N. Jean Windle

N. Jean Windle serves as a Contracting Officer for the Lolo National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, where she manages the full lifecycle of procurements critical to sustaining forested ecosystems and public infrastructure in western Montana. Her portfolio encompasses contracts for ecological restoration, trail and road maintenance, facility construction, and operational support services aligned with the agency’s mission of land stewardship and public safety. Windle specializes in complex, mission-driven acquisitions that require technical coordination across environmental, engineering, and public works domains, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and interagency standards. She maintains longstanding relationships with a core group of contractors including Quality Construction Co., YOY INC, Century Warehousing, Inc., Oregon Woods, Inc., and the County of Kootenai, reflecting a preference for vendors with demonstrated expertise in forestry support, light construction, and logistical services. Windle fosters collaborative, performance-based partnerships, often leveraging past performance and technical capability evaluations to ensure contractor reliability in remote, high-risk environments. Windle demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 85% of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5, prioritizing small business participation across all categories. While no specific 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB preferences are dominant, her consistent use of total small business set-asides underscores a strategic emphasis on local economic development and capacity building within rural contracting communities. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), and 561720 (Janitorial Services), with significant activity in technical consulting and environmental testing services. Windle’s expertise spans the integration of ecological compliance, infrastructure resilience, and facility operations, making her a key facilitator of mission-critical acquisitions that balance environmental stewardship with public access and safety.