Samantha M. Salopek

Samantha M. Salopek serves as a key procurement professional within the FA2550 50 Cons Pkp unit of the Department of the Air Force, supporting the acquisition of mission-critical aerospace and space infrastructure. Her work centers on securing advanced communications systems, satellite telecommunications equipment, and precision electronic instrumentation essential for national defense operations. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts aligned with the agency’s strategic modernization goals, ensuring timely delivery of secure, reliable, and interoperable systems for both space-based and ground-based platforms. Her role requires deep coordination with technical stakeholders to align contracting strategies with operational requirements across the space domain. Her contractor relationships are notably skewed toward HUBZone-certified firms and small businesses, with Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and Blue Skies Furniture LLC appearing as primary awardees—suggesting potential administrative, facility, or non-core support contracts. While these entities are atypical for aerospace procurement, their prominence indicates a significant volume of indirect or non-technical acquisitions, possibly related to facility maintenance, logistics, or support services. Her contracting patterns reflect a pragmatic approach to leveraging small business capabilities across non-traditional sectors to fulfill broader organizational needs. Salopek demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with HUBZone set-asides accounting for 62.5% of her awards and total small business set-asides at 25%. This reflects a deliberate strategy to prioritize economically disadvantaged geographic areas and small business participation, consistent with FAR Part 19 mandates. Women-owned small businesses also receive targeted consideration, underscoring a balanced approach to diversity in vendor engagement. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 238330 (Flooring Contractors) and 517410 (Satellite Telecommunications), indicating a dual emphasis on facility infrastructure and high-tech space communications. While the prevalence of flooring contracts is unusual for a space-focused unit, it suggests she manages a broad spectrum of facility sustainment alongside core technical systems, requiring expertise in both commercial and defense-specific acquisition frameworks.