Carol Waite

Carol Waite serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service’s Incident Procurement unit, responsible for securing rapid-response logistical and operational services to support wildland fire and all-hazard incident management. Her work ensures incident command teams have immediate access to critical infrastructure—including mobile command units, water systems, and temporary housing—through expedited contracting mechanisms under FAR Part 18. She specializes in time-sensitive, mission-critical acquisitions that require agile procurement practices to meet dynamic field demands across national forests and grasslands, often under emergency or exigent circumstances. While specific contractor relationships are not publicly enumerated, Waite consistently engages with a nationwide network of qualified vendors capable of mobilizing specialized surveying, mapping, and geospatial services under urgent timelines. Her procurement patterns emphasize responsiveness, technical precision, and compliance with federal emergency protocols, fostering partnerships with firms experienced in rapid deployment of geospatial data collection, aerial imagery analysis, and terrain mapping tools essential for fire behavior modeling and resource allocation. Waite maintains a 100% small business set-aside preference across all procurements, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 and prioritizing participation from small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone firms, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. This unwavering commitment ensures equitable access to federal contracting opportunities while building a resilient, diverse supplier base capable of scaling operations during high-tempo incident cycles. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 541370—Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services—encompassing aerial photogrammetry, LiDAR data collection, GIS mapping, and real-time terrain analysis. She procures technical services that support incident mapping, burn severity assessment, and evacuation route planning, demonstrating deep expertise in geospatial intelligence and emergency response logistics. Her work directly enables data-driven decision-making for fire suppression and recovery operations across federal lands.