Elaine M. Paladino

Elaine M. Paladino serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, where she manages procurement activities critical to sustaining federal forest lands under the U.S. Forest Service. Her role centers on acquiring goods and services that support forest health restoration, infrastructure maintenance, and visitor safety, including hazardous tree removal, trail rehabilitation, and sanitation systems. She ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning purchases with the agency’s mission of ecological resilience and public access. Paladino handles a diverse portfolio of acquisitions ranging from specialized forestry support to public service equipment, often coordinating with field teams to translate operational needs into actionable contracts. She maintains consistent working relationships with key vendors such as CLIVUS MULTRUM, INC, which provides advanced composting toilet systems for remote facilities, and VALLEY TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT, INC, a supplier of heavy machinery essential for forest operations. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with technical expertise in environmental compliance and rugged, field-deployable equipment. Paladino prioritizes reliability, regulatory alignment, and local responsiveness in contractor selection, fostering long-term vendor collaborations that enhance mission readiness. Paladino demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 93.8% of her awards designated for small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. She actively targets contracts for small businesses, including those certified under HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business programs, ensuring equitable access to federal opportunities. Her procurement strategy consistently prioritizes small business participation, reinforcing the Department of Agriculture’s goals for inclusive economic development in rural communities. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 562991 (Septic Tank and Related Services), NAICS 541922 (Commercial Photography for resource documentation), and NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), with additional activity in farm supply wholesale and fabricated metal products. She specializes in procuring environmentally compliant sanitation systems, forest monitoring equipment, and field-ready tools, demonstrating deep technical understanding of forestry operations and public land management requirements.