Mr. Ryan Luley

Mr. Ryan Luley serves as the Technical Point of Contact for FA8750, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s RIK division under the Department of the Air Force, where he provides critical technical oversight for advanced R&D acquisitions. In this role, he bridges scientific innovation with procurement execution, ensuring that contract requirements align with cutting-edge aerospace and defense technology goals. He primarily supports complex, science-driven procurements in physical and engineering sciences, focusing on autonomous systems, resilient communications, AI-enabled battle-space awareness, and quantum-enabled technologies. His involvement spans the full acquisition lifecycle—from requirements definition and technical evaluation to contract award and performance monitoring—ensuring that funded research delivers mission-critical capabilities. Mr. Luley maintains consistent technical partnerships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Eaton Corporation, Technergetics, LLC, and Caelight, Inc. These relationships are characterized by deep collaboration on high-complexity, R&D-intensive projects requiring specialized expertise in optical systems, signal processing, and embedded AI architectures. He engages these vendors through competitive, full-and-open solicitations, leveraging their proven capabilities in foundational science and engineering to advance next-generation defense platforms. His approach emphasizes technical rigor, innovation, and performance-based outcomes over cost-driven selection criteria. Mr. Luley’s procurement portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of acquisitions conducted as full-and-open competitions. This reflects a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical expertise, prioritizing capability and innovation over socioeconomic classifications. While small business participation is not formally mandated, he evaluates all vendors—regardless of size—on technical merit, ensuring that mission needs drive contracting decisions. His primary procurement focus is NAICS 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences. He consistently acquires services related to free-space optical communications, quantum sensing, autonomous decision-making algorithms, and resilient network architectures, supporting the Air Force’s long-term vision for next-generation aerospace dominance through foundational scientific advancement.