostering reliable partnerships that support mission-critical innovation. A strong advocate for small business participation, Purcell consistently prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Aside contracts under FAR 19.5, with over 73% of her acquisitions structured to support small business vendors. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate commitment to socioeconomic programs, enabling small firms to contribute meaningfully to naval technology development while promoting competition and innovation across the defense industrial base. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services) and 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), with significant activity in 334419 (Other Electronic Component Manufacturing) and 332999 (Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products). She routinely procures advanced sonar arrays, signal processing hardware, embedded systems, and test instrumentation, demonstrating deep expertise in maritime electronics, navigation systems, and classified naval platforms. Purcell’s work directly enables the Navy’s technological edge in undersea warfare and networked sensor architectures.