Nicole Japp

Nicole Japp serves as a Purchasing Agent at the Naval Air Warfare Center (N68936), where she plays a critical role in procuring mission-critical technologies that support the development, testing, and evaluation of advanced naval aviation systems. Her responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle of acquisition planning, solicitation, and contract award for high-complexity electronics, avionics, and software-enabled systems. She ensures alignment with Department of Defense procurement regulations and prioritizes acquisitions that enhance airborne command and control, sensor integration, and mission simulation capabilities. Her work directly enables the agency’s strategic mission to modernize naval air warfare platforms through cutting-edge technological innovation. Nicole maintains consistent procurement relationships with leading defense and aerospace contractors including Lockheed Martin Corporation, Jacobs Technology Inc., SAIC, Teya Support Services LLC, and Kranze Technology Solutions Inc. These partnerships are primarily centered on engineering services, systems integration, and specialized technical support for avionics and communication systems. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established prime contractors with proven expertise in defense-grade R&D, often leveraging indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) and performance-based service contracts to ensure agility and technical fidelity across long-term programs. Her set-aside preferences are overwhelmingly non-set-aside, with 95.3% of awards issued under full and open competition, reflecting the specialized, high-technical nature of the acquisitions she manages. While small business participation is limited, she occasionally utilizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5 for niche services where qualified vendors exist, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes mission capability while maintaining compliance with socioeconomic goals. Nicole’s procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS codes related to electronic manufacturing and information services, particularly 511210 (Software Publishers), 334513 (Industrial Process Measurement Equipment), and 334111 (Electronic Computer Manufacturing). She regularly acquires embedded systems, radar and communications hardware, mission planning software, and peripheral computing equipment critical to next-generation naval aircraft. Her technical domain expertise spans avionics architecture, signal processing, and secure data integration, making her a key enabler of the Navy’s digital transformation in airborne warfare systems.