Lori L. Smith

Lori L. Smith serves as a Contracting Officer within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s FA8750 RIK office, where she leads the acquisition of advanced research and development services critical to next-generation aerospace and defense systems. Her portfolio centers on foundational scientific innovation in physical, engineering, and life sciences, supporting autonomous systems, resilient communications, AI-driven battle-space awareness, and quantum-enabled technologies. She manages complex, high-risk R&D contracts requiring technical precision, agile acquisition strategies, and close collaboration with government scientists and engineers to translate laboratory breakthroughs into operational capabilities. Smith maintains strategic relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Eaton Corporation, Technergetics, LLC, and Caelight, Inc., consistently engaging these firms for high-performance R&D, systems integration, and prototype development. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical excellence, innovation scalability, and long-term partnership, often involving cost-reimbursement and other transaction authority mechanisms to accelerate delivery of cutting-edge capabilities under tight developmental timelines. Smith’s contracting activity is exclusively non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. While she does not utilize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her focus remains on securing the most technically capable performers to meet mission-critical R&D objectives, regardless of business size or certification status. Her primary NAICS classification is 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting her deep specialization in procuring advanced scientific services including free-space optical communications, quantum sensing, machine learning for sensor fusion, and materials science for hypersonic platforms. She routinely awards contracts for experimental development, computational modeling, and prototype validation, ensuring the Air Force maintains technological superiority through foundational scientific advancement.