Grace Walton

Grace Walton supports procurement operations for the San Bernardino National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, managing acquisitions critical to sustaining forest infrastructure and ecological stewardship. She oversees contracts related to waste collection, forestry support services, and facility management, ensuring alignment with federal sustainability goals and public safety standards. Her work directly enables the agency’s mission to maintain trails, campgrounds, and sanitation systems while advancing ecological restoration efforts. Walton handles a diverse portfolio of service-based procurements, primarily under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, with a focus on delivering operational continuity across remote and high-use public lands. While no specific contractor relationships are currently documented, Walton engages with a broad spectrum of vendors specializing in environmental services, land management support, and logistical operations. Her contracting patterns suggest collaboration with firms offering specialized expertise in forest restoration, waste hauling, and nonresidential facility leasing, often requiring compliance with federal environmental and safety protocols. She maintains a vendor ecosystem that balances large-capacity service providers with nimble, locally rooted small businesses capable of responding to dynamic field conditions. Walton demonstrates a strong preference for small business participation, with nearly 43% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate commitment to fostering economic opportunity within rural and regional economies, prioritizing small businesses without targeting specific socioeconomic categories such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB. Her contracting approach aligns with USDA’s broader goals of inclusive economic development in federally managed lands. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 562119 (Other Waste Collection), supporting sanitation and litter management across recreational sites, and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), which encompasses trail maintenance, fire prevention support, and ecological monitoring services. She also procures nonresidential building leasing and general support services critical to field operations, demonstrating technical fluency in environmental compliance, contract performance metrics, and land-use logistics.