Monica E. Mende

Monica E. Mende serves as a key procurement lead within the U.S. Coast Guard’s Headquarters Contract Operations (CG-912), where she manages strategic acquisitions critical to national maritime security and operational readiness. Her responsibilities center on the acquisition of commercial aerospace, maritime, and technical transportation equipment through leasing and rental arrangements, ensuring the Coast Guard maintains a modern, mission-ready fleet. She plays a pivotal role in executing the agency’s force modernization objectives by securing specialized vessels, surveillance systems, and support infrastructure essential for coastal patrol, search and detection, and maritime domain awareness operations. Mende maintains enduring relationships with a focused group of shipbuilding and maritime services contractors, including Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C., Davie Defense Inc., Rauma Marine Constructions Oy, and Rozema’s Boat Works, Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industry players with proven expertise in vessel construction, retrofitting, and specialized maritime equipment integration. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical reliability, lifecycle support, and compliance with U.S. maritime standards, fostering long-term vendor collaboration over transactional engagements. Mende’s procurement portfolio is exclusively composed of non-set-aside awards, reflecting a strategic emphasis on open competition to ensure access to the broadest range of technical capabilities and industrial capacity. There is no current use of 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other socioeconomic set-asides, indicating a procurement philosophy prioritizing mission-critical performance and operational readiness over socioeconomic preferences. Her primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 532411—Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing—underscoring her specialization in acquiring leased or chartered maritime assets rather than direct procurement of new construction. This includes patrol boats, surveillance platforms, and support vessels equipped with advanced detection and navigation systems, demonstrating deep expertise in maritime logistics, equipment lifecycle management, and operational leasing frameworks.