Cory Hughes

Cory Hughes serves as a Procurement Technician within the USDA Forest Service, supporting the agency’s mission to sustain forest and grassland ecosystems through efficient and compliant acquisition processes. In this role, he facilitates the execution of contracts for critical infrastructure, emergency response, and ecological restoration activities across remote and rugged terrains. His responsibilities include preparing solicitation documents, evaluating vendor proposals, ensuring regulatory compliance under the FAR, and coordinating with program managers to align procurement actions with operational priorities. He primarily handles service and specialty trade acquisitions essential to maintaining forest health, wildfire mitigation infrastructure, and field operational readiness. Cory works closely with a focused 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 technical consulting, specialized labor support, and niche manufacturing capabilities required to meet the Forest Service’s unique field demands. His procurement patterns indicate consistent engagement with vendors offering workforce solutions, technical expertise, and custom-built equipment tailored to remote environmental operations, suggesting a preference for reliable, mission-aligned partners with proven performance in challenging conditions. Cory demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 71.4% of his acquisitions designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to prioritize small businesses across socioeconomic categories, fostering economic opportunity while ensuring access to agile, specialized vendors capable of delivering responsive services in underserved regions. His contracting patterns consistently align with federal socioeconomic goals, reinforcing the Forest Service’s dedication to inclusive procurement practices. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 238990 (All Other Specialty Trade Contractors) and 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction), each accounting for 28.6% of his portfolio, followed by 113310 (Logging), 332420 (Metal Tank Manufacturing), and 541690 (Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services). These categories underscore his expertise in acquiring infrastructure maintenance, resource extraction support, custom fabrication, and field-based technical services critical to forest management and emergency response operations.