Candice Rininger

Candice Burch Rininger serves as a Contracting Officer within the U.S. Coast Guard’s Headquarters Contract Operations (CG-912), where she plays a pivotal role in executing strategic acquisitions that advance national maritime security and operational readiness. She manages complex procurement actions for aerospace, maritime, and technical systems, with a primary focus on new construction, modernization, and sustainment of specialized vessel fleets and maritime domain awareness platforms. Her work directly supports the Coast Guard’s mission to enhance coastal patrol capabilities, improve search and detection systems, and maintain a modernized fleet through full lifecycle acquisition strategies aligned with FAR and DFARS requirements. Rininger maintains longstanding relationships with key shipbuilding and defense contractors, including Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C., Davie Defense Inc., Rauma Marine Constructions Oy, and Rozema’s Boat Works, Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industrial base vendors with proven expertise in naval architecture, vessel integration, and defense-grade fabrication. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, technical compliance, and supply chain resilience, fostering collaborative relationships with contractors capable of delivering high-integrity maritime platforms under stringent Coast Guard specifications. Her procurement portfolio exhibits minimal use of socioeconomic set-asides, with 95.6% of awards issued under full and open competition. Small business participation is limited but intentional, with equal allocations of 2.2% each to Total Small Business Set-Asides and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Asides, reflecting a balanced yet targeted approach to socioeconomic goals without compromising mission-critical delivery timelines or technical standards. Rininger’s primary industry focus lies in NAICS 336413 (Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing), which accounts for 77.3% of her portfolio, underscoring her expertise in procuring advanced avionics, sensor systems, and unmanned aerial support platforms for maritime surveillance. Secondary areas include ordnance manufacturing (332994), engineering services (541330), and technical training (611519), demonstrating a multidisciplinary command over systems integrating detection, navigation, and crew readiness infrastructure.