Karen D. Aldridge

Karen D. Aldridge serves as a Contract Specialist within the SFLC Procurement Branch 3 (00040) of the U.S. Coast Guard, where she plays a critical role in executing acquisition strategies to sustain and modernize the nation’s maritime fleet. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of procurement actions, she specializes in shipbuilding and repair contracts under NAICS 336611, ensuring compliance with federal regulations while aligning acquisitions with the Coast Guard’s operational readiness objectives. Her work directly supports the procurement of vessel maintenance, structural repairs, and system upgrades essential to the endurance of Coast Guard cutters and auxiliary craft. Aldridge maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized marine contractors, including Philadelphia Electrical Equipment Co., JDCI Enterprises, Inc., ALS Services USA, Corp., Cabras Marine Corporation, and Bay Marine Boatworks, Inc. These partnerships reflect a focus on firms with proven expertise in naval architecture, marine systems integration, and dry-dock repair services. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical capability, past performance, and reliability in delivering mission-critical maritime infrastructure support. While the majority of her acquisitions—85.7%—are conducted without set-asides, Aldridge maintains a meaningful commitment to small business participation, with 14.3% of awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a balanced strategy that prioritizes mission necessity while fostering competition among qualified small vendors in the marine services sector. Her procurement portfolio is exclusively focused on NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), underscoring deep technical expertise in vessel lifecycle management, structural refurbishment, and marine systems procurement. She consistently engages with contractors capable of meeting stringent Coast Guard engineering and safety standards, ensuring all acquisitions support the operational integrity of the fleet.