Nicole Buckler

Nicole Buckler serves as a key procurement professional within Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA HQ), supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain and modernize the U.S. Fleet through the acquisition of complex naval vessels and mission-critical maritime systems. She manages full lifecycle contracting actions for shipbuilding and repair programs, overseeing the solicitation, award, and administration of contracts for large-scale naval platforms, propulsion systems, and integrated combat electronics. Her work directly enables fleet readiness and technological advancement across surface and undersea domains, ensuring compliance with defense acquisition regulations and operational requirements. Buckler maintains consistent contracting relationships with leading defense prime contractors including Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Damen Shipbuilding & Cooperation B.V., G.S.E. Dynamics, Inc., and Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC. These partnerships center on the design, construction, and integration of naval vessels and advanced subsystems, reflecting a preference for established industrial base partners with proven expertise in naval architecture, systems engineering, and shipyard production. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, risk mitigation, and long-term sustainment planning. Her procurement portfolio reflects a strict focus on full and open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside classifications. This indicates a deliberate strategy to prioritize technical capability, industrial capacity, and mission-critical delivery over socioeconomic set-asides, aligning with NAVSEA’s requirement for high-assurance, large-scale shipbuilding capabilities that demand specialized infrastructure and workforce expertise. Buckler’s primary technical domain is NAICS 336611—Ship Building and Repairing—where she procures end-to-end naval vessel construction, dry-dock modernization, hull systems integration, and combat system upgrades. Her expertise spans steel-hulled warships, propulsion machinery, hull-form design, and naval electrical systems, ensuring acquisitions meet stringent Navy standards for durability, survivability, and interoperability across the fleet.