Rick Bolt

Rick Bolt serves as a key procurement lead within the Social Security Administration’s Office of Acquisition and Grants, overseeing the acquisition of mission-critical IT systems and infrastructure services that support the administration of national social security programs. His responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for software development, systems integration, and cybersecurity solutions, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and SSA’s strategic modernization goals. He routinely handles complex, high-impact procurements that require rigorous technical evaluation and compliance with NIST and FISMA standards, directly enabling the secure delivery of benefits and public trust in SSA’s digital services. Bolt maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of prime contractors, including CA, Inc., Johnson Controls, Inc., East Coast Welding & Construction Co., Inc., and Colorid, LLC. These partnerships reflect a mix of large-scale IT modernization providers, facilities management specialists, and integrated service vendors capable of delivering end-to-end solutions across hardware, software, and physical infrastructure. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, long-term service agreements, and vendor accountability through robust contract administration and evaluation frameworks. His procurement patterns show a strong preference for open, non-set-aside competitions, with 83.7% of awards issued without socioeconomic restrictions. While small business participation is present, it remains modest, with total small business set-asides accounting for 15.6% and 8(a) competed awards representing only 0.7%. This reflects a strategic focus on technical capability and scale over socioeconomic targeting, though small business opportunities are still pursued where feasible within competitive frameworks. The overwhelming majority of his acquisitions—81.8%—fall under NAICS 511210 (Software Publishers), indicating deep specialization in custom software development, enterprise applications, and system modernization. Additional activity in NAICS 518210 (Computing Infrastructure Providers) underscores his expertise in cloud-enabled platforms, data hosting, and secure computing environments critical to SSA’s operational resilience.