Gary Baker

Gary Baker serves as a key procurement lead within Mschq Norfolk, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain operational readiness of U.S. Navy surface and auxiliary vessels. He manages a portfolio of acquisitions centered on maritime logistics, ship repair support, and deep-sea freight transportation, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical marine services. His work directly enables fleet deployment by securing specialized navigational services and vessel sustainment capabilities, aligning with the agency’s strategic focus on maintaining continuous naval operational capability through responsive, high-integrity contracting. Baker maintains consistent partnerships with leading maritime and defense contractors, including ExxonMobil Marine Limited, Vigor Marine LLC, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., and Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc. These relationships reflect a preference for established vendors with proven expertise in naval logistics, shipyard services, and technical marine engineering. He also engages specialized firms like the Foreign Policy Research Institute for strategic maritime analysis, indicating a blend of operational and policy-support contracting. His procurement approach emphasizes reliability, technical compliance, and long-term vendor performance over transactional engagements. Baker demonstrates an unwavering commitment to small business participation, with 100% of his acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to foster economic opportunity within the maritime support sector, prioritizing small businesses capable of delivering specialized marine logistics, maintenance, and navigational services. His contracting patterns consistently channel opportunities to small firms with niche capabilities, reinforcing the Department of the Navy’s socioeconomic goals while maintaining mission readiness. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 488330 (Navigational Services to Shipping), encompassing vessel tracking, route optimization, and maritime domain awareness systems, and NAICS 483111 (Deep Sea Freight Transportation), covering international cargo movement for naval sustainment. He specializes in acquiring technical marine equipment, shipboard logistics support, and operational transport services critical to fleet readiness, demonstrating deep expertise in the maritime defense supply chain.