Laurie Paz Jiavaras

Laurie Paz Jiavaras serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex acquisitions that support the development, testing, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for high-performance avionics, flight control systems, diagnostic instrumentation, and mission-critical maintenance infrastructure. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurement strategies with NAWCAD’s mission to enhance the readiness and technological edge of naval airpower through research, development, and evaluation. Jiavaras maintains strong working relationships with key defense and aerospace contractors, including Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., and PCI Aviation LLC. These partnerships are centered on the procurement of sophisticated technical systems requiring rigorous engineering validation and lifecycle support. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical risk mitigation, and long-term sustainment planning, fostering collaborative engagements with prime contractors capable of delivering integrated solutions for naval aircraft platforms. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 70.6% of awards issued without set-aside designations, while maintaining a meaningful 29.4% commitment to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This balance underscores her dedication to fostering innovation through small business participation without compromising mission-critical capabilities. Jiavaras specializes in engineering and professional services acquisitions, with a primary focus on NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), reflecting her emphasis on systems engineering, test and evaluation, and technical analysis. She also routinely procures services under NAICS 541990 and 811219, supporting specialized maintenance, instrumentation, and security systems critical to aircraft operational integrity. Her expertise lies at the intersection of defense aerospace engineering and mission-critical technical services.