Kay L Bent

Kay L Bent serves as a Contract Specialist within the FA3300 42 Cons Cc under the Department of the Air Force, supporting the educational and operational readiness missions of Air University. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for technical, educational, and facility-related services, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and mission-critical priorities. Her acquisitions primarily focus on immersive training technologies, audiovisual systems, and educational infrastructure, enabling modernized instruction and command capabilities across Air Force installations. She works closely with program managers and technical stakeholders to define requirements, conduct market research, and execute competitive solicitations that deliver high-impact solutions. While specific contractor names are not disclosed, Kay L Bent cultivates strategic partnerships with vendors specializing in educational support services and office equipment leasing, fostering a collaborative environment grounded in compliance and performance accountability. Her contracting approach emphasizes transparency, fair competition, and vendor responsiveness to evolving training technology needs. She maintains consistent engagement with both large and small industry participants, ensuring robust market participation while upholding contractual integrity and mission alignment. Kay demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 40% of her acquisitions structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate effort to expand opportunities for small businesses in the defense education sector. While no other socioeconomic set-asides are predominant, her portfolio consistently prioritizes small business inclusion as a core contracting principle, aligning with Department of the Air Force initiatives to broaden vendor diversity and strengthen local economic impact. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 611710 (Educational Support Services), encompassing curriculum development, simulation-based training systems, and instructional technology integration, with a secondary emphasis on NAICS 532420 (Office Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing) for AV and classroom infrastructure. This technical domain expertise enables her to effectively evaluate complex requirements for immersive learning environments and mission-critical educational tools.