Ashley Zannikos

Ashley Zannikos serves as a Contractor Specialist at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, where she plays a pivotal role in executing complex procurement actions to support the Department of the Navy’s mission in advancing maritime warfare capabilities. Her responsibilities include managing the acquisition lifecycle for high-technology systems critical to undersea, surface, and aerial domain dominance, with a focus on naval sensors, electronic warfare components, and integrated communication systems. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with NUWC’s strategic R&D priorities, often handling classified and controlled technical contracts requiring specialized security clearances and engineering oversight. Zannikos maintains longstanding relationships with key industry partners including Science Applications International Corporation, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Astronics Test Systems Inc, Serco Inc, and Mikel Inc. These vendors provide advanced engineering services, test and evaluation systems, and specialized electronic assemblies essential to naval platform integration. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical collaboration, fostering partnerships with firms capable of delivering rapid prototyping, systems integration, and mission-critical hardware development under stringent defense standards. Her procurement portfolio reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with approximately 30.8% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and 7.7% reserved for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. While the majority of acquisitions remain open to all competitors, Zannikos actively prioritizes small business participation where technical capability and capacity permit, ensuring broad industry engagement without compromising mission readiness. Her primary NAICS focus areas include printed circuit assembly manufacturing, machine shop operations, and commercial building construction—reflecting NUWC’s need for precision electronic components, specialized fabrication services, and facility upgrades to support advanced testing environments. She routinely procures electronic assemblies, passive components, and custom test instrumentation, demonstrating deep expertise in the technical domains of naval electronics, signal processing, and systems integration for undersea warfare applications.