Michael Bender

Michael Bender serves as a key procurement lead within the U.S. Forest Service’s Csa Intermountain 8 office, responsible for managing infrastructure contracts critical to the operational integrity of national forests across the Intermountain West. He oversees the acquisition of civil construction services essential to maintaining roads, bridges, and access infrastructure that support forest management, emergency response, and public recreation. His portfolio is exclusively focused on public works projects requiring strict adherence to environmental regulations, federal construction standards, and resilience-based design principles. Bender ensures acquisitions align with the agency’s mission to sustain safe, durable, and environmentally compliant facilities in remote and ecologically sensitive areas. He maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of specialized contractors, including JACKSON EXCAVATION, INC, MEDVED GLOBAL INC, CT ELECTRIC LLC, SPRING FOUNTAIN STUDIOS LLC, and VEREN INDUSTRIES LLC. These partnerships are built on proven expertise in heavy civil construction, utility integration, and site remediation within rugged terrain. Bender prioritizes vendors with demonstrated capacity to execute complex, multi-phase projects under challenging logistical conditions, fostering long-term collaborative relationships grounded in performance reliability and regulatory compliance. Bender’s procurement strategy is fully aligned with the Small Business Administration’s set-aside mandates, with 100% of his acquisitions designated as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate and consistent commitment to maximizing economic opportunity for small businesses, particularly those with niche capabilities in infrastructure construction. His contracting patterns prioritize firms that are certified as small businesses under the SBA’s size standards, ensuring broad participation from regional and local contractors with specialized field experience. His technical domain is exclusively centered on NAICS 237310—Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction—encompassing earthmoving, pavement rehabilitation, culvert installation, erosion control, and structural bridge repairs. He procures services requiring advanced engineering oversight, geotechnical assessments, and compliance with USDA and FHWA standards, demonstrating deep expertise in federal civil works contracting within forested and mountainous environments.