Michelle Bahr

Michelle Bahr serves as a Contracting Specialist for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests under the U.S. Forest Service, where she manages the full lifecycle of federal acquisitions to support critical land stewardship and infrastructure resilience. Her work directly enables mission-critical activities including wildfire mitigation, trail and road maintenance, and ecological restoration. Bahr specializes in engineering, construction, and support services contracts, ensuring compliance with federal procurement regulations while aligning acquisitions with the agency’s environmental and public safety objectives. She plays a pivotal role in translating operational needs into legally sound, competitively awarded contracts that uphold the Forest Service’s commitment to sustainable resource management. Bahr maintains collaborative relationships with a diverse pool of contractors, primarily small businesses and specialized civil engineering firms, to deliver essential services across Arizona and New Mexico. She frequently engages with contractors experienced in heavy civil construction, facility maintenance, and environmental compliance, fostering transparent, performance-based partnerships that prioritize safety, quality, and timeliness. Her procurement approach emphasizes accountability and contractor capacity-building, particularly with firms possessing regional expertise in forested terrain and remote infrastructure challenges. A staunch advocate for small business inclusion, Bahr consistently prioritizes small business set-asides, with 94.1% of her acquisitions designated for small businesses under FAR 19.5. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate focus on socioeconomic programs, ensuring opportunities for small, disadvantaged, and locally rooted vendors. This commitment enhances community economic resilience while expanding the pool of qualified contractors capable of supporting the agency’s complex field operations. Her primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 561720 (Janitorial Services), reflecting the agency’s need for robust infrastructure maintenance and facility support. She also manages contracts under 237990 and 238190 for specialized civil engineering and exterior construction, as well as 611430 for professional training in safety and resource management. Bahr’s expertise lies in integrating technical construction requirements with environmental regulations to deliver mission-critical outcomes in sensitive forest ecosystems.