Independent Consultant · Plano, TX

I turn complex contracts into clarity — and leverage.

Technology procurement and contract management for teams negotiating high-stakes SaaS, hardware, and professional-services deals. Eight-plus years across aerospace, defense, and automotive — Boeing, L3 Technologies, Incora, and RGP.

Work with me See the case studies

Also open to select leadership conversations — fractional or full-time procurement & contracts roles.

$1B+

Negotiated across active engagements

~$200M

Annual spend managed in a single category program

8+ yrs

Aerospace, defense & automotive contracting

TS/SCI

Active clearance for gov & defense-adjacent work

About

From flight-line contracts to boardroom negotiations.

I've spent the last eight-plus years sitting across the table from suppliers, legal teams, and program leadership — negotiating the agreements that let complex programs actually move. My career runs through Boeing, L3 Technologies, Incora, back to Boeing, and RGP, which gave me something most contracts people never get: real range across aerospace, defense, and automotive, not just one industry's playbook.

That range matters. A commodity strategy that works for proprietary aerospace parts doesn't map cleanly onto automotive SaaS licensing, and a defense program's compliance requirements look nothing like a mid-market vendor renewal. I've built negotiation frameworks, stood up procurement functions from scratch, and been the lead contracts owner on a multi-billion-dollar defense modernization program — so I know how to scale my approach to the size of the problem in front of me, not the other way around.

Today I run my own practice, operating as Van Cleve Consulting, working directly with procurement, legal, and product teams who need an experienced negotiator at the table — or, in some cases, a senior leader to run the function entirely.

Active TS/SCI Clearance Aerospace Defense Automotive

Founder, Contract & Procurement Advisory

Van Cleve Consulting

Current
Contracts & Procurement Leadership

RGP

Client engagements across industries
Lead Contracts Representative

Boeing — Defense, Space & Security

B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program
Strategic Procurement Lead

Incora

Proprietary parts & commodity strategy
Contracts & Negotiation

L3 Technologies

Defense electronics programs
Contracts Representative

Boeing

Early career, aerospace contracting

Services

Four ways to bring me in.

Engagements scale from a single high-stakes negotiation to running the function outright. Most clients start narrow and expand once the value is obvious.

Contract Negotiation Support

For teams closing complex SaaS, hardware, or professional-services deals

I sit at the table as your dedicated negotiator — pressure-testing terms, pricing structures, and risk allocation before signature, not after. Built for teams who want an experienced voice in the room without adding permanent headcount.

CLM Design & Implementation

For companies standing up or fixing their contract process and tooling

I design the contract lifecycle end to end — intake, redlines, approvals, obligations tracking, renewals — and help select or configure the CLM platform that fits how your team actually works, not the vendor's demo script.

Sourcing & RFx Strategy

For procurement teams running competitive sourcing events

I build the sourcing strategy, structure the RFx, and shape the evaluation criteria so your team walks into supplier conversations with real leverage — informed by category benchmarks, not guesswork.

Fractional / Interim Leadership

For companies needing senior coverage without a full-time hire

I step in as interim head of contracts or procurement — running the team, clearing the backlog, and building the playbook your next permanent hire will inherit. Full seniority, none of the ramp time.

$1B+

Negotiated

~$200M

Annual spend managed

8+ years

Cross-industry contracting

3 sectors

Aerospace · Defense · Automotive

TS/SCI

Active clearance

Case Studies

Anonymized, but the numbers are real.

Client names are withheld under standard NDA terms. The scope, approach, and outcomes are described exactly as they happened.

Automotive

MSA / SOW Negotiation Program

Problem

A major international automotive manufacturer needed a senior negotiator to manage a high volume of MSAs, SOWs, and software license agreements while keeping Procurement, Legal, and Product aligned.

Approach

Built a repeatable negotiation and stakeholder-alignment framework that ran across the full contract lifecycle, from intake through execution.

Result

Consistent contract approval turnaround and full compliance with the manufacturer's industry-specific regulatory framework.

Aerospace

Commodity Strategy for Proprietary Parts

Problem

A global aerospace/hardware supplier needed a defensible sourcing strategy across roughly $200M in annual spend on proprietary parts, spanning five categories, with an under-resourced team.

Approach

Built and led a 6-person strategic procurement function, developed category-by-category commodity strategy, and renegotiated long-term supplier agreements.

Result

Governed long-term agreements with strategic suppliers and stood up new, more resilient supply chains.

Defense

Boeing — B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement

Problem

Boeing needed a lead contracts representative to manage negotiation and contract execution on one of its highest-profile defense modernization programs — a multi-billion-dollar scope.

Approach

Acted as lead negotiator and contract owner, coordinating legal, engineering, and program management stakeholders across the full program scope.

Result

Contracts executed and administered in support of program milestones on a program of national significance.

Contact

Let's talk about the deal — or the role.

Whether you're closing a negotiation next quarter or building a case for a senior hire, I'd rather have a direct conversation than a form-letter reply.

Prospective clients

Tell me what's under negotiation and the timeline — I'll respond with whether I'm a fit and what engagement makes sense.

Recruiters & hiring managers

Open to select fractional and full-time contracts/procurement leadership conversations. Share the mandate and reporting line — happy to talk it through.

Connect on LinkedIn