Mariah R Morris

Mariah R. Morris serves as a Contracting Officer for the USDA Forest Service–SPOC NW, where she leads the acquisition of critical infrastructure and ecological restoration services essential to sustaining the nation’s forest ecosystems. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts aligned with the agency’s mission to enhance public safety, restore degraded lands, and improve recreational access through targeted construction and support activities. Her procurements primarily involve heavy civil engineering, trail and bridge rehabilitation, wildfire resilience infrastructure, and reforestation support services, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and environmental stewardship standards. Morris cultivates strategic relationships with a broad base of small and medium-sized contractors specializing in forestry support, civil construction, and remote facility maintenance. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently engages firms with proven expertise in rural infrastructure delivery, ecological compliance, and emergency response logistics. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes, requiring contractors to demonstrate technical proficiency in sustainable construction practices and adherence to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. A staunch advocate for socioeconomic equity in federal contracting, Morris prioritizes small business participation with an overwhelming 74.7% of her awards set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, supplemented by a notable 6.6% allocation to HUBZone firms. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate strategy to empower local and regionally based vendors, particularly those with experience in remote, environmentally sensitive terrains. This commitment fosters economic resilience in rural communities while ensuring access to specialized labor and equipment. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), reflecting her specialization in terrestrial infrastructure and ecological services. She routinely procures services such as erosion control, trail grading, culvert installation, and forest thinning support, requiring contractors to possess technical expertise in forest management, environmental mitigation, and hazardous material handling. Morris’s domain knowledge ensures that acquisitions align with both operational needs and long-term conservation goals.