Chad Santone

Chad Santone serves as Program Manager, Regional Contracts for the R1 Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture, where he oversees the acquisition of critical infrastructure and operational support services essential to sustaining national forest lands. His responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for site preparation, forestry support activities, and facility maintenance across remote and ecologically sensitive regions. Santone ensures procurement aligns with the agency’s mission of forest health, wildfire mitigation, and public access, coordinating with field teams to translate operational needs into compliant, performance-based solicitations that prioritize safety, sustainability, and regulatory adherence. While no specific contractor relationships are currently identified in the procurement record, Santone’s portfolio consistently engages firms with expertise in ecological site preparation, forest road construction, and forestry support services. He cultivates partnerships with contractors possessing proven experience in environmental compliance, erosion control, and working within sensitive ecosystems under USDA and NEPA guidelines. His procurement approach emphasizes contractor reliability, technical proficiency in forest-specific methodologies, and adherence to federal environmental standards. Santone’s contracting activity reflects a 100% preference for non-set-aside procurements, indicating a focus on full and open competition rather than socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs. This pattern suggests an operational priority on technical capability and capacity over socioeconomic targeting, though small businesses are not excluded—they compete on equal footing based on merit, past performance, and domain expertise. His primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and 238910 (Site Preparation Contractors), reflecting deep specialization in forest management services including fuel reduction, trail and road construction, invasive species control, and wildfire prevention infrastructure. Santone’s expertise lies in procuring complex, field-driven services requiring environmental permitting, seasonal scheduling, and coordination with multiple federal and state agencies to ensure mission-critical outcomes in challenging terrain.