Sara E. Lackey

Sara E. Lackey serves as a key procurement professional within the FA4887 56th Contracting Squadron of the Department of the Air Force, supporting the sustainment and modernization of critical Air Force infrastructure and mission-critical assets. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on industrial maintenance, aviation component manufacturing, and facility operations, ensuring the operational readiness of airfields, hangars, and supporting systems. Her work directly enables the Air Force’s mission to maintain high-readiness environments through timely and compliant contracting for specialized technical services and equipment. Lackey maintains strong working relationships with a select group of prime contractors, including ARKOSE GROUP LLC, SILVER NATIONAL CORP., BLAZING AVIATION LLC, and MACH 2 PRODUCTIONS INC., who deliver specialized maintenance, avionics integration, and technical support services. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical precision, often requiring vendors with deep domain expertise in aerospace systems and industrial repair. These partnerships are characterized by consistent recompetition and long-term trust, reflecting a focus on reliability and mission alignment over transactional procurement. A staunch advocate for small business participation, Lackey consistently prioritizes small business set-asides, with 85.7% of her acquisitions designated under the Total Small Business Set-Aside authority (FAR 19.5). This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate a resilient, competitive small business base capable of meeting the Air Force’s niche technical requirements. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a strong commitment to socioeconomic programs, fostering opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and veteran-owned firms. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS categories including 334419 (Other Electronic Component Manufacturing), 334511 (Aeronautical System and Instrument Manufacturing), and 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services), underscoring expertise in avionics, embedded systems, and mission-critical software development. She also regularly procures remediation services (562910) and industrial machinery repair (811310), demonstrating a broad technical understanding across maintenance and systems integration domains essential to Air Force installation sustainment.