Laura M Bushong

Laura M. Bushong serves as Deputy Acquisition Program Manager, providing critical leadership in the planning, execution, and oversight of complex research and development acquisitions. In this role, she ensures alignment of procurement strategy with mission objectives, guiding the full lifecycle of contracts from requirements definition through contract closeout. Her expertise centers on technical acquisitions in the physical, engineering, and life sciences domains, where she balances innovation, compliance, and mission readiness. She works closely with program managers, technical evaluators, and legal counsel to structure solicitations that attract high-caliber vendors while adhering to federal acquisition regulations. While specific contractor names are not available, her procurement patterns indicate a balanced engagement with both large primes and small businesses, fostering competitive environments that encourage technical excellence and innovation. She consistently promotes transparent, fair, and open competition, leveraging full and open competition as the default while strategically applying set-asides to expand market access. Her working relationships are characterized by collaborative engagement, early vendor outreach, and clear communication of evaluation criteria to ensure equitable outcomes. Bushong demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with nearly half of her portfolio allocated to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to empower small businesses with the technical capacity to support advanced R&D efforts. She does not rely on other socioeconomic categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB, indicating a focused preference for broad small business participation rather than targeted designations. Her primary procurement focus is exclusively on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). She procures services including laboratory testing, systems engineering, data analytics, and prototype development, supporting cutting-edge scientific and technical missions. Her domain expertise lies in managing complex, high-risk R&D contracts requiring specialized scientific knowledge and rigorous technical evaluation methodologies.