Cindy Russ

Cindy Russ serves as a Contract Specialist within the USDA Forest Service, where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical procurements that support ecological restoration, wildfire mitigation, and operational readiness across remote federal lands. Her responsibilities include developing, negotiating, and administering contracts for a diverse range of goods and services essential to sustaining forest health and infrastructure resilience. She routinely handles acquisitions governed by FAR Part 12 and Part 13, with a focus on professional services, logistics support, and specialized technical training. Cindy’s work ensures alignment with the agency’s strategic priorities, enabling field operations through timely and compliant contracting solutions tailored to the unique challenges of rural and high-risk environments. Cindy maintains active relationships with a select group of contractors 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 staffing solutions, medical support services, and technology integration providers critical to sustaining workforce capacity and operational continuity. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and clear deliverables, fostering collaborative, long-term vendor relationships grounded in transparency and regulatory compliance. A strong advocate for small business participation, Cindy consistently prioritizes Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, which account for over half of her awards. She also supports Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) initiatives, reflecting a deliberate effort to expand socioeconomic opportunity within the agency’s supply chain. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a balanced commitment to both small business goals and mission flexibility, with a notable proportion of procurements structured as no-set-aside when broader competition better serves operational needs. Cindy’s procurement focus centers on NAICS codes related to technical and trade education (611519), dental services (621210), linen supply (812331), and HVAC contracting (238220). These reflect the Forest Service’s need for specialized workforce training, on-site health support, facility maintenance, and infrastructure upkeep in dispersed, often isolated locations. Her expertise lies in aligning service-based acquisitions with field operational requirements, ensuring that contracted resources directly enhance mission effectiveness in challenging terrain.