Elrick Lounds

Elrick Lounds serves as a key procurement lead within the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center’s Acquisition Division, supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mission to advance land conservation and soil health through strategic contracting. Responsible for managing technical and engineering service acquisitions, Lounds oversees the procurement of field-level conservation infrastructure, land easement restoration services, and data-driven agricultural planning solutions. Their portfolio centers on complex, mission-critical contracts that require specialized expertise in civil engineering, site preparation, and real estate documentation, ensuring federal resources are effectively deployed to support sustainable land management across rural America. Lounds maintains consistent partnerships with a select group of contractors, including PROJECTELLA LLC, HOMESTEAD SERVICES, LLC, and JANIE B LLC, all of which provide specialized technical services in conservation engineering and land stewardship. These relationships reflect a pattern of long-term, performance-based engagement with firms possessing deep domain knowledge in agricultural land systems and environmental compliance. The contracting approach emphasizes reliability, technical proficiency, and adherence to conservation standards, fostering collaborative vendor partnerships grounded in mission alignment rather than transactional procurement. A pronounced commitment to small business participation defines Lounds’ contracting strategy, with 96.9% of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate focus on empowering small, locally rooted enterprises capable of delivering field-ready conservation solutions. While no other socioeconomic set-asides dominate, the consistent reliance on small business contractors underscores a broader agency priority to stimulate rural economic resilience through targeted procurement. The primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and 238990 (All Other Specialty Trade Contractors), supporting earthwork, erosion control, and conservation structure installation. Secondary emphasis on NAICS 541191 and 531320 indicates a growing need for land title documentation and real estate appraisal services tied to easement acquisition and restoration projects. This technical blend underscores expertise in integrating civil engineering with real property law to execute complex conservation initiatives.