Michelle M. Arostegui

Michelle M. Arostegui serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. She specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts for next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate the transition of cutting-edge scientific discoveries into operational capabilities, ensuring the Department of the Air Force maintains technological superiority. Arostegui routinely handles sole-source and competitive acquisitions under FAR Part 35 and 36, focusing on long-term, mission-critical R&D partnerships that require deep technical alignment and risk-managed contracting approaches. She maintains sustained working relationships with industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by technical collaboration, iterative prototyping, and performance-based contract structures that align with the agency’s rapid innovation goals. Arostegui’s negotiation style emphasizes technical feasibility, intellectual property protection, and transition readiness, fostering trust with vendors capable of delivering high-risk, high-reward propulsion and materials solutions under stringent government security and compliance frameworks. Arostegui’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside provisions. This reflects the agency’s prioritization of technical capability over socioeconomic preferences, as the specialized nature of propulsion and hypersonics R&D demands a narrow pool of qualified vendors with advanced engineering infrastructure and classified facility clearances. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, her approach remains compliant with all federal acquisition regulations and encourages subcontracting where technically appropriate. Her primary procurement focus is NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—encompassing advanced aerodynamics, combustion modeling, thermal protection systems, and composite material development. She procures services involving computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel testing, materials characterization, and flight test support, ensuring the Air Force remains at the forefront of propulsion innovation.