Brian Heeringa

Brian Heeringa serves as a Wildlife Biologist within the USDA Forest Service’s Incident Procurement unit, where he provides critical technical expertise to support rapid-response acquisitions for wildland fire and all-hazard incident management. His role bridges ecological science and procurement operations, ensuring that contracted services align with biological resource protection standards and incident operational needs. Heeringa evaluates and validates technical specifications for acquisitions involving habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, fire suppression support systems, and ecological mitigation measures, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations during emergency operations. His work directly enables incident management teams to deploy resources that safeguard both public safety and sensitive natural resources. Heeringa collaborates closely with a network of specialized small business contractors who provide ecological consulting, wildlife hazard mitigation, and forestry support services. While no single vendor dominates his portfolio, he consistently engages with firms possessing demonstrated expertise in post-fire land rehabilitation, invasive species control, and wildlife impact assessments. His procurement approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical validation, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors who can rapidly adapt to dynamic incident conditions while adhering to federal environmental compliance standards. Heeringa maintains a 100% Small Business Set-Aside preference under FAR 19.5, reflecting a steadfast commitment to socioeconomic contracting. All acquisitions under his purview are reserved exclusively for small businesses, with a strong emphasis on firms certified under HUBZone, 8(a), and Women-Owned Small Business programs. This pattern ensures that contracting opportunities in ecologically sensitive regions directly benefit local and regionally based enterprises with intimate knowledge of the landscapes they serve. His primary procurement focus is NAICS 115310—Support Activities for Forestry—encompassing services such as prescribed burning support, wildlife surveying, erosion control, and temporary habitat relocation. Heeringa’s technical domain expertise lies in integrating ecological best practices into emergency logistics, ensuring that contracted services not only meet operational demands but also uphold the Forest Service’s stewardship mission. His work ensures that incident response remains ecologically responsible and community-engaged.