Matthew Ludwig

Matthew Ludwig serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), where he plays a pivotal role in executing complex procurement actions to support the development, test, and sustainment of advanced naval aviation systems. He manages the full lifecycle of contracts for mission-critical avionics, flight control hardware, diagnostic instrumentation, and maintenance support technologies, ensuring alignment with Navy readiness objectives. His acquisitions are primarily performance-based, emphasizing technical rigor, compliance with defense standards, and lifecycle cost efficiency, often involving high-assurance systems for carrier-based and expeditionary aircraft platforms. Ludwig maintains sustained working relationships with leading defense primes including Lockheed Martin Corporation and BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., as well as specialized niche suppliers such as PCI Aviation LLC and Critical Communications, Controls and Instruments, LLC. These partnerships reflect a blend of large-system integration expertise and agile, technically focused small business capabilities. His procurement approach emphasizes collaborative vendor engagement, rigorous technical evaluation, and performance-based contracting to ensure system interoperability and long-term sustainment of naval airpower. His contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with approximately 90.9% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a focus on technical merit and market capability over socioeconomic categorization. The remaining 9.1% are awarded under Total Small Business Set-Asides, demonstrating selective but meaningful engagement with qualified small businesses capable of delivering specialized aerospace components and diagnostic systems. Ludwig’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334511 (Aeronautical System and Instrument Manufacturing) and 334519 (Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing). He specializes in acquiring embedded avionics, sensor interfaces, flight data acquisition systems, and maintenance diagnostic tools—technical domains requiring stringent MIL-STD and DO-160 compliance. His expertise centers on procuring high-reliability hardware and software-integrated systems critical to next-generation naval aircraft platforms.