Teofilo Bautista

Teofilo Bautista serves as a Contracting Officer within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket Propulsion Division (FA9453), where he plays a pivotal role in advancing the Department of the Air Force’s mission to pioneer next-generation space and aerospace technologies. He manages the full lifecycle of complex research and development acquisitions, focusing on high-performance instrumentation, resilient computing architectures, and autonomous space systems. His procurement activities support rapid prototyping and foundational innovation in space domain awareness, satellite communications, and next-generation propulsion technologies, ensuring the U.S. maintains technological superiority in the space domain. Bautista collaborates with a diverse ecosystem of defense contractors, academic research institutions, and specialized engineering firms engaged in aerospace R&D. While no single contractor dominates his portfolio, his contracting patterns reflect a preference for partners with proven expertise in physical and engineering sciences, including firms capable of delivering classified and unclassified technical solutions under tight developmental timelines. His working relationships emphasize technical agility, compliance with federal acquisition regulations, and seamless integration of innovation into operational systems. Bautista’s contracting activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects the highly specialized nature of the technologies being procured and the limited pool of qualified vendors capable of meeting the rigorous performance, security, and timeline demands of space systems development. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through socioeconomic set-asides, his acquisitions remain accessible to all qualified offerors, including small businesses with niche technical capabilities. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541712 and 541715, encompassing advanced research and development in physical and engineering sciences. He routinely solicits services in hypersonics, propulsion system modeling, space-based sensor integration, and high-fidelity simulation tools, requiring deep domain expertise in aerospace systems engineering, computational fluid dynamics, and radiation-hardened electronics. His technical acumen ensures acquisitions align with the laboratory’s strategic imperatives in space resilience and autonomous operations.