Latoya Haywood

Latoya Haywood serves as a key procurement professional within DLA Maritime – Norfolk, supporting the U.S. Navy’s global fleet readiness through the acquisition of mission-critical industrial components essential to shipboard systems. She manages contracts for durable, precision-engineered hardware designed to operate reliably under extreme maritime conditions, with a focus on fluid systems, control instrumentation, and mechanical infrastructure. Her acquisitions span high-integrity components used in propulsion, hydraulics, and industrial control environments, ensuring operational continuity for naval platforms across the globe. Haywood maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized suppliers, including Allied Defense Industries, LLC, TAZA SUPPLIES INC, and GOVAGE, INC., all of whom provide niche industrial products tailored to naval specifications. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical compliance, quality assurance, and just-in-time delivery capabilities. These contractors are selected for their ability to meet stringent military standards for materials, testing, and traceability, particularly in rubber and plastic hose assemblies, industrial valves, and welding equipment. A defining feature of Haywood’s contracting strategy is her strong commitment to small business participation, with 91.3% of her awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. She consistently prioritizes small disadvantaged businesses and other socioeconomically disadvantaged vendors capable of delivering specialized industrial components, reinforcing DLA’s mandate to foster a resilient, diverse supplier base. Her pattern reflects a deliberate effort to expand the industrial base while ensuring access to technically capable small firms. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 326220 for rubber and plastic hoses and belting, 332911 for industrial valves, and 326122 for plastics pipe and fittings, reflecting deep expertise in fluid transport and pressure containment systems. She also procures welding and power transmission equipment critical to shipboard maintenance and modernization, demonstrating specialized knowledge in mechanical systems that support naval vessel sustainment under demanding operational conditions.