Laura Donson

Laura Donson serves as a Contracting Officer at the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (N40027), where she plays a pivotal role in sustaining the operational readiness of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. She manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for ship maintenance, repair, and modernization contracts under NAICS 336611, ensuring compliance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) requirements. Her portfolio includes dry-docking services, hull structural overhauls, machinery system upgrades, and naval vessel modernization projects critical to extending the service life of combat-effective warships. Donson works closely with technical engineers and program managers to align acquisition strategies with fleet readiness objectives. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identifiable, Donson engages with a broad spectrum of defense industrial base vendors, including shipyards, marine engineering firms, and specialized repair contractors with Navy-certified capabilities. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting, quality assurance protocols, and rigorous contractor performance evaluations to ensure mission-critical outcomes. She prioritizes vendors with proven experience in naval vessel maintenance and a demonstrated capacity to meet stringent Navy safety and regulatory standards. Donson’s contracting patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 87.5% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions. However, she consistently allocates 12.5% of opportunities to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to small business participation across the defense industrial base. While no 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB preferences are currently dominant, her portfolio supports equitable access for qualified small businesses capable of delivering complex maritime maintenance services. Her primary technical focus is on NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), encompassing structural repairs, propulsion system overhauls, and electrical system upgrades. She also oversees limited procurements in port and harbor operations (NAICS 488310), reflecting the integrated logistics support required for shipyard operations. Donson’s expertise lies in managing high-stakes, technically complex acquisitions within the naval ship repair domain, ensuring compliance with military specifications and maintaining the Navy’s strategic maintenance capacity.