Daniel Southard

Daniel Southard serves as a key procurement lead within the U.S. Coast Guard’s Headquarters Contract Operations (CG-912), overseeing strategic acquisitions critical to maritime force modernization and operational readiness. He manages the full lifecycle of contracts for shipbuilding, vessel repair, and specialized maritime systems, ensuring alignment with national security priorities including coastal patrol enhancement, maritime domain awareness, and fleet sustainment. His work directly supports the Coast Guard’s mission to maintain a credible, capable, and modernized fleet through timely and compliant acquisition practices. Southard maintains enduring relationships with a select group of Tier-1 shipyard contractors, including Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C., Davie Defense Inc., Rauma Marine Constructions Oy, and Rozema’s Boat Works, Inc. These partnerships are characterized by long-term collaboration on complex, technically demanding vessel construction and modernization programs. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous technical evaluation, and sustained vendor engagement to ensure delivery of high-integrity maritime platforms meeting stringent Coast Guard operational standards. A steadfast advocate for small business participation, Southard exclusively utilizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, ensuring all shipbuilding and repair contracts are reserved for small business concerns. This consistent policy reflects a deep institutional commitment to fostering economic opportunity within the maritime industrial base, enabling small shipyards and specialized vendors to compete meaningfully for high-impact federal contracts without reliance on other socioeconomic categories. His procurement focus is entirely concentrated within NAICS 336611—Ship Building and Repairing—reflecting deep technical expertise in naval architecture, hull fabrication, propulsion integration, and Coast Guard-specific mission system installations. He specializes in procuring new construction of patrol vessels, medium-endurance cutters, and specialized riverine craft, as well as comprehensive repair and upgrade programs for existing fleets, ensuring technical compliance with Coast Guard engineering and safety specifications.