Virginia J. Ernest

Virginia J. Ernest supports the operational readiness of U.S. Navy surface and auxiliary vessels through strategic procurement and contract management at Mschq Norfolk under the Department of the Navy. She oversees acquisitions critical to maritime sustainment, including ship repair, deep-sea freight logistics, and mission-critical marine equipment procurement. Her role ensures alignment with the agency’s mission to maintain continuous fleet deployment by securing reliable, high-performance services and specialized maintenance solutions. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts governed by FAR provisions, with a focus on technical services that directly support naval operational tempo and vessel availability. Ernest maintains consistent partnerships with key contractors including EXXONMOBIL MARINE LIMITED for marine fuel and logistics support, VIGOR MARINE LLC for shipyard services and vessel maintenance, BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC for systems integration and operational analysis, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC for strategic maritime policy advisory services, and ONTIC ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING, INC for specialized marine component fabrication. These relationships reflect a blend of industrial, technical, and analytical vendor capabilities essential to sustaining naval readiness across global operating environments. Her contracting patterns prioritize open competition, with 75% of awards issued without set-asides, while maintaining a deliberate 25% commitment to Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This balance reflects a pragmatic approach to acquiring complex maritime services while actively fostering small business participation across multiple socioeconomic categories, though no specific preference for 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB is dominant in her portfolio. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 811310 for commercial and industrial machinery repair and maintenance, reflecting deep expertise in vessel sustainment systems. Additional emphasis is placed on NAICS 721110 for lodging services supporting transient naval personnel and NAICS 811219 for specialized repair services. She also procures port and harbor operations (488310) and navigational services to shipping (488330), demonstrating technical proficiency in maritime infrastructure and logistics enablers critical to fleet sustainment.