Kim L Gripp

Kim L. Gripp serves as a Purchasing Agent at NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Puget Sound, where she plays a pivotal role in securing critical marine engineering systems, structural components, and industrial maintenance services essential to the readiness of U.S. Navy surface and submarine fleets. Her procurement activities directly support the integrity and operational sustainability of naval vessels, focusing on the acquisition of precision-fabricated hardware, mechanical systems, and shipbuilding-related materials. Gripp operates within the Department of Defense’s defense logistics framework, ensuring compliance with FAR regulations while aligning acquisitions with fleet modernization and maintenance priorities. She maintains long-standing partnerships with key contractors including Timken Gears & Services Inc., Curtiss-Wright Electro-Mechanical Corp, Bellingham Marine Industries, Palfinger Marine USA, and Jered LLC, each specializing in marine propulsion systems, electro-mechanical controls, vessel fabrication, and lifting equipment. These relationships reflect a pattern of collaboration with Tier-1 industrial suppliers capable of delivering high-reliability, Navy-certified components under stringent quality and delivery standards, often under time-sensitive operational timelines. Gripp demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 76.7% of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns consistently prioritize small disadvantaged businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and other socioeconomic categories, fostering a robust supplier base aligned with DoD’s small business goals. This reflects a deliberate strategy to enhance competition and innovation while supporting national economic resilience. Her primary NAICS focus areas include industrial laundering, industrial gas manufacturing, and shipbuilding and repairing, with notable activity in overhead crane systems and specialized marine hardware. This technical specialization underscores her expertise in procuring mission-critical, engineered solutions for naval maintenance and repair environments, ensuring vessels remain operationally viable through precise, standards-compliant acquisitions.