Heather Amaral

Heather Amaral serves as the primary contracting professional within the U.S. Coast Guard’s Headquarters Contract Operations (CG-912), where she leads the acquisition of critical maritime and aerospace systems essential to national security and operational readiness. Her role centers on managing full-life-cycle contracts for shipbuilding, vessel modernization, and technical support services that sustain the Coast Guard’s fleet of patrol craft, search and rescue platforms, and maritime domain awareness assets. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurement strategy with the agency’s priorities in force modernization, coastal patrol enhancement, and technical innovation. Amaral maintains consistent, long-term relationships with a select group of specialized shipyard 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 focus on high-capacity, defense-qualified shipbuilders with proven expertise in constructing and refitting Coast Guard-specific vessels. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical fidelity, industrial base resilience, and sustained collaboration with vendors who possess deep experience in naval architecture and military vessel integration. Her procurement portfolio is entirely non-set-aside, reflecting a strategic emphasis on capability-driven sourcing rather than socioeconomic classifications. While she does not prioritize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, her contracting decisions are guided by mission necessity and the technical sophistication required to meet Coast Guard operational standards. Amaral’s work is exclusively focused on NAICS 336611—Ship Building and Repairing—where she procures new construction, dry-docking, hull modifications, propulsion upgrades, and integrated combat systems for patrol boats, cutters, and riverine craft. Her domain expertise lies in naval surface vessel acquisition, including compliance with military specifications for survivability, endurance, and maritime operational environments.