Gerri M Laplander

Gerri M. Laplander serves as a Procurement Technician within the USDA Forest Service, supporting the agency’s mission to sustain national forest and grassland ecosystems through strategic acquisition of critical services and infrastructure support. In this role, she facilitates the execution of solicitations, evaluates vendor proposals, and ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations under the FAR. Her work centers on acquiring specialized technical services, construction support, and workforce solutions essential to wildfire mitigation, ecological restoration, and operational readiness in remote terrains. She plays a vital role in translating programmatic needs into compliant, timely contracts that enable field operations and resource management. Laplander maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors 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 specialized forestry support services, temporary staffing for field operations, medical and emergency response personnel, and technical consulting. Her procurement approach emphasizes reliability, regulatory adherence, and responsiveness to the unique logistical demands of federal land management, often requiring rapid mobilization of skilled labor and niche expertise. Her contracting patterns demonstrate a strong commitment to small business participation, with nearly 50% of awards issued without set-asides, while 37.2% are designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides and 12.8% under HUBZone criteria. This balance reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage small business capabilities while maintaining flexibility for mission-critical needs that may require broader vendor pools. She actively promotes socioeconomic contracting objectives aligned with federal goals for equitable opportunity. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), encompassing vegetation management, invasive species control, and forest health services. Additional emphasis is placed on heavy civil construction (NAICS 237110, 237990, 237310) for infrastructure resilience and professional technical services (NAICS 541990) supporting environmental analysis and field operations. Her expertise spans the intersection of ecological stewardship and operational logistics in challenging environments.