Ashley Firth

Ashley Firth serves as a Contract Specialist at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Gf (N39040), supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain and modernize U.S. Navy submarines and surface vessels. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of complex acquisitions for industrial, technical, and logistical services critical to naval vessel integrity. Her portfolio includes procurement of shipbuilding and repair services, specialized machinery leasing, and mission-critical IT support, ensuring compliance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) requirements and Navy-specific industrial base priorities. Firth’s work directly enables operational readiness through timely, compliant, and technically sound contract execution. She maintains longstanding relationships with key contractors including Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation for advanced shipyard modernization services, United Rentals for heavy industrial equipment leasing, and Kardex Remstar for automated material handling systems. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in performance reliability, technical expertise, and supply chain resilience, particularly for high-integrity components and mission-essential infrastructure. She also collaborates with specialized service providers such as BSE Performance and Patriot Global Lodging to support workforce and facility operations at the shipyard. Firth demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with over one-third of her awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. She regularly utilizes Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-asides, reflecting a deliberate focus on socioeconomic programs that align with DoD priorities. While the majority of her acquisitions are open to full and open competition, she strategically employs set-asides to foster vendor diversity and enhance competition among qualified small entities. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), supported by significant activity in 532490 (Industrial Machinery Leasing) and 541519 (Computer-Related Services). She specializes in procuring precision fabrication services, hazardous waste management, and integrated logistics support systems essential to maintaining naval vessel readiness and industrial facility functionality.