Heather Cole

Heather Cole serves as a key procurement lead within the Nebraska National Forest, part of the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture, where she manages acquisitions critical to sustaining forest ecosystem resilience. Her role centers on executing contracts that support infrastructure maintenance, reforestation efforts, and ecological restoration initiatives. She oversees the procurement of specialized construction and land management services aligned with the agency’s mission of native plant propagation, pest control, and forest infrastructure integrity. Her acquisitions primarily involve civil works, electrical systems, and structural improvements necessary for operational continuity across remote forest sites, ensuring compliance with federal environmental and contracting standards. Heather consistently collaborates with PASSION IN THE WORK LLC and MBJSMART LLC as primary contractors, forming stable, performance-driven partnerships rooted in technical reliability and regulatory adherence. These vendors provide specialized services in site-specific construction, electrical installations, and siding systems tailored to the unique demands of forested environments. Her contracting approach emphasizes long-term vendor engagement, with a preference for firms demonstrating proven experience in rural, environmentally sensitive project execution and adherence to USDA-specific safety and sustainability protocols. She maintains a 100% small business set-aside preference across her procurement portfolio, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 guidelines to prioritize small business participation. This reflects a deliberate strategy to foster economic development in rural communities surrounding the Nebraska National Forest, ensuring that contracting opportunities directly benefit locally owned and operated enterprises. Her pattern of awarding exclusively to small businesses underscores a strong commitment to socioeconomic equity and workforce capacity building within the agency’s operational footprint. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 238210 (electrical contractors), 238170 (siding contractors), and 237310 (highway, street, and bridge construction), reflecting her expertise in managing infrastructure projects essential to forest access, utility reliability, and wildfire mitigation. She specializes in procuring services that integrate structural durability with ecological sensitivity, ensuring all construction activities comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and USDA forestry standards.