Tracie M Rustin

Tracie M. Rustin serves as a Contract Specialist at the Naval Research Laboratory, where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex research and development acquisitions aligned with the Department of the Navy’s strategic imperatives in maritime technology. She manages the full lifecycle of contracts for advanced scientific and engineering services, with a focus on sensor systems, electronic warfare components, signal processing, and autonomous navigation technologies. Her work directly supports the NRL’s mission to deliver foundational R&D capabilities that enable next-generation naval platforms, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations while fostering innovation through agile contracting approaches. Rustin maintains enduring relationships with key contractors including Assurance Technology Corp, L3Harris NexGen Communications LLC, Envisioneering Inc, Integration Innovation Inc, and Analex Corporation. These partnerships are characterized by sustained engagement on high-technical-demand projects requiring specialized expertise in physical sciences, systems integration, and analytical instrumentation. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for experienced, technically capable vendors capable of delivering rapid prototyping, system-level testing, and mission-critical hardware and software solutions under stringent security and performance standards. Her contracting portfolio exhibits a strong preference for full and open competition, with 94.7% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, reflecting the highly specialized nature of NRL’s requirements. While small business participation is limited, she consistently leverages 8(a) competed opportunities when technical capabilities align, demonstrating a measured commitment to socioeconomic goals without compromising mission-critical performance. Rustin’s primary NAICS focus areas include Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (541715), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), and the manufacturing of analytical laboratory instruments and navigation systems (334516, 334511). She routinely procures advanced instrumentation, embedded software systems, signal analytics platforms, and prototype electronic warfare hardware, underscoring her deep technical fluency in defense-oriented R&D domains.