Kayla Hendrix

Kayla Hendrix serves as a key procurement professional at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (N00164), supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to develop, test, and sustain advanced electronic, electro-optical, and ordnance systems for naval warfare. She manages complex acquisitions for mission-critical technologies including radar detection, signal processing, electronic warfare suites, and precision guidance systems, ensuring timely delivery of capabilities to expeditionary and surface forces. Her role centers on aligning contracting strategies with the agency’s modernization priorities, navigating technical requirements from initial concept through sustainment phases. Hendrix maintains consistent relationships with prime contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, Programs Management Analytics & Technologies Inc., Integrity Defense Services Inc., and Black Hills Ammunition Inc., reflecting a preference for established defense industry partners with proven expertise in electronic systems and ordnance production. She also engages specialized contractors such as McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC for facility and infrastructure support tied to testing ranges and secure operational environments. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and technical compliance, often requiring rigorous qualification of vendors for classified and export-controlled environments. Hendrix’s contracting portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on technical capability and mission readiness over socioeconomic set-asides, prioritizing the most qualified providers regardless of business size or certification status. While small business participation is not formally incentivized through set-asides, she ensures fair competition through transparent solicitation practices and rigorous evaluation criteria. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 334511, encompassing search, detection, navigation, and guidance systems, with significant activity in motor and generator manufacturing (335312) and shipbuilding and repair (336611). She routinely acquires high-reliability electronic components, ruggedized sensors, directed energy subsystems, and ordnance integration hardware, demonstrating deep technical fluency in naval electronic warfare and weapons systems domains.