Lora F Speights

Lora F. Speights serves as a Contracting Officer for the 56th Contracting Squadron (FA4887) under the Department of the Air Force, where she manages a diverse portfolio of procurement actions critical to sustaining Air Force installation infrastructure and operational readiness. Her responsibilities include soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts for industrial maintenance, aviation component manufacturing, facility operations, and specialized equipment services. She plays a pivotal role in ensuring mission-critical assets—such as airfields, hangars, and support systems—remain functional and compliant with Air Force standards, leveraging full and open competition alongside targeted socioeconomic set-asides to meet statutory and strategic objectives. Speights maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including ARKOSE GROUP LLC, SILVER NATIONAL CORP., BLAZING AVIATION LLC, and MACH 2 PRODUCTIONS INC., each of which provides specialized services ranging from aviation logistics support to technical production and facility maintenance. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established vendors with proven capabilities in niche aerospace and industrial domains, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in performance reliability and regulatory compliance. She actively engages these contractors through performance-based contracting methods and integrated product teams to ensure mission alignment and operational continuity. A strong advocate for small business participation, Speights routinely structures acquisitions with a 60% Total Small Business Set-Aside under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to expanding economic opportunity within the defense industrial base. While no set-aside remains at 40%, her approach balances flexibility with statutory mandates, ensuring competitive fairness while maximizing small business engagement across multiple socioeconomic categories. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 611620 (Sports and Recreation Instruction), 562119 (Other Waste Collection), and 334290 (Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing), reflecting an unconventional but mission-relevant procurement profile that supports installation quality-of-life services, environmental compliance, and specialized communications infrastructure. This eclectic mix underscores her expertise in tailoring acquisitions to non-traditional yet essential Air Force support functions.