Rick Savelli

Rick Savelli serves as a key procurement lead at the Naval Research Laboratory, overseeing the acquisition of advanced scientific and engineering capabilities critical to naval innovation. He manages a portfolio of research and development contracts focused on high-precision sensors, electronic warfare systems, signal processing architectures, and autonomous navigation technologies. His work directly supports the NRL’s mission to advance foundational technologies for maritime dominance, ensuring that acquisitions align with strategic R&D priorities and technical readiness goals. Savelli specializes in complex, non-commercial procurements requiring deep technical evaluation and agile contracting approaches under FAR Part 35 and 36. He maintains consistent relationships with leading defense and technology contractors including Assurance Technology Corp, L3Harris NexGen Communications LLC, Envisioneering Inc, Integration Innovation Inc, and Analex Corporation. These partnerships reflect a preference for firms with proven expertise in electro-optical instrumentation, embedded systems, and rapid prototyping of naval-grade hardware. Savelli’s contracting approach emphasizes technical collaboration, iterative development, and performance-based outcomes, often utilizing Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) mechanisms to accelerate innovation cycles. Savelli exhibits a strong commitment to small business participation, with over half of his awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. His contracting patterns consistently prioritize small disadvantaged, woman-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned firms capable of delivering specialized R&D services. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate a diverse, agile supplier base capable of meeting the NRL’s demanding technical requirements while fostering innovation from emerging vendors. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541715 for physical and engineering research, complemented by significant activity in 334515 for test and measurement instrumentation. He frequently acquires custom-designed electronic systems, signal conditioning modules, and embedded computing platforms for naval applications, demonstrating deep domain expertise in defense electronics, radar signal analysis, and autonomous system integration.