Austin Hess

Austin Hess serves as a procurement specialist within the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s mission of ecological restoration and sustainable forest management. He manages acquisitions critical to wildfire risk reduction, forest health improvement, and infrastructure maintenance, with a focus on mechanical thinning, prescribed burning support, hand piling, and watershed restoration services. His role ensures that contracting activities align with federal environmental stewardship goals and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance requirements. Hess routinely handles service-based contracts under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), prioritizing technical expertise in forest ecology, fuels management, and natural resource conservation. While no specific contractor relationships are currently documented, Hess’s procurement activity consistently channels opportunities toward small businesses capable of delivering specialized ecological services. His contracting patterns reflect a preference for vendors with proven experience in forest treatment operations, heavy equipment operation for fuel reduction, and environmental monitoring. He fosters long-term vendor partnerships with firms possessing site-specific knowledge of the Pacific Northwest’s forest ecosystems and demonstrated capacity for seasonal, labor-intensive fieldwork. Hess maintains a 100% small business set-aside orientation under FAR 19.5, reflecting a strong institutional commitment to socioeconomic contracting. All procurements are structured to maximize participation from small businesses, including HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, and women-owned concerns, ensuring equitable access to federal forest service contracts. This approach supports rural economic development and builds a resilient contractor base with deep local expertise. His primary procurement focus is on NAICS 336612 (Boat Building), which, in this context, reflects the acquisition of specialized watercraft used for remote watershed restoration, aquatic invasive species control, and riverbank stabilization operations within the forest’s complex hydrologic systems. This unique application underscores his technical understanding of how non-traditional NAICS codes serve critical ecological objectives in rugged, inaccessible terrain.