PeKita D. Taliaferro

PeKita D. Taliaferro serves as a Contract Specialist within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where she plays a critical role in executing the acquisition lifecycle for advanced naval aviation systems. Responsible for planning, soliciting, awarding, and managing contracts, she ensures alignment with NAVAIR’s mission to develop, test, and sustain cutting-edge aircraft, weapons, and avionics for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Her portfolio primarily encompasses engineering services, aeronautical system manufacturing, and guided missile technologies, supporting both carrier-based and expeditionary air operations. She works closely with program managers and technical stakeholders to translate operational requirements into compliant, risk-mitigated procurement strategies that deliver mission-critical capabilities on schedule. Taliaferro maintains consistent contracting relationships with industry leaders including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics, partnering with prime contractors who deliver complex aerospace and defense systems. Her engagements involve high-technical-integrity procurements for flight systems, avionics integration, and mission support infrastructure. These partnerships are characterized by long-term sustainment contracts and iterative development efforts, often requiring rigorous technical oversight and performance-based acquisition methodologies. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of her awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on leveraging the broadest possible industrial base to meet mission-critical needs. While she does not prioritize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, her approach emphasizes technical capability, past performance, and industrial readiness over socioeconomic classifications. Her primary NAICS focus areas include engineering services (541330), aeronautical system manufacturing (334511), guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing (336414), and auxiliary aircraft equipment production (336413). This reflects deep expertise in procuring advanced sensor systems, flight control hardware, and mission-specific avionics that underpin naval air superiority and strike capability.