Vera G Carroll

Vera M. Carroll serves as Branch Head for ONR Code 251, overseeing the planning, solicitation, and award of research and development contracts in support of the Office of Naval Research’s scientific and technological mission. In this leadership role, she directs a portfolio of technical acquisitions focused on advancing naval capabilities through fundamental and applied research, ensuring alignment with DoD innovation priorities and federal acquisition regulations. Her responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of complex R&D procurements, from needs assessment and market research to contract execution and performance evaluation, with an emphasis on fostering cutting-edge scientific partnerships across academia, industry, and government laboratories. Carroll’s procurement strategy prioritizes collaboration with research-intensive contractors and institutions capable of delivering high-risk, high-reward scientific outcomes. She routinely engages with specialized firms in physical sciences, engineering services, and advanced computing, building long-term partnerships grounded in technical excellence and mission alignment. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, her contracting patterns reflect a preference for organizations with proven expertise in experimental design, computational modeling, and systems integration, often involving multi-institutional consortia and university-affiliated research centers. Her set-aside preferences show a strong orientation toward open competition, with 93.8% of awards issued without socioeconomic set-asides. Nevertheless, she maintains a deliberate commitment to small business participation, allocating 4.2% of awards to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and 2.1% to 8(a) competed contracts, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes technical merit while actively supporting disadvantaged small businesses. Carroll’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—accounting for over 60% of her activity. She frequently procures services in experimental physics, advanced materials testing, and computational science, with secondary emphasis on computer-related services and engineering consulting. Her domain expertise centers on foundational technologies critical to naval systems, including sensor development, autonomous systems, and high-performance computing applications.