Rick Wiedenmannott

Rick Wiedenmannott serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Glenn Research Center, where he manages specialized acquisitions supporting advanced aeronautics and space propulsion technologies. His work is central to the Center’s mission of developing next-generation power systems, thermal management solutions, and high-precision aerospace instrumentation. He handles complex contracts for scientific instruments, process control systems, and mission-critical sensors used in extreme-environment testing and flight hardware. His acquisitions are strategically aligned with NASA’s focus on fission surface power, advanced materials, and fluid systems for lunar and planetary exploration, ensuring that technical requirements are met through compliant, performance-based contracting practices. Wiedenmannott maintains consistent relationships with a select group of high-precision manufacturers, including Troy Sierra JV LLC, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, and Electronic Fluorocarbons, LLC. These partners specialize in the design and fabrication of mission-essential instrumentation, thermal control components, and specialized fluorocarbon-based systems for aerospace applications. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term technical collaboration with vendors possessing deep domain expertise in industrial process control and aerospace-grade sensor manufacturing, favoring proven capabilities over broad-based competition. His procurement portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards awarded under full and open competition. This reflects a deliberate focus on technical excellence and mission-critical performance over socioeconomic preferences, aligning with the highly specialized nature of the technologies procured. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through set-asides, vendors must still meet stringent qualification standards for precision manufacturing and aerospace compliance. His primary procurement focus is NAICS 334513—Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables. He consistently acquires high-reliability sensors, data acquisition systems, thermal flow controllers, and embedded control instrumentation used in ground testing and flight systems. His expertise lies at the intersection of aerospace engineering and industrial instrumentation, ensuring that every acquisition supports NASA’s frontier in deep space propulsion and power systems.