Sharla Erdmann

Sharla Erdmann serves as a key procurement lead within the Naval Research Laboratory, supporting the agency’s mission to advance foundational scientific and technological capabilities for naval and national security. She manages complex research and development contracts focused on high-precision instrumentation, electronic warfare systems, signal processing technologies, and autonomous navigation components. Her work bridges cutting-edge R&D needs with acquisition execution, ensuring that emerging innovations in physical sciences and engineering are rapidly transitioned into operational naval systems through agile, technically informed contracting practices. Erdmann maintains consistent partnerships with specialized defense technology contractors including Assurance Technology Corp, L3Harris NexGen Communications LLC, Envisioneering Inc, Integration Innovation Inc, and Analex Corporation. These relationships are characterized by deep technical collaboration, often involving prototype development, systems integration, and rapid prototyping under SBIR or other R&D-focused contract vehicles. Her procurement approach emphasizes vendor expertise in advanced electronics, sensor systems, and mission-critical instrumentation, fostering long-term engagements with firms capable of meeting the NRL’s stringent performance and innovation requirements. Her contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 88.2% of awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic categorization. Nevertheless, she actively supports small business participation, with 11.8% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced commitment to both innovation capacity and broad industry engagement. Erdmann’s procurement activities are concentrated in NAICS categories related to electronic and precision equipment manufacturing, particularly 334112 (computer storage devices), 334111 (electronic computer manufacturing), and 334515 (instrumentation for measuring electrical signals). Her domain expertise centers on the acquisition of advanced sensors, signal conditioning hardware, embedded computing systems, and specialized test and calibration equipment critical to next-generation maritime platforms.