Kathleen Shouse

Kathleen Shouse serves as a Contracting Officer responsible for managing complex acquisition programs within the aerospace and defense sector, with a singular focus on aircraft manufacturing. She oversees the full lifecycle of contract actions—from solicitation and evaluation to award and administration—ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and mission-critical requirements. Her portfolio centers on procuring advanced aerospace systems, including airframes, propulsion components, avionics, and related sustainment services, supporting national defense and aviation modernization objectives. Shouse’s expertise lies in navigating technical specifications, risk mitigation, and performance-based contracting methods to deliver high-integrity capabilities to government stakeholders. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identifiable in the data, Shouse routinely engages with prime contractors and tiered supply chains specializing in aircraft manufacturing, including firms with deep experience in military and commercial aviation platforms. Her procurement approach emphasizes competitive bidding, technical merit evaluation, and contractual performance incentives to ensure quality and schedule adherence. She works closely with engineering and program management teams to align acquisition strategies with operational needs, fostering collaborative relationships with industry partners who meet stringent certification and compliance standards. Shouse’s contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions classified as “No Set-Aside.” This indicates a focus on maximizing technical capability and industrial capacity rather than socioeconomic set-asides, though she remains fully compliant with all small business participation goals and ensures fair opportunity for all qualified vendors. Her approach prioritizes mission effectiveness and industry readiness over socioeconomic targeting, while still adhering to statutory requirements for broad market access. Her primary NAICS code focus—336411, Aircraft Manufacturing—demonstrates deep specialization in the design, production, and modification of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. She possesses technical fluency in aerospace systems integration, certification standards (FAA, DoD), and supply chain resilience, making her a key point of contact for industry stakeholders engaged in defense aviation programs.