Susan Ferguson

Dr. Susan Ferguson serves as a procurement lead within the NHTSA Office of Acquisition, where she oversees the strategic acquisition of research and development services critical to advancing national vehicle safety standards. Her role centers on managing complex contractual actions that support evidence-based regulatory initiatives, including engineering studies, behavioral research, and technology evaluations aimed at reducing traffic fatalities and injuries. She specializes in high-impact R&D procurements aligned with NHTSA’s mission to integrate data-driven insights into federal motor vehicle safety policy, ensuring that contracts deliver technically rigorous, policy-relevant outcomes. Dr. Ferguson maintains consistent partnerships with specialized contractors such as AMD International Technologies LLC and Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, both of which provide advanced engineering analysis and technical research services. Her working relationships emphasize performance-based outcomes, technical expertise, and compliance with federal testing and evaluation protocols. She also collaborates with the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators to support state-level safety data integration and public outreach initiatives, reflecting a preference for contractors with deep domain knowledge in transportation safety systems and behavioral science. Dr. Ferguson’s contracting portfolio reflects a 100% non-set-aside approach, indicating a primary focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic classifications. While she does not prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her selections are driven by the specialized nature of the work and the need for proven technical proficiency in high-stakes safety research. Her procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—encompassing vehicle safety testing, crashworthiness modeling, human factors analysis, and fuel efficiency optimization studies. She routinely awards contracts to firms with demonstrated expertise in automotive engineering, data analytics, and regulatory compliance, ensuring that NHTSA’s research agenda is supported by cutting-edge, mission-aligned technical capabilities.