Darren M. Zychek

Darren M. Zychek serves as a Contracting Officer for the USDA Forest Service, where he manages a diverse portfolio of acquisition actions critical to sustaining the nation’s forest and grassland ecosystems. His responsibilities include planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts that support ecological restoration, wildfire mitigation, infrastructure resilience, and operational readiness in remote and rugged terrains. Zychek specializes in procurement under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) for services and construction that enable the agency’s mission of environmental stewardship and emergency response, frequently handling task orders and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts to ensure rapid deployment of resources. He maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including ACI FEDERAL INC, ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC, GONDO ROY E MD, THE LOCUMS CO, LLC, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, reflecting a blend of specialized forestry support, workforce staffing, medical services, and technical consulting partnerships. His contracting patterns emphasize long-term vendor collaboration, particularly with firms experienced in field-based operations, emergency response logistics, and ecological services, ensuring continuity and domain-specific expertise across mission-critical projects. Zychek demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with over 54% of his awards designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides and nearly 25% allocated to HUBZone firms, underscoring a deliberate strategy to expand opportunities for disadvantaged and geographically underserved businesses. His procurement approach consistently prioritizes small business participation in alignment with FAR Part 19, fostering competitive environments that enhance innovation and community engagement in rural and forested regions. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), encompassing vegetation management, invasive species control, and forest health services, supplemented by construction-related categories such as 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction). This technical specialization reflects deep expertise in acquiring services and infrastructure that sustain forest operations, protect public safety, and maintain access to federal lands.