Kathleen Hourihan

Kathleen Hourihan serves as a primary contracting professional at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, where she plays a critical role in advancing the Department of the Navy’s maritime technology capabilities. She manages complex acquisitions for advanced naval systems, with a focus on sensor technologies, electronic warfare components, and integrated communication platforms essential for undersea, surface, and aerial domain superiority. Her work directly supports NUWC’s mission of research, development, testing, and evaluation of next-generation naval systems, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical capabilities through compliant, strategic contracting practices. Hourihan maintains strong, sustained relationships with key industry partners including Science Applications International Corporation, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Astronics Test Systems Inc, Serco Inc, and Mikel Inc. These contractors provide specialized engineering, test equipment, and systems integration services critical to naval innovation. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, technical alignment, and performance-based contracting to ensure operational readiness and technological adaptability across dynamic maritime environments. Her contracting portfolio reflects a balanced commitment to small business participation, with over one-third of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and a notable emphasis on service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. While the majority of acquisitions remain open to all competitors, her consistent use of socioeconomic set-asides demonstrates a deliberate strategy to foster innovation through diverse vendor engagement and support for the small business ecosystem. Hourihan’s primary NAICS focus areas include engineering services, commercial building construction, and the manufacturing of search, detection, navigation, and guidance systems. She routinely procures specialized hardware and software solutions for sonar, navigation, and electronic warfare applications, partnering with firms that deliver high-assurance, defense-grade technologies. Her expertise lies at the intersection of systems engineering and mission-critical procurement, ensuring that naval platforms are equipped with cutting-edge, interoperable capabilities to maintain maritime dominance.