Marcia O'Connor

Marcia O’Connor serves as a Contracting Officer for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, where she manages the acquisition of critical services and construction projects essential to sustaining forest ecosystem health. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, awarding, and administering contracts aligned with the agency’s mission of ecological resilience, wildfire risk reduction, and infrastructure maintenance. She handles a diverse portfolio of acquisitions ranging from silvicultural support and habitat restoration to civil engineering and facility construction, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations and environmental stewardship objectives. O’Connor cultivates collaborative relationships with a broad spectrum of contractors, particularly those experienced in forestry operations, heavy civil construction, and professional technical services. She works closely with firms specializing in forest management support, road and trail construction, and ecological consulting, fostering partnerships that prioritize technical expertise and operational reliability. Her procurement approach emphasizes performance-based contracting and clear deliverables to ensure outcomes align with the National Forest’s long-term resource management goals. A strong advocate for small business participation, O’Connor consistently prioritizes socioeconomic set-asides, with over half of her acquisitions designated for Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. She actively promotes HUBZone and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) participation, reflecting a deliberate commitment to equitable contracting and community economic development. Her pattern of set-aside usage demonstrates a strategic alignment with federal goals to expand opportunities for underserved businesses in rural and forest-adjacent economies. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting her expertise in managing infrastructure projects that enable forest access and ecological operations. She also frequently procures services under 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction) and 541990 (Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), demonstrating proficiency in acquiring specialized ecological assessments, wildfire mitigation planning, and operational support services critical to the National Forest’s mission.