Sheila Watford

Sheila Watford serves as a key procurement professional at NASA Langley Research Center, supporting the agency’s mission to advance aeronautics and space exploration through research and development in physical, engineering, and life sciences. She manages a portfolio of complex scientific and technical acquisitions, primarily focused on R&D contracts that enable next-generation aerospace systems, including hypersonics, advanced materials, and spacecraft instrumentation. Her work ensures alignment between technical requirements and federal acquisition regulations, facilitating the timely delivery of innovative solutions critical to NASA’s strategic objectives in atmospheric flight and planetary exploration. Watford maintains established relationships with a select group of high-impact contractors, including Jackson Bond Enterprises, LLC, the University of Utah, and Roche Diagnostics Corporation. These partnerships reflect a blend of academic research collaboration, small business innovation, and specialized technical services. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term, performance-based engagements with entities capable of delivering high-fidelity scientific outcomes, often requiring rigorous validation and compliance with federal R&D standards. Her procurement patterns show a strong preference for total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, with 40% of awards reserved for small businesses, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to fostering innovation from diverse, socioeconomically disadvantaged vendors. While the majority of acquisitions remain open to all competitors, her consistent use of small business set-asides underscores a strategic emphasis on expanding the supplier base and promoting equitable access to federal R&D opportunities. Watford’s acquisitions are exclusively categorized under NAICS 541715, reflecting a singular focus on research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences. She procures advanced analytical instruments, flight simulation systems, remote sensing technologies, and materials testing services—all essential to NASA’s mission of pioneering aerospace systems. Her domain expertise lies in bridging scientific innovation with acquisition excellence, ensuring that contracted R&D delivers measurable advancements in flight safety, spacecraft reliability, and planetary science capabilities.