Kim Carter

Kim Carter serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWC Dahlgren), supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to advance integrated warfighting capabilities through research, development, test, and evaluation of advanced sensor systems, command and control platforms, and embedded computing technologies. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions centered on electronic warfare, signal processing, and secure communications infrastructure, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical hardware and software solutions for surface ship and missile systems. Her work directly enables the modernization of naval combat networks by aligning contracting strategies with technical requirements in defense electronics and cyber-enabled systems. Carter maintains consistent relationships with a core group of contractors including TEX-TECH ENGINEERED COMPOSITES, LLC for specialized composite hardware, TATITLEK GOVERNMENT SERVICES, INC. for systems integration and technical support, 3DB LABS INC for additive manufacturing of defense components, WASTE REMOVAL USA, LLC for environmental compliance services, and BOWHEAD PROGRAM MANAGEMENT & OPERATIONS, LLC for program management and logistics. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in defense-grade engineering, rapid prototyping, and secure supply chain execution, often involving long-term, performance-based contract structures. Her contracting patterns show a strong emphasis on open competition, with 76.9% of awards issued without set-asides, while still maintaining meaningful small business engagement through 15.4% total small business set-asides and 7.7% 8(a) competed awards. This balanced approach ensures access to innovative capabilities while adhering to federal socioeconomic goals. Carter’s procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS categories including 334290 for communications equipment, 334118 for computer peripherals, 541330 for engineering services, and 541511 for custom computer programming, reflecting deep technical alignment with electronic systems development, embedded software, and test instrumentation. Her expertise lies in acquiring advanced signal processing hardware, secure networking components, and mission-specific software solutions critical to naval combat systems.