Kimberly B. Carithers

Kimberly B. Carithers serves as a Procurement Technician for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s mission to sustain forest health and ecological resilience across Georgia’s public lands. In this role, she facilitates the acquisition of goods and services critical to silvicultural operations, habitat restoration, wildfire risk reduction, and infrastructure maintenance. She manages the full procurement lifecycle for contracts under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines while aligning acquisitions with the agency’s operational priorities. Her work directly enables field teams to execute land management activities through timely and efficient contracting. Carithers collaborates with a diverse network of vendors specializing in forestry support, civil engineering, and technical services. She maintains consistent working relationships with small businesses and experienced contractors capable of delivering specialized services such as prescribed burning support, trail construction, erosion control, and forest inventory analysis. Her procurement approach emphasizes responsiveness, regulatory adherence, and vendor reliability, fostering long-term partnerships with firms possessing the technical expertise to operate in sensitive ecological environments. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong commitment to small business participation, with over 43% of acquisitions set aside for total small businesses under FAR 19.5. HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) set-asides are also regularly utilized, alongside limited 8(a) competed awards, demonstrating a deliberate strategy to promote economic opportunity and geographic equity in rural procurement. She actively prioritizes socioeconomic programs to expand vendor diversity and strengthen community resilience. Carithers’ primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting her specialization in ecological infrastructure and forest management services. She routinely procures services related to fuel reduction, invasive species control, equipment maintenance, and environmental monitoring, requiring deep familiarity with USDA and Forest Service operational standards. Her technical expertise ensures that acquisitions meet both regulatory and ecological performance benchmarks.