Dorothy Rawls

Dorothy Rawls serves as a Contract Support Specialist with the SFLC Procurement Branch 3 (00040) under the U.S. Coast Guard’s Department of Homeland Security, where she plays a critical role in executing the agency’s shipbuilding and maintenance acquisition strategy. She supports the full lifecycle of procurement actions for vessel systems, including repair, modernization, and infrastructure sustainment, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and operational readiness goals. Her work directly enables the Coast Guard’s mission to maintain a safe, secure, and enduring maritime fleet through timely and technically sound contracting solutions. Rawls routinely collaborates with a core group of specialized vendors, including Philadelphia Electrical Equipment Co., JDCI Enterprises, Inc., ALS Services USA, Corp., Cabras Marine Corporation, and Bay Marine Boatworks, Inc., all of whom provide critical marine engineering, electrical systems, and vessel repair services. These partnerships reflect a preference for contractors with deep maritime domain expertise and proven capabilities in naval vessel maintenance and retrofitting. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor engagement, technical validation, and performance-based outcomes aligned with Coast Guard operational standards. A strong advocate for small business participation, Rawls consistently prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, with approximately 84% of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses. This reflects a deliberate socioeconomic strategy to foster competition, enhance vendor diversity, and support economic resilience within the maritime industrial base. Her portfolio shows minimal use of other set-aside categories, indicating a focused reliance on the broader small business pool rather than niche designations. Her procurement activity is overwhelmingly concentrated in NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), accounting for over 85% of her acquisitions, with secondary focus on commercial and industrial machinery repair (NAICS 811310). She specializes in procuring complex marine systems, including propulsion components, hull modifications, electrical retrofits, and structural repairs—demonstrating deep technical fluency in naval architecture and maritime maintenance domains.