Matthew Billhardt

Matthew Billhardt serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service’s CSA Southwest 1 unit, responsible for managing acquisitions that advance forest ecosystem resilience and operational readiness across remote and ecologically sensitive landscapes. He oversees contracts supporting critical mission functions including vegetation management, wildfire mitigation, and infrastructure maintenance, ensuring alignment with federal land stewardship priorities. His procurement portfolio emphasizes support activities essential to field operations, with a strong focus on enabling sustainable forestry practices through timely and compliant acquisition strategies. Billhardt maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse range of vendors, particularly small businesses qualified under federal set-aside programs. He works closely with contractors specializing in forestry support services, equipment leasing, and environmental compliance, fostering partnerships that prioritize local capacity and technical expertise. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and long-term vendor reliability, often engaging firms with proven experience in ecological restoration and remote-site logistics. A staunch advocate for small business participation, Billhardt consistently applies a 100% small business set-aside preference across his acquisition portfolio, aligning with FAR 19.5 guidelines. His contracting patterns reflect a deliberate commitment to socioeconomic inclusion, with frequent utilization of 8(a), HUBZone, and service-disabled veteran-owned small business certifications to build resilient, community-based supply chains that support rural economies and workforce development. His primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), encompassing brush clearing, fuel reduction, and prescribed burning services. He also regularly procures janitorial services for field stations, construction machinery leasing through NAICS 532412, and real estate leasing for remote facilities. This technical domain expertise ensures that acquisitions directly enable the Forest Service’s mission of ecological restoration, wildfire preparedness, and sustainable resource management in the Southwest.