Christine B. Howick

Christine B. Howick serves as a Purchasing Agent for the USDA Forest Service, where she plays a critical role in executing acquisitions that support the agency’s mission of sustaining national forest and grassland ecosystems. She manages a diverse portfolio of procurement actions focused on operational readiness, facility maintenance, and field support services, with particular emphasis on janitorial and facility services essential to remote and high-use public lands. Her work ensures that Forest Service stations, visitor centers, and emergency response hubs maintain sanitary, safe, and functional environments. Christine operates under FAR Part 13 procedures and frequently utilizes simplified acquisition thresholds to expedite mission-critical purchases while maintaining strict compliance with federal procurement standards. Christine maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of vendors, including ACI FEDERAL INC, ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC, GONDO ROY E MD, THE LOCUMS CO, LLC, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC. These partnerships reflect a blend of specialized service providers—ranging from staffing and medical support to technical and logistics contractors—that enable the Forest Service to respond dynamically to seasonal demands and emergency operations. Her contracting approach prioritizes reliability, responsiveness, and compliance, fostering long-term vendor engagement grounded in performance accountability and regulatory adherence. A staunch advocate for small business inclusion, Christine consistently directs over 95% of her procurements toward Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a robust commitment to socioeconomic contracting goals. Her pattern reflects deliberate efforts to empower small, locally-based enterprises, particularly those serving rural and underserved communities where Forest Service operations are concentrated. She rarely issues open competitions, instead leveraging set-aside authorities to maximize opportunities for small businesses across multiple socioeconomic categories. Her procurement focus is overwhelmingly centered on NAICS 561720 (Janitorial Services), which accounts for nearly 70% of her activity, underscoring her expertise in facility operations and environmental maintenance. Secondary categories include farm and garden equipment wholesale, HVAC contracting, animal production support, and professional training—all aligned with sustaining infrastructure and workforce readiness in remote field locations. Her technical domain expertise lies in procuring mission-enabling services that ensure operational continuity across the nation’s most challenging terrains.