Shawnda Forbes

Shawnda Forbes serves as a key procurement professional within Mschq Norfolk, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to sustain operational readiness of surface and auxiliary naval vessels. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on ship repair, marine logistics, and mission-critical equipment maintenance, ensuring fleet assets remain mission-capable through timely and compliant contracting. Her work directly enables the sustainment of naval operations by securing specialized maritime services and engineered solutions that align with Navy readiness standards and regulatory frameworks under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Forbes maintains strategic relationships with a select group of prime contractors including EXXONMOBIL MARINE LIMITED for marine fuel and logistics support, VIGOR MARINE LLC for shipyard repair and conversion services, BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC for systems engineering and operational analysis, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC for strategic maritime policy advisory, and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC for specialized marine hardware and components. These partnerships reflect a preference for established industry leaders with proven technical capability in naval environments, often involving long-term, performance-based contract structures. Her procurement strategy strongly prioritizes small business participation, with over 62% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a consistent commitment to socioeconomic contracting goals. She actively leverages small business capabilities across multiple categories, fostering vendor development and competitive bidding among qualified firms while maintaining rigorous performance standards. Forbes’s technical focus centers on NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing), with significant activity in commercial and industrial machinery maintenance (811310) and engineering services (541330). She procures complex maritime systems including propulsion components, environmental control units, and navigation instrumentation, requiring deep domain expertise in naval engineering, marine logistics, and defense supply chain integrity.