John Hillenbrand

John Hillenbrand serves as a primary contracting professional within DLA Troop Support, responsible for managing complex acquisitions of mission-critical environmental and mechanical systems essential to military readiness. His work directly supports the agency’s mandate to sustain troop welfare and operational logistics through the procurement of climate control, air handling, and industrial heating equipment. He routinely oversees full lifecycle contract actions—from market research and solicitation to award and administration—ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and technical performance standards for deployable and field-hardened systems used in austere environments. Hillenbrand maintains consistent, long-term relationships with key contractors including WESTLAND TECHNOLOGIES, INC., ENGINEERED COIL COMPANY, ECI DEFENSE GROUP, INC., AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, and JOHNSON CONTROLS NAVY SYSTEMS, LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industrial manufacturers with proven expertise in military-grade HVAC, heat exchangers, and refrigeration systems. His contracting approach emphasizes technical capability, supply chain reliability, and adherence to defense-specific performance specifications, fostering collaborative vendor engagement grounded in compliance and quality assurance. His procurement portfolio is overwhelmingly dominated by open competitions, with 84% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a focus on maximizing competition among qualified industrial suppliers. While small business participation is modest, he consistently supports Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (5.3%) and Total Small Business Set-Asides (9.8%), reflecting a measured but intentional commitment to socioeconomic goals within a technically demanding acquisition environment. Hillenbrand’s primary focus lies in NAICS 333415, encompassing air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturing, supplemented by significant activity in power boiler and heat exchanger manufacturing (332410) and industrial heating equipment (333414). His expertise centers on procuring ruggedized, high-capacity thermal systems designed for military deployments, including deployable shelters, field medical units, and expeditionary infrastructure requiring precise environmental control under extreme conditions.