Cheryl Raines

Cheryl Raines serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, supporting the agency’s mission to ensure operational readiness for wildland fire suppression, emergency incident management, and resource conservation. She manages acquisitions centered on logistical and technical support services critical to field operations, including mobile command infrastructure, water handling systems, and personnel support equipment. Her work directly enables rapid deployment capabilities across national forests and grasslands, ensuring that frontline personnel have the tools and infrastructure needed for effective incident response. Raines handles a high volume of service-based contracts under FAR Part 12 and Part 37, with a strong emphasis on performance-based acquisition methods. Raines collaborates closely with a network of specialized vendors offering forestry support services, including contract firefighters, incident management teams, and technical providers of field communications and mobile logistics systems. While specific contractor names are not disclosed in available records, her procurement patterns reflect consistent engagement with firms possessing expertise in wildland fire support, environmental compliance, and remote field operations. She fosters long-term vendor partnerships grounded in reliability, scalability, and mission alignment, prioritizing vendors with proven experience in high-risk, dynamic operational environments. Raines maintains a strict 100% small business set-aside preference across all her procurements, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 and USDA FS’s commitment to socioeconomic equity. Her contracting portfolio consistently awards contracts to small businesses, including 8(a), HUBZone, and women-owned small businesses, reinforcing the agency’s dedication to expanding economic opportunity while building a resilient, diverse supplier base capable of meeting mission-critical needs. Her primary procurement focus is on NAICS 115310—Support Activities for Forestry—encompassing services such as fire prevention logistics, vegetation management support, wildland firefighting equipment maintenance, and field-based technical assistance. She specializes in procuring mission-critical services that sustain the Forest Service’s operational tempo, ensuring that contractors deliver not just compliance, but mission-ready outcomes in austere environments.