Keith Willis

Keith Willis serves as a procurement specialist within the U.S. Coast Guard’s SFLC Procurement Branch 1 (70Z080), responsible for managing acquisitions critical to the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard’s fleet of cutters and maritime vessels. His work directly supports operational readiness by overseeing contracts for shipbuilding, dry dock overhauls, propulsion system upgrades, and hull maintenance—ensuring vessels remain mission-capable across coastal, offshore, and open-ocean environments. He specializes in complex naval procurement actions under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, coordinating technical requirements with shipyard partners and engineering teams to align contracting outcomes with long-term asset lifecycle goals. Willis maintains consistent working relationships with key shipbuilding and marine repair contractors, including Fairbanks Morse, LLC, Bay Ship & Yacht Co, Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, L.L.C., and Technico Corporation. These partnerships reflect a preference for experienced maritime industrial base vendors with proven capabilities in naval vessel repair, retrofitting, and systems integration. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, leveraging past performance and technical expertise to ensure quality, schedule adherence, and compliance with Coast Guard engineering standards. His procurement portfolio is heavily oriented toward small business participation, with 75.9% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, supplemented by HUBZone and service-disabled veteran-owned small business set-asides. This reflects a deliberate strategy to cultivate a resilient, diversified industrial base and promote economic opportunity within the maritime contracting sector. His pattern of socioeconomic contracting underscores a strong institutional commitment to small business inclusion without compromising mission-critical performance. The sole NAICS code utilized across his portfolio is 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), confirming a singular focus on naval vessel maintenance, repair, and construction. He procures specialized marine systems, including propulsion components, corrosion protection coatings, and structural steel fabrication services—all aligned with the Coast Guard’s fleet modernization and life-extension initiatives. His technical expertise lies at the intersection of naval architecture, marine engineering, and federal acquisition compliance.