Sourcing Contract Technicians for Aerospace Programs

Updated October 14, 2026

What contract technician sourcing covers

Contract technician sourcing means finding qualified, credentialed people for a defined period of hands-on aerospace work, either to absorb a surge or to staff a project, without adding permanent headcount. Aerospace Sourcing does not keep a bench of technicians. We take the request, place it with staffing firms and contract service suppliers that already employ and certify the right people, check each candidate's credentials against what you asked for, and give you one point of contact until the people are on site.

The roles that come up most on aerospace programs are the ones where a certificate, a written practice or site access stands between a capable person and productive work on day one. That is also where most contract placements go wrong: the person is skilled, but the paperwork does not match what the customer, the program or the regulator requires. This page sets out what to require for each role, what to verify, and what to put in the request so the first candidates you see are ones you can actually use.

The roles, and the credential that usually gates each one

Each technician role has one credential or qualification that decides whether the person can do the job without supervision. Name it in the request, along with the revision or level, because a generic job title invites generic candidates.

The table is a starting point. Your program documents, the customer contract and the site safety plan may add requirements on top, and those belong in the request too.

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FAA A&P mechanics: what the certificate does and does not cover

An A&P is an FAA mechanic certificate holding the airframe rating, the powerplant rating, or both; 14 CFR 65.73 lists exactly those two ratings. To be eligible, an applicant must be at least 18, able to read, write, speak and understand English, and must have passed all the required tests within a 24 month period, under 14 CFR 65.71.

The privileges are specific. Under 14 CFR 65.85 and 65.87, a mechanic with the matching rating may approve an airframe, powerplant, propeller or related part for return to service after performing, supervising or inspecting its maintenance or alteration, but this excludes major repairs and major alterations. Approving those for return to service generally takes an inspection authorization, covered in 14 CFR 65.95. If your work includes major repairs, say whether you need an IA holder or whether that signature stays with your own staff.

Three verification points that buyers miss:

• Check the certificate, not the resume. The FAA Airmen Inquiry search on the FAA registry lets you search by last name and certificate number. Ask the candidate for the certificate and match the ratings shown to the work.
• Paper certificates no longer count. Under 14 CFR 65.15(d), the holder of a paper certificate issued under Part 65 may not exercise its privileges, apart from temporary certificates. Ask to see the current plastic certificate.
• The certificate does not expire, but recent experience matters. Part 65 certificates stay effective until surrendered, suspended or revoked, so a valid certificate tells you nothing about how recently the person worked on your aircraft type or system. Ask for recent work history on the type.

On launch vehicle, spacecraft, factory and GSE work, an A&P is a strong signal of mechanical discipline and paperwork habits, but it is not a legal requirement unless the work is maintenance on a type certificated aircraft. Write the requirement to match the work so you do not narrow the pool for no reason.

IPC certified harness and solder technicians

For electronics and harness work, require a current IPC certification to the exact standard and revision your drawings call out, held at the Certified IPC Specialist level for operators and inspectors. J-STD-001 covers the requirements for soldered electrical and electronic assemblies, IPC-A-610 covers acceptability of electronic assemblies, and IPC/WHMA-A-620 covers cable and wire harness assemblies.

What to verify on each candidate:

• Which standard and which modules. A certificate lists the standard and the modules completed. A person certified to IPC-A-610 is trained to judge acceptability, which is not the same as being certified to build to J-STD-001. For space hardware, ask whether the space addendum module was included.
• The expiry date. IPC states that certifications are valid for two years. IPC's help center says that since January 1, 2020, renewals happen within six calendar months before expiration and extend validity two years from the existing expiration date, and that extensions are no longer granted. A certificate that expires in the middle of your project needs a renewal plan before the person starts.
• Who trained them. The certificate comes from a Certified IPC Trainer at a training center. If in doubt, confirm the certificate with the issuing training center.

NASA work can add more. NASA-STD-8739.6 sets its own training requirements, including a hands-on practical, so a technician with only commercial IPC certificates may not meet a NASA flow-down. Our wire harness page covers the workmanship classes and space addenda in more depth.

NDT Level II and III technicians under NAS 410

NDT personnel on aerospace work are usually certified under NAS 410, and that certification is issued by an employer through its written practice, not by a national body. The Aerospace Industries Association maintains the standard but does not certify anyone. Our nondestructive testing guide describes what each level may do.

That employer-based model is the main trap in contract NDT staffing. A technician's Level II from a previous employer does not carry over automatically. The company the person works for during your job has to hold a written practice and certify the person under it, method by method. Before a contract NDT technician inspects your parts, settle three questions:

1. Whose written practice applies? The staffing firm's, the NDT supplier's, or yours. If it is yours, your Level III certifies the person and owns the records.
2. Which methods and techniques? Certification is per method. A Level II in penetrant is not qualified to sign ultrasonic results.
3. Where are the records? Ask for the certification record, the training and experience behind it, and the examination results, and confirm they will stay on file with whoever certified the person.

Certifications lapse after five years unless renewed, and a facility doing NDT for primes may also need Nadcap accreditation. If you only need parts inspected rather than a person on your floor, it is often simpler to send the parts to an accredited NDT supplier and receive reports. That choice is covered below.

Composite techs, CMM programmers and inspectors

These roles have no single license, so the request has to describe the actual skills and the documents you will check. Vague requests for a composite tech or a CMM programmer bring back candidates who match the words but not the work.

• Composite technicians. State the material systems (prepreg or wet layup, carbon or glass, film adhesive, honeycomb or foam core), the cure method (oven, autoclave, out of autoclave, heat blanket for repairs), and whether the work is production, tooling or repair to a structural repair manual. Ask for training records on the process specifications you use. Our composites fabrication guide covers the process controls.
• CMM programmers. Name the CMM software and controller, the part types, and the drawing standard for GD&T. A good test is to send a sample drawing and ask how they would set the datum alignment. Inspection practice is covered in our inspection and metrology guide.
• Quality inspectors. State the inspection stage (receiving, in-process, final, first article), the product (machined parts, harnesses, assemblies), and the standards they will judge against. If they will review AS9102 first article reports, say so.

GSE and propellant technicians

GSE and propellant work is gated mostly by site training, medical clearance and the customer's hazardous operations procedures rather than by a national certificate. A strong mechanic or pipefitter still cannot touch a pressurized system or a propellant transfer on a launch site until the customer's training and safety requirements are met.

Points to settle in the request:

• Which systems. Pneumatic and hydraulic GSE, cryogenic systems, hypergolic or hydrocarbon propellants, high pressure gas, or lifting and handling equipment. Each brings its own training.
• Respiratory protection. Where a respirator is required, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 requires the employer to provide a medical evaluation of the person's ability to use a respirator before fit testing or use, and to provide respirators, training and medical evaluations at no cost to the employee. With contract labor, agree in writing which company does the evaluation, the fit test and the training.
• Who trains, and how long it takes. If your site training takes days, build it into the start date and the cost.
• Cleanliness and contamination control. Technicians working on oxygen or cleaned fluid systems need to follow your cleanliness rules. See our precision and oxygen cleaning page and the launch providers page.

U.S. person status and ITAR access

If a contract technician will see ITAR controlled technical data or hardware, confirm U.S. person status before day one, because showing that data to a foreign person is itself a release that needs authorization. 22 CFR 120.56 says technical data is released through visual or other inspection of a defense article by a foreign person and through oral or written exchanges with foreign persons, in the United States or abroad.

The ITAR defines a U.S. person at 22 CFR 120.62 by reference to immigration law: a lawful permanent resident, or a protected individual as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), which includes U.S. citizens and nationals. The design owner decides what is controlled. The employer of record checks status with documents, and your export compliance team decides who may see what.

Put the requirement in the request in plain words, for example: "U.S. persons only; candidate will access ITAR controlled drawings and hardware." Ask the staffing firm to confirm status before submitting candidates. Our controlled programs page explains how controlled work is handled, and no controlled data should go through any website upload, including ours.

Badging and base access

Plan site access as its own lead time item, because a technician who cannot get through the gate costs the same as one who has not been found. Military installations, NASA centers and many company sites run their own badging, and the host organization, not the technician, usually starts the request.

At Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the installation's visitor control guidance says official visitors, including government contractors, work through the host organization's designated base access sponsor. Badging training material published by the installation in July 2026 says non-DoD organizations submit credential requests on company letterhead signed by their security manager, and that completed request forms are due at least three business days ahead. Expect a background check as part of access.

What to tell us in the request: the site, whether you or the staffing firm sponsors the access request, any clearance or background investigation level the job needs, and the ID the person must hold. If a security clearance is required, say so up front, because a cleared candidate pool is much smaller and a new clearance cannot be obtained for a short surge.

Drug and alcohol testing: when DOT and FAA rules apply

FAA drug and alcohol testing under 14 CFR Part 120 applies when the technician performs a safety-sensitive function such as aircraft maintenance or preventive maintenance for an employer covered by the rule, and it reaches contract and temporary workers. Elsewhere, testing follows your own policy and contract terms.

Under 14 CFR 120.1, the rule applies to air carriers and operators certificated to conduct operations under Part 121 or Part 135, operators defined in 14 CFR 91.147, certain air traffic control facilities, and the individuals who perform a listed safety-sensitive function for them directly or by contract. 14 CFR 120.105 says every employee performing those functions directly or by contract, including by subcontract at any tier, must be in a testing program, and it names full-time, part-time, temporary and intermittent employees. Section 120.215 applies the same reach to alcohol testing. Part 145 repair stations in the United States may elect to implement a program, and under the rule as amended in December 2024, repair stations outside the United States doing safety-sensitive maintenance on Part 121 aircraft come in beginning December 20, 2027. Test procedures follow 49 CFR Part 40.

In practice:

• A contract A&P maintaining aircraft for a Part 121 or 135 operator must be in a Part 120 program before starting. Ask whose program covers the person and require evidence of the pre-employment result.
• A technician on launch vehicles, spacecraft, a factory floor or GSE is generally outside Part 120 because those are not listed safety-sensitive functions for a covered employer. Your company policy and your customer's contract decide what testing applies, so state it in the request.
• If you are unsure whether your work is covered, ask your own drug and alcohol program manager before the placement, not after.

Short-term surge or project staffing

Surge staffing fills a temporary spike in known work with people who slot into your existing processes; project staffing assembles a team for a defined scope and end date. The difference changes what you ask for and how long it takes.

There is a third option: do not bring people in at all, and buy the result instead. If you need 200 parts penetrant inspected, an accredited NDT supplier with its own certified staff delivers reports and owns the certification records. If you need a harness rebuilt, a harness shop builds it to your drawing. Buying a work package moves the credential and supervision burden to the supplier. Staffing makes sense when the work has to happen in your facility, on your hardware, under your control. See our defense contractors page for how primes split the two.

What to put in a contract technician request

A request that answers the points below can be placed with staffing firms immediately, and it filters out candidates who look right on paper but cannot start.

1. Role and the actual tasks, in two or three sentences, with the product or system
2. Required credential with standard, revision, rating or level: for example, A&P with airframe rating, IPC J-STD-001 CIS with space addendum, NAS 410 Level II in ultrasonic
3. Whose written practice or program covers the person for NDT and for drug and alcohol testing
4. Number of people, shift pattern, expected hours per week and overtime rules
5. Start date, expected duration, and whether extension or conversion to direct hire is possible
6. Site, badging sponsor, clearance level if any, and ID requirements
7. U.S. persons only, where ITAR or EAR controlled data or hardware is involved
8. Site training the person must complete and how long it takes
9. Tools, PPE and medical clearance: who provides each
10. Who supervises, who signs off work, and who approves timesheets
11. NDA and any customer flow-downs that apply to people on the program

If you are not sure how to write the credential line, send the job description you would use internally and the drawing or spec numbers the person will work to. Our aviation MRO parts page covers the parts side of maintenance work if the same program needs both.

How Aerospace Sourcing fills a technician request

We do not employ technicians and we do not hold a bench. We place your request with staffing firms and contract service suppliers that employ and certify people in the role, and we manage the request through to start.

• Request review. A person reads the request within one business day and comes back with questions if the credential, access or testing lines are unclear.
• Placement. The request goes to firms whose people match the role, with your NDA, U.S. person, site and testing requirements written in. Firms do not learn the end customer unless you approve it.
• Credential check. Before you see a candidate, we check the documents against the request: FAA certificate and ratings against the Airmen Inquiry, IPC certificate standard, modules and expiry, NAS 410 method and level and whose written practice, and the stated status for U.S. person and testing.
• One point of contact. You deal with one person for every firm involved, with one order covering the placement.

What we do not do: we do not promise that a candidate exists for every role, start date or site, and we do not replace your own onboarding, site safety training or supervision. The person works under your direction or the provider's, as agreed in the order. Shops and staffing firms that want to receive requests can sign up at the supplier page, and our confidentiality page explains how your information is protected.

Send a contract technician request

If you have a surge, a campaign or a project that needs credentialed technicians, send the request through the staffing form. Name the role, the exact credential and level, the site and badging sponsor, the start date and duration, and whether the work is U.S. persons only. Those five lines are what let a staffing firm show you candidates who can start, instead of resumes that match a job title. A person replies within one business day.

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Send the job. A person replies within 1 business day.

Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

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Service *CNC machiningSheet metal, welding and fabricationAdditive manufacturing (metal and polymer)Composites fabrication and repairWire harness and cable assemblyElectronics and PCB assemblyGround support equipment, lifting and handlingTooling, jigs and fixturesTubing, fluid lines and pressure systemsObsolete and hard-to-find parts (AS6081 sourcing)Certified surplus material (titanium, Inconel, aluminum)Certified fasteners, hardware and raw materialTest lab time (vibration, thermal vacuum, cleanroom)Precision cleaning and oxygen serviceFinishing and special processes (anodize, plating, heat treat)Inspection, NDT, CMM and first articleCertified small-business subcontractorsEngineering, drafting and DFMCrating, transport and chain-of-custody logisticsContract technicians and skilled laborSomething else

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Export classification * Commercial (EAR99, not export controlled) ITAR or EAR controlled Not sure

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Need to attach drawings or sign the NDA first? Use the full request form.

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Related

• Sourcing Parts and Small Business Suppliers for Defense Contractors
• Sourcing GSE, Pad Hardware and Fluid System Parts for Launch Providers
• Sourcing Aerospace Wire Harnesses and Cable Assemblies
• How MRO Shops and Operators Buy Aviation Parts

Sources

• Cornell LII: 14 CFR 65.71, mechanic eligibility
• Cornell LII: 14 CFR 65.85, airframe rating privileges
• Cornell LII: 14 CFR 65.15, duration of certificates
• FAA Registry: Airmen Inquiry search
• IPC Help Center: certification renewal and extension policy
• IPC: IPC-A-610 specialist certification, two year validity
• AviationPros: NDT certification under NAS 410
• Cornell LII: 22 CFR 120.62, U.S. person
• Cornell LII: 14 CFR 120.1, applicability of FAA drug and alcohol testing
• Cornell LII: 14 CFR 120.105, employees who must be drug tested
• Cornell LII: 29 CFR 1910.134, OSHA respiratory protection
• Patrick Space Force Base: Visitor Control Center