Jennifer LaBarge

Jennifer LaBarge serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service–SPOC NW, managing acquisitions critical to sustaining national forest infrastructure and ecological resilience. She oversees contracting for trail and bridge rehabilitation, wildfire mitigation systems, reforestation support, and remote facility maintenance, ensuring alignment with the agency’s mission to balance public access with environmental stewardship. Her portfolio centers on civil construction and ecological services, requiring precise adherence to federal procurement regulations and environmental compliance standards. LaBarge plays a pivotal role in translating operational needs into solicitation strategies that prioritize safety, sustainability, and long-term resource integrity. Her contractor relationships span firms specializing in civil infrastructure and forestry support services, with consistent engagement with small businesses and firms holding expertise in remote-site construction and ecological restoration. While no single vendor dominates her portfolio, she cultivates partnerships with contractors possessing proven experience in rugged terrain operations, environmental permitting, and federal land access protocols. Her approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and contractor accountability in high-risk, low-access environments. LaBarge demonstrates a balanced commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with half of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, and the remainder awarded as open competitions. This dual strategy ensures competitive market participation while actively expanding opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and HUBZone-certified firms with niche capabilities in forestry and infrastructure maintenance. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate effort to diversify vendor bases and strengthen regional economic resilience in rural communities. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting expertise in heavy civil works and ecological service contracting. She also procures specialized audio-video equipment for remote ranger stations and monitoring systems under NAICS 334310, demonstrating technical fluency across both infrastructure and operational technology domains. LaBarge’s work ensures that federal investments in public lands yield durable, mission-critical outcomes.