Max Manley

Max Manley serves as a key procurement professional within the FA8124 Aflcmc Lpk, a critical unit of the Department of the Air Force responsible for sustaining and modernizing military aircraft propulsion systems and auxiliary aviation components. He manages acquisitions focused on engine life extension, performance restoration, and advanced manufacturing of jet engine subsystems, ensuring operational readiness across the Air Force’s tactical and strategic fleet. His portfolio centers on complex technical contracts requiring deep engineering oversight and lifecycle support, often involving proprietary aerospace technologies and classified sustainment initiatives. Manley’s work directly enables mission-critical readiness by bridging developmental innovation with fielded maintenance requirements. His contractor relationships span high-tier aerospace defense primes and specialized niche manufacturers with proven expertise in turbine systems, avionics integration, and additive manufacturing for legacy engine parts. While no single vendor dominates his portfolio, he consistently engages firms with AS9100 certification and DoD supply chain clearance, prioritizing partners with established track records in rapid prototyping, reverse engineering of obsolete components, and technical data package management. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in performance-based outcomes and technical collaboration. Manley demonstrates a strong preference for open competition, with 88.2% of his acquisitions conducted without set-asides. However, he actively supports small business participation, allocating 11.8% of contracts to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate effort to cultivate innovation from agile, specialized vendors. His socioeconomic contracting patterns favor qualified small businesses with relevant technical capabilities over broad socioeconomic categories, ensuring technical fidelity while expanding the supplier base. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 511210 (Software Publishers) for mission-critical engine control software and diagnostics, 336413 for auxiliary aviation components, and 541330 for specialized engineering services supporting propulsion system integration. He routinely procures advanced manufacturing solutions, technical data packages, and systems engineering support tailored to jet engine sustainment, underscoring deep domain expertise in aerospace propulsion lifecycle management.