Noelle E. Spalding

Noelle E. Spalding serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate, where she plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. Her responsibilities encompass the full lifecycle negotiation of complex procurement actions for propulsion systems, hypersonic components, and high-performance materials, ensuring technical requirements align with fiscal and regulatory compliance. She specializes in sole-source and competitive negotiated acquisitions under FAR Part 15, frequently engaging with industry partners on R&D-driven contracts that bridge fundamental science and operational deployment. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate next-generation propulsion and adaptive flight control capabilities. Spalding maintains consistent, high-trust relationships with key industry leaders including UES INC, General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by deep technical collaboration, often involving proprietary materials development, flight-test instrumentation, and integrated propulsion subsystems. Her negotiation approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical risk mitigation, and long-term sustainment planning, fostering enduring vendor relationships grounded in innovation and mission alignment. Spalding’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of her acquisitions conducted without set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic programs. While small business participation is not formally mandated in her portfolio, she actively encourages small business subcontracting through prime contractor obligations and tiered supply chain integration, ensuring innovation flows from niche specialists to major integrators. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), where she acquires propulsion controls, combustion systems, and thermal management components. She also procures communications equipment, aircraft subsystems, and specialized software for flight testing and data acquisition, demonstrating deep expertise in aerospace propulsion engineering, materials science, and avionics integration.