Kathryn M. Bernstein

Kathryn M. Bernstein serves as a Contracting Officer with the FA2550 50 Cons Pkp under the Department of the Air Force, where she leads the acquisition of mission-critical aerospace and space systems. Her portfolio centers on engineering services that sustain and modernize space-based and ground-based communications, instrumentation, and electronic testing infrastructure essential to national defense. She manages full lifecycle procurements—from solicitation to contract closeout—for complex technical solutions supporting satellite telecommunications, radio frequency systems, and precision test equipment, ensuring alignment with Air Force space domain awareness priorities and defense acquisition regulations. Her primary contractor relationships are with firms delivering high-specialization engineering services, including the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and Blue Skies Furniture LLC. While these entities appear in her award history, her contracting focus remains firmly on technical service delivery rather than commercial goods, suggesting potential administrative or support function partnerships. Bernstein’s working relationships reflect a preference for established, non-traditional vendors capable of fulfilling niche engineering requirements under tight security and compliance constraints. Bernstein’s procurement activity shows a 100% preference for non-set-aside acquisitions, indicating a strategic focus on technical capability over socioeconomic preferences. She does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, instead prioritizing vendor qualifications, past performance, and technical expertise in compliance with FAR Part 15 competitive procedures. Her procurement portfolio is exclusively classified under NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), reflecting deep specialization in systems engineering, test and evaluation, and mission-critical infrastructure design. She consistently awards contracts for advanced electronics testing, signal integrity analysis, and space communications system integration, demonstrating expertise in procuring highly technical, defense-grade engineering solutions for the Air Force’s space and missile defense missions.