Jeff Soltesz

Jeff Soltesz serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service’s Incident Procurement unit, responsible for rapidly acquiring critical logistical and operational support services in response to wildland fires and all-hazard incidents. He manages time-sensitive acquisitions for mobile command units, heavy equipment, water systems, temporary housing, and other essential infrastructure required by incident management teams across national forests and grasslands. His role is central to ensuring mission readiness by facilitating the swift deployment of specialized resources under emergency contracting authorities, often leveraging simplified acquisition procedures and expedited award mechanisms to meet urgent operational needs. While specific contractor names are not publicly disclosed, Soltesz maintains a dynamic network of specialty trade contractors capable of mobilizing rapidly in remote and austere environments. His working relationships emphasize agility, scalability, and proven performance in high-stress, time-critical scenarios. He routinely engages vendors with experience in incident support, temporary construction, and field logistics, prioritizing firms with the capacity to deliver under unpredictable conditions and in geographically dispersed locations. Soltesz maintains a 100% small business set-aside preference across all procurements, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 and the agency’s commitment to socioeconomic equity. All acquisitions are reserved exclusively for small businesses, fostering robust participation from HUBZone, 8(a), and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses with specialized capabilities in emergency response infrastructure. This pattern reflects a deliberate strategy to build resilient, community-based supply chains capable of sustaining long-term incident support operations. His procurement focus is singularly centered on NAICS 238990, All Other Specialty Trade Contractors, encompassing niche services such as temporary site development, modular facility deployment, field utility installation, and rapid-response infrastructure fabrication. Soltesz possesses deep technical expertise in evaluating contractor capabilities for field-deployable systems, ensuring compliance with federal safety, environmental, and operational standards in high-risk, high-mobility environments.