Nina Payne-Smithers

Nina Payne-Smithers serves as a Procurement Supervisor responsible for overseeing the acquisition of specialized industrial and aerospace components across complex federal procurement cycles. In this role, she ensures compliance with FAR regulations while guiding contract planning, solicitation development, and source selection processes for high-precision manufacturing needs. Her portfolio centers on capital equipment and mission-critical hardware, requiring deep technical understanding of manufacturing standards and supply chain resilience. She works closely with engineering and program offices to align procurement strategy with operational requirements, ensuring timely delivery of components that support national defense and infrastructure systems. Her contractor relationships span established manufacturers of fabricated metal and electronic components, with a consistent emphasis on small business participation. While she engages with a broad base of industrial suppliers, her procurement patterns reflect a strategic preference for small businesses, particularly those certified under the Total Small Business Set-Aside program. She fosters collaborative vendor partnerships through clear solicitation language, pre-solicitation outreach, and post-award performance monitoring, promoting accountability and innovation among suppliers. Nina demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with over 90% of her acquisitions either open to small businesses or specifically set aside. Her primary focus is on Total Small Business Set-Asides (28.9%), supplemented by HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business set-asides, reflecting a deliberate effort to broaden supplier diversity and support underserved communities. She actively encourages participation from small manufacturers through targeted outreach and simplified acquisition procedures where appropriate. Her technical expertise lies in manufacturing sectors governed by NAICS codes 332510 (Hardware Manufacturing) and 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), where she procures precision-engineered components, wire products, and electronic subsystems. She possesses deep familiarity with MIL-SPEC and AS9100 standards, ensuring procurement actions meet rigorous quality and reliability benchmarks for aerospace and defense applications.