Daryl Kirtley

Daryl Kirtley serves as a key procurement lead within the Shawnee National Forest, overseeing contracting activities that support the U.S. Forest Service’s mission to maintain sustainable public lands in southern Illinois. Responsible for managing acquisitions aligned with ecological stewardship and visitor services, Kirtley specializes in landscaping and grounds maintenance contracts essential to trail and road infrastructure, sanitation systems, and visitor facility upkeep. Their procurement efforts directly enable safe, accessible, and environmentally compliant public use of federal forest lands, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and agency sustainability goals. Kirtley maintains a consistent working relationship with FREEBOURN ANDREW, the primary contractor engaged across multiple fiscal cycles for landscaping and land management services. This partnership reflects a pattern of long-term, performance-based contracting focused on operational continuity and ecological best practices. The relationship is characterized by collaborative planning, compliance with environmental standards, and a reliance on vendor expertise in native vegetation management and erosion control, reinforcing a trusted, repeat-vendor dynamic grounded in proven performance. Kirtley demonstrates a strong, unwavering commitment to small business participation, with 100% of acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to prioritize economic opportunity for small, locally based enterprises capable of delivering specialized land management services. No other socioeconomic set-asides are utilized, indicating a focused approach to empowering small businesses as the primary vehicle for fulfilling agency needs. The procurement portfolio is exclusively concentrated under NAICS 561730 (Landscaping Services), encompassing site maintenance, vegetation control, litter removal, and habitat enhancement activities. Kirtley’s expertise lies in acquiring services that balance aesthetic, functional, and ecological outcomes—ensuring public areas remain safe and inviting while preserving native ecosystems. This narrow, high-focus specialization underscores deep technical domain knowledge in forested land stewardship and outdoor recreation infrastructure support.