Sarah DeRoche

Sarah DeRoche serves as a primary contracting professional at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions that support advanced aeronautical research and flight testing. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on engineering services, experimental aircraft modifications, and the integration of cutting-edge flight control systems, sensors, and propulsion technologies. Her work directly enables NASA’s strategic goals in hypersonics, autonomous systems, and aviation safety by ensuring timely procurement of specialized technical solutions. DeRoche handles complex, high-stakes acquisitions requiring deep technical oversight, often coordinating with engineers and flight test teams to align contractual deliverables with experimental flight objectives. She maintains strong, recurring relationships with key industry partners including PRIORITY 1 AVIATION INC and ROLLS-ROYCE CORPORATION, reflecting a pattern of sustained collaboration with firms capable of delivering high-performance aerospace systems and advanced propulsion components. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical capability and mission readiness over cost alone, fostering long-term vendor partnerships grounded in reliability, innovation, and compliance with NASA’s stringent flight safety standards. DeRoche’s contracting portfolio is predominantly open competition, with 75% of awards issued without set-aside designations, indicating a focus on technical superiority and mission-critical performance. Nevertheless, she consistently integrates small business participation, with 15% of awards directed to 8(a) firms and 10% to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising technical requirements. Her primary NAICS focus areas include engineering services, research and development in physical sciences, and manufacturing of precision measurement and communications equipment. She routinely procures specialized instrumentation, flight data acquisition systems, and avionics hardware, reflecting deep expertise in aerospace test and evaluation domains. Her procurement decisions are driven by the need to support experimental aircraft platforms with reliable, high-fidelity systems that meet NASA’s rigorous flight certification standards.