Jody Bester

Jody Bester serves as a Contract Specialist at the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center (N55236), part of the Department of the Navy, where she plays a pivotal role in executing procurement actions that sustain and modernize naval vessel readiness. Responsible for managing full lifecycle contracts for industrial support services, she specializes in acquisitions related to facility construction, electrical systems, and shipyard infrastructure. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to ensure operational availability of fleet assets through timely, compliant, and technically sound contracting solutions that align with naval engineering requirements and federal acquisition regulations. Bester maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including W.V. Construction Company, Turn Key Scaffolding LLC, Premier Scaffolding, Inc., Fairbanks Morse, LLC, and The Sherwin-Williams Company. These partnerships reflect a focus on firms capable of delivering specialized construction, maintenance, and industrial coating services critical to ship repair and facility sustainment. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, with a preference for vendors possessing proven experience in naval industrial environments and adherence to stringent safety and quality standards. Her procurement strategy reflects a balanced commitment to socioeconomic goals, with half of her contracts set aside exclusively for small businesses under FAR 19.5, and the other half awarded as no-set-aside actions to ensure flexibility and competition. This pattern underscores her dedication to fostering small business participation while maintaining access to qualified large-capacity contractors when technical or scale requirements demand it. Bester’s primary NAICS focus areas include 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), 238210 (Electrical Contractors), and 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), indicating deep expertise in procuring construction, electrical installation, and shipyard modernization services. She routinely manages contracts for structural upgrades, hazardous material abatement, marine coatings, and industrial electrical systems, demonstrating technical fluency in naval infrastructure lifecycle management and repair-specific procurement requirements.