Paula Smith

Paula Smith serves as a key procurement lead within the FA7014 office of the Department of the Air Force, responsible for managing complex acquisitions in support of operational readiness and enterprise modernization. She oversees the acquisition of professional services critical to sustaining Air Force mission systems, with a primary focus on systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA), cybersecurity infrastructure, and enterprise IT modernization initiatives. Her portfolio centers on non-personal services contracts that require high-level technical expertise and mission-critical support, ensuring alignment with Air Force strategic priorities in digital transformation and defense innovation. Smith plays a pivotal role in translating operational requirements into compliant, performance-based solicitation strategies that emphasize outcome-driven deliverables. She maintains enduring partnerships with leading technical providers including SIGMATECH, INC. and PURDUE UNIVERSITY, leveraging their specialized capabilities in advanced analytics, cybersecurity engineering, and applied research. These relationships reflect a preference for established, high-capacity vendors with proven experience in federal defense environments. Smith’s contracting approach emphasizes rigorous technical evaluation, past performance validation, and performance-based acquisition methods, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in mission alignment and technical excellence. Paula Smith’s procurement activity shows no use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a deliberate strategy prioritizing technical capability and mission urgency over socioeconomic preferences, ensuring access to the highest-tier expertise available in the marketplace. While small business participation is not formally incentivized in her portfolio, all acquisitions adhere strictly to FAR compliance and fair competition principles. Her primary procurement focus is exclusively under NAICS 541519 (Other Computer Related Services), encompassing a broad range of IT modernization, data analytics, cloud-enabled systems support, and mission-specific software development. She consistently procures services that integrate with Air Force enterprise architectures, emphasizing interoperability, zero-trust cybersecurity frameworks, and agile development methodologies to sustain operational advantage.