Tyrrita V. McBride

Tyrrita V. McBride serves as a Contract Specialist within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s FA8651 Rwk office, supporting the Department of the Air Force’s mission to advance high-risk, high-reward aerospace and defense technologies. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of complex research and development acquisitions, from solicitation and evaluation to contract award and administration. Her work directly enables innovation in autonomy systems, guided missile technologies, infrared scene projection, and hypersonic platforms, ensuring timely delivery of critical scientific capabilities to national defense priorities. She specializes in procurement of technical services and engineering support critical to experimental and prototype development programs. McBride maintains a consistent working relationship with Concurrent Real-Time, Inc., a key contractor providing advanced real-time simulation and embedded systems solutions. Her contracting approach emphasizes collaboration with vendors possessing deep domain expertise in aerospace systems, signal processing, and high-fidelity modeling environments. She engages with a select pool of technical service providers who demonstrate proven capability in supporting classified and unclassified R&D environments, fostering long-term partnerships built on technical reliability and compliance with DoD acquisition standards. Her procurement portfolio reflects a balanced approach to socioeconomic contracting, with approximately one-third of awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses in advanced technology sectors. While the majority of her acquisitions are open to all competitors, she actively prioritizes small business participation where technical scope permits, aligning with Air Force initiatives to broaden the defense industrial base. McBride’s primary NAICS focus areas include Other Support Activities for Air Transportation, Highway/Street/Bridge Construction, and Plumbing/Heating/Air-Conditioning Contractors—reflecting the diverse infrastructure and logistical support needs of AFRL’s experimental test sites and research facilities. These categories encompass specialized services such as facility modernization, environmental controls for sensitive labs, and aviation support operations critical to maintaining operational readiness of R&D infrastructure. Her expertise lies in bridging technical R&D requirements with practical, mission-critical support services.