Kristen Thomas Cook

Kristen J. Thomas serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Coast Guard’s SFLC Procurement Branch 3 (70Z040), supporting the agency’s mission to sustain and modernize the national maritime fleet. Responsible for managing complex acquisitions related to vessel maintenance, repair, and infrastructure modernization, Thomas oversees contracts that ensure operational readiness across the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet and supporting systems. Her work directly enables lifecycle management of maritime assets, focusing on shipbuilding, mechanical systems, and critical marine infrastructure upgrades. She handles a diverse portfolio of procurement actions under FAR Part 13 and Part 15, often utilizing competitive sealed bidding and negotiated contracting methods to meet urgent operational requirements. Thomas maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized marine contractors, including Philadelphia Electrical Equipment Co., JDCI Enterprises, Inc., ALS Services USA, Corp., Cabras Marine Corporation, and Bay Marine Boatworks, Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in vessel repair, marine electrical systems, and industrial maintenance services. Her contracting patterns indicate a reliance on established, technically capable contractors with deep domain knowledge in Coast Guard-specific maritime platforms, fostering long-term collaboration grounded in quality, compliance, and mission alignment. While the majority of her acquisitions are conducted without set-asides (67.3%), Thomas actively supports small business participation, with over one-third of awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate commitment to expanding opportunities for qualified small businesses in the maritime support sector, though she does not frequently utilize specialized socioeconomically targeted set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. Her procurement focus is heavily concentrated in NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), with significant activity also in commercial and industrial machinery repair (811310), engine equipment manufacturing (333618), and overhead crane systems (333923). She specializes in acquiring high-integrity marine systems, including propulsion components, HVAC for vessel environments, and heavy-duty mechanical equipment critical to fleet endurance and safety.