Adriana K. Mendoza

Adriana K. Mendoza serves as a Contract Specialist Trainee with the Malheur National Forest, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s mission to sustain forest health and resilience through strategic procurement. In this role, she assists in the full lifecycle management of acquisitions, including solicitation development, contract administration, and compliance with federal acquisition regulations. Her work directly enables critical ecological restoration activities such as prescribed burning, mechanical thinning, and infrastructure maintenance across the forest’s vast terrain. She primarily handles service-based contracts under NAICS 115310, focusing on support activities for forestry that require technical expertise in wildfire risk reduction, forest management planning, and habitat restoration. While specific contractor relationships are not yet fully established due to her trainee status, Adriana collaborates closely with experienced contracting officers and program managers to engage qualified vendors delivering forestry support services. She is actively building relationships with small businesses specializing in forest health operations, including vegetation management, fuel reduction, and trail maintenance contractors, fostering a collaborative procurement environment grounded in compliance and mission alignment. Adriana demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with all of her assigned acquisitions currently structured as HUBZone set-asides. This reflects the agency’s strategic emphasis on directing opportunities to businesses located in historically underutilized zones, promoting economic development in rural communities surrounding the Malheur National Forest. Her procurement patterns consistently prioritize HUBZone-certified firms, aligning with federal mandates to enhance geographic equity and community resilience. Her primary technical focus is on NAICS 115310, encompassing specialized forestry support services such as prescribed fire implementation, mechanical fuel reduction, invasive species control, and forest inventory support. Adriana is developing deep expertise in the operational requirements of land management agencies, ensuring that procurements deliver technically sound, ecologically appropriate outcomes that meet the Forest Service’s stewardship goals.