katherine Santana

Katherine M. Santana serves as a Purchasing Agent at U.S. Coast Guard Base New Orleans (70Z029), where she plays a pivotal role in executing facility maintenance and infrastructure modernization acquisitions aligned with the agency’s mission of ensuring operational readiness and coastal resilience. She manages a diverse portfolio of procurement actions focused on building systems, utilities, and physical infrastructure upgrades, ensuring compliance with federal standards for safety, sustainability, and disaster resilience. Her acquisitions support critical shore-based operations by securing essential services and materials that sustain the Coast Guard’s physical footprint in a high-risk maritime environment. Katherine collaborates closely with a broad network of contractors specializing in facility services, including plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, painting, and industrial equipment suppliers. While specific contractor names are not disclosed, her procurement patterns reflect consistent engagement with qualified small businesses and established merchant wholesalers serving the commercial and industrial sectors. Her working relationships are characterized by a focus on reliability, technical competency, and adherence to federal acquisition regulations, fostering long-term vendor partnerships that ensure timely delivery of mission-critical goods and services. A staunch advocate for small business inclusion, Katherine consistently prioritizes small business set-asides, with 87.5% of her acquisitions designated under FAR 19.5 for total small business participation. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a deliberate strategy to maximize opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and locally based firms, reinforcing the Department of Homeland Security’s socioeconomic goals. She actively structures solicitations to encourage competition among small businesses, particularly those certified under HUBZone, SDVOSB, and 8(a) programs. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 238220 (plumbing and HVAC), 238320 (painting and wall covering), 423620 (household appliances), 423830 (industrial machinery), and 541320 (landscape architectural services). This technical specialization reflects her deep understanding of facility lifecycle needs, from mechanical systems to environmental landscaping, ensuring that Base New Orleans maintains mission-critical infrastructure that is both functional and resilient.