Cristian Velez

Cristian Velez serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Coast Guard’s SFLC Procurement Branch 2 (70Z085), responsible for managing acquisitions that sustain and modernize the Coast Guard’s fleet of cutters and maritime vessels. His work directly supports the agency’s mission of ensuring operational readiness across coastal, offshore, and open-ocean environments through lifecycle management of naval infrastructure. Velez specializes in shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance contracts, overseeing the full acquisition lifecycle from requirements definition to contract award and administration. His portfolio is exclusively focused on complex maritime industrial services requiring technical expertise in naval architecture, marine systems integration, and dry-dock operations. Velez maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized maritime contractors, including ROLLS-ROYCE SOLUTIONS AMERICA INC, VIGOR MARINE LLC, JAG INDUSTRIAL SERVICES, INC, G I INDUSTRIAL-MARINE, LLC, and L1 ENTERPRISES INCORPORATED. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven capabilities in vessel refit, propulsion system upgrades, hull rehabilitation, and naval maintenance services. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, performance-based outcomes, and compliance with stringent Coast Guard technical specifications for safety and mission-critical reliability. Velez demonstrates a steadfast commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 100% of his acquisitions set aside exclusively for small businesses under FAR 19.5. This pattern reflects a deliberate strategy to empower small, qualified maritime service providers with the technical capacity to support complex naval maintenance and modernization efforts. His procurement practices prioritize small business participation across all contract types, reinforcing the Coast Guard’s broader goal of building a resilient, diverse industrial base. His procurement activity is entirely concentrated under NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), indicating deep specialization in naval vessel construction, repair, and overhaul services. He procures a range of technical services including dry-docking, structural steel fabrication, electrical and mechanical system retrofits, and corrosion control—domains requiring certified shipyard facilities and certified marine technicians. Velez’s expertise lies in managing high-stakes, mission-critical contracts that demand adherence to U.S. Navy and Coast Guard technical standards for durability and operational safety.