Martha Bowland

Marti Bowland serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Lolo National Forest, part of the U.S. Forest Service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, she manages the acquisition of goods and services essential to sustaining forest infrastructure, ecological health, and public safety across western Montana. Her procurement activities center on supporting land management operations, including maintenance of forest roads, trail systems, and water infrastructure, as well as environmental remediation and facility operations. Bowland executes procurements in full compliance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, prioritizing mission-critical needs while ensuring transparency, competition, and regulatory adherence. She maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors including Quality Construction Co., YOY Inc., Century Warehousing, Inc., Oregon Woods, Inc., and the County of Kootenai. These partnerships reflect a focus on local and regional vendors capable of delivering specialized services such as construction, logistics, waste management, and forestry support. Bowland fosters collaborative, long-term vendor relationships grounded in performance reliability and compliance with federal environmental and labor standards, ensuring continuity in high-stakes operational support. Bowland demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 85.7% of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5. Her procurement patterns reflect a deliberate emphasis on small business participation, consistently directing opportunities to small, locally based firms that align with the Forest Service’s community engagement goals. While no specific set-aside categories like 8(a) or HUBZone are dominant, her portfolio is structured to maximize access for small businesses across diverse socioeconomic classes. Her primary procurement focus lies in Janitorial Services (NAICS 561720), which accounts for over half of her activity, supporting facility operations across remote forest stations. Additional focus areas include Support Activities for Animal Production and Remediation Services, reflecting her technical expertise in environmental compliance and operational sustainability. She routinely procures services tied to ecological stewardship, infrastructure maintenance, and public land usability, demonstrating deep familiarity with the unique logistical and regulatory demands of federal land management.