James Formosa

James Formosa serves as a key procurement lead within the U.S. Coast Guard’s SFLC Procurement Branch 1 (70Z080), overseeing acquisitions critical to sustaining and modernizing the Coast Guard’s fleet of cutters and maritime assets. He manages complex contracts for ship repair, vessel maintenance, and industrial equipment essential to operational readiness across coastal and open-ocean missions. His portfolio spans the full lifecycle of naval asset support, including dry dock overhauls, propulsion system upgrades, and specialized marine machinery procurement. Formosa ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning contracting actions with the Coast Guard’s strategic goals of fleet longevity and mission capability. He maintains longstanding relationships with core industrial contractors including Fairbanks Morse, LLC, Bay Ship & Yacht Co, Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, L.L.C., Automatic Coating Limited USA, and Technico Corporation. These partnerships are primarily centered on heavy marine fabrication, corrosion protection, propulsion system integration, and precision machining services. Formosa consistently engages these vendors for large-scale, technically demanding projects requiring specialized shipyard capabilities and certified maritime engineering expertise, fostering stable, performance-driven vendor relationships grounded in quality assurance and regulatory compliance. Formosa’s contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 90% of awards issued without set-aside designation. The remaining 10% are competed under the 8(a) program, indicating a measured but deliberate commitment to small business participation without compromising mission-critical requirements. His approach prioritizes technical capability and past performance over socioeconomic preferences, ensuring that vessel readiness remains paramount while still providing opportunities for qualified small disadvantaged businesses. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 333924 (industrial material handling equipment), 333515 (cutting and machine tool accessories), 334111 (electronic computer manufacturing), 333120 (construction machinery), and 333248 (other industrial machinery). These categories reflect deep expertise in procuring ruggedized marine-grade systems, precision tooling, embedded computing for vessel automation, and heavy-duty mechanical components essential to cutter sustainment and modernization.