Laura M. Pottner

Laura Pottner serves as a key procurement professional within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion and Power Division, supporting the Department of Defense’s mission to advance next-generation aerospace and defense technologies. She manages complex research and development acquisitions focused on air-to-air refueling systems, autonomous flight platforms, space-based communication architectures, and immersive maintenance tools for flightline operations. Her role centers on translating technical requirements from engineering teams into solicitation strategies that attract innovative industry partners capable of delivering high-risk, high-reward solutions under tight developmental timelines. Pottner specializes in early-stage prototyping and technology maturation contracts, ensuring seamless alignment between R&D objectives and federal acquisition regulations. Her contractor relationships are primarily with defense aerospace primes and specialized systems integrators possessing deep expertise in propulsion, avionics, and autonomous systems. She collaborates closely with firms capable of rapid prototyping, digital twin development, and real-time data fusion for flight environments. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her procurement patterns favor agile, technically proficient vendors with proven experience in DoD aerospace innovation programs, often engaging through Other Transaction Authority (OTA) or Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) mechanisms to accelerate acquisition cycles. Pottner’s contracting activity reflects a strict preference for open competition, with 100% of her awards issued under non-set-aside conditions. She does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, instead emphasizing technical capability and mission-critical performance as the primary selection criteria. This approach aligns with the high-technology, low-volume nature of AFRL’s R&D portfolio, where specialized expertise outweighs socioeconomic preferences. Her procurement focus is entirely concentrated under NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences. She routinely procures advanced engineering services, prototype development, flight test support, and software-defined systems for aerospace platforms, demonstrating deep familiarity with hypersonics, propulsion integration, and edge computing for tactical environments.