Rafael Nazario-Vidal

Rafael Nazario Vidal serves as a primary contracting professional within DLA Troop Support, responsible for managing the acquisition of specialized apparel, textile, and technical fabric systems critical to troop readiness and operational sustainment. His work directly supports the agency’s mission to equip U.S. military forces with durable, mission-critical gear—including protective clothing, climate-adaptive uniforms, and deployable textile-based infrastructure—ensuring force protection and logistical resilience across diverse environments. He handles full lifecycle procurements under FAR and DFARS guidelines, with a focus on performance-based specifications for high-stress, field-deployed applications. Vidal maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized vendors, including WESTLAND TECHNOLOGIES, INC., ENGINEERED COIL COMPANY, ECI DEFENSE GROUP, INC., PIONEER INDUSTRIES, LLC, and AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. These contractors are recognized for their expertise in advanced textile manufacturing, engineered fabric systems, and military-grade apparel integration. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical capability, quality assurance, and compliance with military specifications such as MIL-SPEC and ASTM standards. While the majority of his acquisitions are open to full and open competition (72.7%), Vidal demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with over a quarter of his awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. He actively leverages small business capabilities to foster innovation and supply chain resilience, prioritizing firms with proven experience in defense-grade textile and apparel manufacturing. His procurement focus is overwhelmingly centered on NAICS 315990 (Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing), with significant activity in textile finishing (313310) and narrow fabric production (313220). He specializes in procuring moisture-wicking fabrics, flame-resistant textiles, embedded sensor-ready garments, and modular camouflage systems—domains requiring deep technical understanding of material science, performance testing, and military environmental standards.