Ann M. Ball

Ann M. Ball serves as a Contracting Officer for the Eastern Region USDA Forest Service, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions that support forest stewardship, wildfire suppression, and ecological restoration. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, specializing in environmental services, land management infrastructure, and specialized equipment procurement. Her work directly enables the agency’s priorities in fire risk mitigation, watershed protection, and facility modernization, ensuring that contracting actions align with federal sustainability and public access mandates. Ball’s acquisitions are predominantly performance-based, emphasizing outcomes in habitat conservation and operational resilience. While specific contractor names are not publicly available, Ball maintains active partnerships with a broad spectrum of vendors, including small businesses certified under socioeconomic programs and firms with technical expertise in forestry operations and conservation engineering. Her procurement approach emphasizes collaboration with contractors capable of delivering field-ready solutions, from vegetation management to infrastructure construction, fostering long-term vendor relationships grounded in compliance, performance accountability, and adaptive contract management. Ball demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 75% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to empower local and regional firms, particularly those with expertise in ecological services and rural infrastructure. Her contracting patterns consistently prioritize socioeconomic goals, ensuring equitable access to federal opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and community-based enterprises. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115112 (Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating), reflecting extensive engagement in reforestation, erosion control, and invasive species management. She also regularly procures commercial and institutional building construction services (NAICS 236220) for ranger stations and visitor facilities, as well as industrial truck and tractor machinery (NAICS 333924) essential for forest operations. This technical domain expertise positions her as a key steward of environmentally sensitive, mission-aligned acquisitions across the Eastern Region.