Joseph C. Hodges

Joseph C. Hodges serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Coast Guard’s SFLC Procurement Branch 1 (70Z080), supporting the agency’s mission to sustain and modernize its fleet of cutters and maritime assets. He manages complex acquisitions related to vessel maintenance, repair, and system upgrades, ensuring operational readiness across coastal and open-ocean missions. His portfolio includes contracts for dry dock overhauls, propulsion system modernization, and marine infrastructure support, aligning with the Coast Guard’s long-term fleet sustainment strategy. Hodges operates within a highly technical procurement environment requiring deep familiarity with naval engineering standards and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) compliance for defense-related acquisitions. He maintains consistent working relationships with specialized marine contractors including Fairbanks Morse, LLC, Bay Ship & Yacht Co, and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, L.L.C., all of whom provide critical shipbuilding, repair, and marine system integration services. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical expertise and proven performance in naval vessel maintenance. He also engages with niche suppliers such as Automatic Coating Limited USA for protective marine coatings and Tecnico Corporation for specialized marine electrical systems, reflecting a preference for vendors with demonstrated capability in Coast Guard-specific operational environments. Hodges demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with approximately two-thirds of his acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. His contracting patterns consistently prioritize small business eligibility, fostering opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and service-disabled veteran-owned firms within the maritime industrial base. This reflects a deliberate strategy to build resilience and innovation through diversified supplier engagement. His procurement focus centers on NAICS codes 335311 (power and specialty transformer manufacturing), 561599 (travel arrangement services), and 721110 (hotels and motels), indicating a broad scope that extends beyond traditional shipbuilding to include logistical, facility, and energy infrastructure support critical to Coast Guard operations. This unique blend underscores his expertise in managing non-traditional but mission-essential acquisitions that enable sustained maritime readiness.