Karie Linn

Karie Linn serves as a key procurement professional within the USDA Forest Service’s Incident Procurement unit, supporting rapid-response logistics for wildland fires and all-hazard incidents. Responsible for acquiring critical operational resources such as mobile command units, heavy equipment, water systems, and temporary housing, she ensures incident management teams have timely access to mission-critical infrastructure. Her work is central to the agency’s ability to sustain emergency operations across national forests and grasslands, requiring agile contracting under time-sensitive conditions and compliance with federal acquisition regulations for emergency procurements. She routinely manages task orders and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts to meet dynamic field demands. Linn collaborates with a diverse base of contractors specializing in emergency response and civil engineering services, including firms certified under socioeconomic programs. Her procurement patterns reflect strong partnerships with small businesses capable of mobilizing rapidly, particularly those with experience in incident support, temporary infrastructure deployment, and heavy equipment operations. She maintains consistent engagement with vendors who demonstrate proven capacity for scalable, on-demand service delivery in remote and austere environments. Her contracting portfolio demonstrates a pronounced commitment to small business participation, with nearly 70% of acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5 and over 15% designated for HUBZone firms. This reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage local, regionally-based contractors with intimate knowledge of forested terrains and incident zones. The consistent use of set-asides underscores her dedication to fostering economic resilience in rural communities while enhancing supply chain responsiveness. Linn’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting her specialization in infrastructure support for fire suppression and forest management operations. She also regularly procures services under 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and 541370 (Surveying and Mapping Services), ensuring accurate terrain assessments and engineering solutions for incident staging areas. Her technical expertise spans emergency logistics, field engineering, and environmental compliance in federal wildland operations.