Deannda Sontag

Deannda Sontag serves as Supervisory Contract Specialist for the National Forests in Mississippi, overseeing the full lifecycle of procurement actions critical to sustaining the agency’s mission of ecological stewardship and public infrastructure resilience. She manages a diverse portfolio of service-based acquisitions focused on land management, trail and road maintenance, and wildfire mitigation support, ensuring compliance with federal contracting regulations and alignment with the U.S. Forest Service’s operational priorities. Her role involves developing solicitation strategies, evaluating proposals, negotiating contracts, and providing guidance to junior specialists, all while upholding transparency and accountability in federal spending. Sontag collaborates extensively with small business contractors specializing in landscape and environmental services, fostering long-term vendor partnerships built on performance reliability and regulatory compliance. While specific contractor names are not disclosed in available records, her procurement patterns reflect a consistent reliance on agile, locally rooted vendors capable of delivering seasonal and emergency-response services across Mississippi’s forested terrain. Her working relationships emphasize collaboration, clear performance metrics, and timely contract administration to meet dynamic field operational needs. A staunch advocate for socioeconomic equity in federal contracting, Sontag applies a 100% small business set-aside policy across all eligible acquisitions, fully leveraging FAR 19.5 to maximize opportunities for small businesses, including HUBZone, SDVOSB, and service-disabled veteran-owned firms. Her commitment to inclusive contracting ensures that economic benefits from federal forest management expenditures directly support underserved communities and regional entrepreneurship. Her technical expertise centers exclusively on NAICS 561730 (Landscaping Services), encompassing vegetation management, erosion control, trail construction, invasive species removal, and firebreak maintenance. Sontag’s deep understanding of ecological service delivery enables her to craft precise performance work statements and evaluate technical proposals with precision, ensuring contractors meet the environmental and safety standards required for federal forest lands.