Tara Ford

Tara Ford serves as a key procurement lead at the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, supporting the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet readiness through the acquisition of specialized maintenance, repair, and modernization services. She manages contract actions aligned with NAICS 336611 (Ship Building and Repairing) and NAICS 325510 (Paint and Coating Manufacturing), overseeing the procurement of hull integrity treatments, corrosion control systems, and vessel overhaul components critical to extending the service life of naval warships. Her work directly enables dry-docking operations and structural upgrades, ensuring combat-effective readiness across the fleet. She operates within the Department of Defense’s acquisition framework, coordinating with engineering, logistics, and shipyard teams to align contracting strategy with technical requirements. Tara collaborates with a diverse range of industrial vendors, including ship repair contractors, marine coating specialists, and fabrication firms capable of meeting stringent Navy specifications. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for qualified small businesses and established defense contractors with proven experience in naval vessel maintenance. She fosters long-term vendor partnerships grounded in compliance with MIL-STD and Navy Technical Manuals, prioritizing performance history, quality assurance systems, and facility certifications such as AS9100 and ISO 9001. Her contracting portfolio is evenly split between open competitions and Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to socioeconomic inclusion. She consistently prioritizes small business participation without reliance on 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, indicating a preference for broad-based small business eligibility under the general small business category. Tara’s primary technical focus lies in marine coating systems and shipyard repair services, with 75% of her acquisitions targeting high-performance paint and protective coating technologies essential for corrosion resistance in saltwater environments. Her expertise spans the lifecycle of naval vessel sustainment, from surface preparation to final coating application, making her a critical link between technical requirements and industrial execution in naval maintenance operations.