Melissa Bingham

Melissa Bingham serves as a Forestry Technician with the National Forests in Mississippi, operating under the U.S. Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture. In this role, she supports the agency’s mission of sustainable forest management by identifying, planning, and coordinating operational needs related to land stewardship, trail and road maintenance, and wildfire mitigation infrastructure. Her procurement responsibilities center on acquiring specialized services that ensure the resilience and accessibility of public forest lands, including landscaping, vegetation management, and facility upkeep. She works closely with field crews and resource specialists to translate technical requirements into actionable acquisition packages aligned with federal contracting guidelines. While no specific contractor relationships are currently documented, Bingham consistently engages with small, locally rooted service providers capable of delivering site-specific forestry support under federal environmental and safety standards. Her procurement patterns reflect a preference for vendors with demonstrated expertise in ecological restoration, trail construction, and low-impact maintenance practices. She fosters collaborative, long-term vendor partnerships that prioritize responsiveness, environmental compliance, and adaptability to dynamic forest conditions. Bingham maintains a 100% small business set-aside preference across all her acquisitions, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 guidelines. Her contracting approach actively prioritizes participation from small disadvantaged businesses, HUBZone firms, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged contractors, reinforcing the agency’s commitment to equitable economic opportunity in rural communities. This focus ensures that federal investments in forest infrastructure directly benefit local economies and build capacity among small, place-based service providers. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 561730 (Landscaping Services), which accounts for two-thirds of her activity, encompassing brush clearing, invasive species control, and native vegetation establishment. The remaining third falls under NAICS 561720 (Janitorial Services), supporting visitor facilities and administrative sites. Her technical expertise spans ecological best practices, erosion control, and public land access standards, making her a key liaison between field operations and compliant, mission-driven acquisitions.