Vanessa Bryant, Contracting Officer

Vanessa Bryant serves as Branch Chief of the Pre-EPOC/EPOC team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where she leads the acquisition strategy for mission-critical propulsion and space vehicle systems essential to deep space exploration. In this role, she oversees the full lifecycle of complex engineering contracts, ensuring alignment with NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture goals. Her portfolio centers on advanced technical procurement for guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing, as well as applied research and development in physical and engineering sciences. Bryant ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while fostering innovation through strategic contracting that supports NASA’s technical objectives and operational readiness. She maintains consistent partnerships with leading aerospace contractors including BASTION TECHNOLOGIES INC and AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, both of which provide specialized engineering services, propulsion system integration, and systems analysis for high-fidelity test environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical proficiency, and performance-based outcomes, often requiring rigorous systems engineering and test validation capabilities. These relationships are built on demonstrated expertise in spaceflight hardware development and mission-critical software assurance. Bryant’s procurement portfolio reflects a balanced approach to socioeconomic contracting, with 75% of acquisitions conducted under full and open competition and 25% designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. While she does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her consistent allocation to small businesses underscores a deliberate commitment to fostering innovation from niche technical vendors with specialized capabilities in propulsion and space systems. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336414 (Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing), where she acquires advanced rocket engines, flight control systems, and structural components, alongside NAICS 541715 for research in propulsion dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and real-time telemetry systems. Her domain expertise spans hypersonics, liquid propulsion, and flight test instrumentation, making her a key steward of NASA’s next-generation space transportation capabilities.