Christopher J. Ford

Christopher J. Ford serves as a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, where he manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions critical to sustaining national forests and grasslands. His responsibilities include planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts for infrastructure, ecological restoration, and operational support services that advance the agency’s mission of land stewardship and public access. Ford specializes in procurements under FAR Part 19, ensuring compliance with socioeconomic goals while delivering mission-critical capabilities in construction, engineering, and forestry support. He routinely handles complex, multi-year contracts requiring technical expertise in environmental compliance, facility maintenance, and wildfire resilience initiatives. Ford maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including ACI FEDERAL INC, AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, and ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC, reflecting a balanced mix of large and small business partners. His procurement patterns favor vendors with proven experience in federal land management support, particularly those capable of delivering specialized services such as forest health assessments, temporary staffing for field operations, and technical engineering solutions. He prioritizes vendors with demonstrated capacity to operate in remote, ecologically sensitive environments and maintains a collaborative, performance-driven approach to contractor oversight. Ford exhibits a strong commitment to small business participation, with over 55% of his awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, complemented by a 5% preference for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. His contracting strategy actively leverages socioeconomic programs to expand opportunities for qualified small firms while ensuring competitive, mission-aligned outcomes. He consistently integrates small business subcontracting requirements and encourages teaming arrangements to enhance capability and capacity across the vendor base. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and 541310/541330 (Architectural and Engineering Services), with additional emphasis on forest nursery operations and heavy civil construction. Ford’s expertise centers on acquiring services that enable ecological restoration, trail and road maintenance, wildfire mitigation infrastructure, and facility operations across the National Forest System, ensuring technical rigor and regulatory compliance in every acquisition.