Risha Walters

Risha Walters serves as a key procurement professional at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard IMF, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain and modernize the U.S. Navy’s fleet through complex ship repair and industrial modernization programs. Responsible for managing acquisition strategies for mission-critical vessel maintenance and overhaul activities, Walters specializes in procuring engineering services, mechanical systems, and shipyard infrastructure upgrades. Her work directly enables naval readiness by ensuring timely delivery of technical solutions that support dry-dock cycles, propulsion system refurbishment, and hull integrity restoration. She operates within the full spectrum of defense contracting, from initial requirement development to contract award and performance oversight, with a focus on high-complexity, low-volume acquisitions aligned with naval industrial base priorities. Walters maintains strong, long-standing relationships with a core group of industrial contractors including NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION, PACIFIC INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT CORP, XLEAGLE LLC, FAIRBANKS MORSE, LLC, and PHILIP RIEKE. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in naval shipyard environments, particularly those capable of delivering specialized marine propulsion components, precision machining, and corrosion-resistant system integrations. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, technical compliance, and on-time delivery in high-stakes maintenance windows, fostering collaborative vendor engagement grounded in operational readiness requirements. A defining feature of Walters’ procurement strategy is her overwhelming commitment to small business participation, with 91.7% of awards structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This consistent preference underscores a strategic emphasis on cultivating a resilient, geographically diverse industrial base capable of supporting the shipyard’s unique technical demands. Her contracting patterns prioritize small businesses with relevant NAICS certifications and proven shipyard experience, reinforcing DoD socioeconomic goals while enhancing competition and innovation. Her procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 336611 — Ship Building and Repairing — reflecting deep specialization in naval vessel maintenance, mechanical overhauls, and shipyard infrastructure support. She procures highly technical goods and services including diesel and gas turbine propulsion systems, hydraulic and electrical control modules, welding and fabrication services, and non-destructive testing capabilities, all tailored to the stringent standards of naval surface fleet sustainment.