Lisa Alston-Howard

Lisa Howard-Alston serves as a Contract Specialist within the Military Sealift Fleet Support Command Norfolk, where she plays a pivotal role in securing specialized engineering and maintenance services critical to the operational readiness of the U.S. Navy’s non-combatant fleet. She manages the full lifecycle of acquisitions for complex shipboard systems, including propulsion components, marine HVAC, navigation instrumentation, and industrial repair infrastructure. Her work directly supports the agency’s mission to sustain maritime logistics through timely, compliant, and technically rigorous contracting solutions that ensure vessel availability and mission effectiveness. Howard-Alston cultivates partnerships with a diverse array of vendors, including industrial machinery wholesalers, specialized repair contractors, and equipment manufacturers serving the maritime and defense sectors. She engages regularly with firms capable of delivering certified marine-grade components and technical services that meet stringent Navy specifications, often coordinating with technical evaluators and quality assurance teams to ensure compliance with military standards. Her contracting approach emphasizes vendor reliability, technical expertise, and adherence to Federal Acquisition Regulation protocols. She demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with over 60% of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, reflecting a deliberate strategy to broaden supplier diversity. While the majority of awards go to small business concerns, she also administers a significant volume of open competitions, balancing socioeconomic goals with mission-critical performance needs. Her contracting patterns show minimal use of 8(a) set-asides, indicating a preference for broader small business participation over targeted programs. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS codes related to industrial machinery manufacturing and maintenance, particularly 333618 for engine equipment and 423830 for industrial machinery wholesalers. She routinely sources components for marine propulsion systems, HVAC units, and repair services for commercial and industrial vessel infrastructure, demonstrating deep technical familiarity with naval engineering domains and the supply chains that support them.