Helen Carnes

Helen Carnes serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Coast Guard’s Headquarters Contract Operations (CG-912), where she supports strategic acquisitions critical to national maritime security and operational readiness. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on aerospace, maritime, and technical services, with an emphasis on vessel modernization, search and detection systems, and maritime domain awareness technologies. Her work directly enables the Coast Guard’s mission to sustain and enhance coastal patrol capabilities through timely and compliant acquisition of specialized equipment and engineering solutions. Carnes maintains longstanding relationships with a core group of shipbuilding and defense 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 preference for established vendors with proven expertise in naval architecture, vessel construction, and marine systems integration. Her contracting patterns indicate a reliance on experienced industrial partners capable of delivering complex, mission-critical platforms and upgrades under stringent maritime standards. Her procurement approach prioritizes open competition, with approximately 90.9% of awards issued without set-asides, reflecting a focus on capability and readiness over socioeconomic preferences. However, she consistently allocates 9.1% of awards to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a measured but intentional commitment to small business participation within the constraints of mission-critical requirements. Carnes’ technical focus centers on NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services) and 541712 (Research and Development in Physical and Engineering Sciences), underscoring her specialization in advanced maritime systems design, sensor integration, and technical support services. She also procures specialized industrial products such as hazardous waste treatment solutions and marine-grade coatings, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to sustaining Coast Guard fleet operations through integrated technical and environmental compliance solutions.