Diane Bales

Diane Bales serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service, overseeing acquisitions critical to maintaining the resilience and operational readiness of federal forest and grassland infrastructure. Her work centers on the planning, solicitation, and award of contracts that support water and sewer line construction, stormwater management, and related civil works essential to sustaining remote forest service facilities. She plays a vital role in aligning procurement activities with the agency’s mission to enhance ecological integrity, mitigate wildfire risks, and ensure safe public access through reliable utility systems in rugged, often inaccessible terrain. Bales maintains consistent contracting relationships with a select group of specialized vendors, 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 focus on firms with proven expertise in civil infrastructure, emergency response support, and technical staffing for field operations. Her procurement approach emphasizes reliability, regulatory compliance, and on-site adaptability, fostering long-term vendor collaboration to meet the Forest Service’s dynamic and mission-critical needs. Her contracting portfolio is exclusively set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a firm commitment to socioeconomic inclusion and workforce development within the construction and technical services sectors. By directing all acquisitions to small business concerns, she actively promotes equitable access to federal opportunities and strengthens the capacity of niche contractors to serve remote public land missions. Bales specializes in NAICS 237110 — Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction — with a technical focus on gravity-fed water systems, wastewater collection, storm drainage, and utility trenching in ecologically sensitive zones. Her expertise lies in procuring construction services that integrate environmental safeguards, erosion control, and sustainable design principles, ensuring compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements while delivering mission-critical infrastructure across the national forest system.