Rachel Wright

Rachel Wright serves as the primary contracting lead for the FA8227 unit within the Department of the Air Force, responsible for managing complex acquisitions that sustain critical aerospace test and industrial infrastructure. Her portfolio focuses on ensuring the operational readiness of high-precision instrumentation, advanced manufacturing systems, and specialized test platforms essential to aircraft and missile certification. She oversees the full lifecycle of procurement activities—from requirements validation and market research to contract award and performance monitoring—ensuring alignment with Air Force mission priorities in weapons system sustainment and flight systems reliability. Her work directly supports the agency’s mandate to maintain cutting-edge aerospace testing capabilities. Wright maintains long-standing relationships with key contractors including North Star Imaging Incorporated and Thermo Electron North America LLC, both of which provide specialized industrial imaging, calibration, and precision equipment maintenance services. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical expertise and proven performance, favoring vendors with deep domain knowledge in aerospace-grade instrumentation and industrial metrology. She engages with a select group of qualified suppliers capable of supporting mission-critical, low-volume, high-complexity requirements, often involving custom engineering and on-site system integration. Her procurement strategy reflects a balanced commitment to small business participation, with over one-third of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, and a modest but consistent use of 8(a) competed contracts. While the majority of acquisitions remain open to all competitors, she actively prioritizes socioeconomic programs to foster innovation and capacity building among qualified small businesses in niche technical fields. Wright’s primary NAICS focus areas include repair and maintenance of commercial/industrial machinery (811310), electronic and precision equipment servicing (811210), and manufacturing of measuring and controlling devices (334519). She procures specialized services and equipment for calibration, non-destructive testing, industrial automation, and precision metrology systems, demonstrating deep technical fluency in aerospace test infrastructure and industrial support domains.