Kayla J.Dicks

Kayla J. Dicks serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain and modernize surface ship systems. She manages complex acquisitions for advanced engineering services and mission-critical shipboard technologies, including propulsion, damage control, ballast, and industrial control infrastructure. Her work ensures the operational readiness of naval platforms through the timely procurement of engineered solutions, analytical instrumentation, and integrated system upgrades. Dicks operates within a technical procurement environment requiring deep domain knowledge in naval engineering and systems integration, aligning contract actions with strategic modernization goals for the fleet. She maintains established relationships with leading defense and industrial contractors including Fairbanks Morse, LLC, Leidos, Inc., Rolls-Royce Corporation, G.S.E. Dynamics, Inc., and Kampi Components Co Inc. These partnerships reflect a focus on high-reliability engineering firms with proven expertise in naval systems, instrumentation, and mechanical-electrical integration. Dicks consistently engages with vendors capable of delivering customized, ruggedized solutions for harsh maritime environments, emphasizing technical compliance, lifecycle support, and systems interoperability across legacy and next-generation platforms. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with 80% of awards issued under no set-aside, reflecting a need for specialized technical capabilities often found only among large, established contractors. However, she maintains a consistent 20% commitment to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, actively fostering partnerships with qualified small firms capable of supporting niche engineering and manufacturing requirements. This balanced approach ensures access to innovation while maintaining mission-critical performance standards. Dicks’s portfolio is dominated by NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), reflecting her primary focus on systems engineering, design analysis, and shipboard integration. A secondary emphasis on NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing) underscores her role in procuring precision test and diagnostic equipment used for validating shipboard system performance. Her expertise lies at the intersection of naval architecture, mechanical systems, and electronic instrumentation, driving acquisitions that enhance the durability, safety, and operational efficiency of U.S. Navy surface vessels.