Nolan McDowell

Nolan McDowell serves as a key procurement lead within the USDA Forest Service–SPoC IM, overseeing the acquisition of critical infrastructure and ecological support services essential to maintaining public access to national forest lands. His responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of contracts for transportation, recreational, and resource management projects, ensuring alignment with federal procurement regulations and the agency’s mission to sustain resilient forest infrastructure. He routinely handles complex construction and engineering procurements under FAR Part 36, with a focus on federally funded projects that require environmental compliance and public safety standards. McDowell maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors including GCS LLC, ACME ASPHALT INDUSTRIES INC, and TwentyoneTwentyseven LLC, all of which have demonstrated proven capacity in heavy civil construction and forested land support services. His contracting patterns reflect a preference for vendors with specialized expertise in trail and road rehabilitation, bridge construction, and aggregate sourcing, fostering long-term partnerships grounded in performance reliability and regulatory adherence. These collaborations are typically structured as fixed-price or cost-reimbursement contracts tailored to remote, high-risk project environments. A strong advocate for small business participation, McDowell consistently prioritizes Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, with over 72% of his awards designated for small businesses. This reflects a deliberate strategy to expand economic opportunity within rural and forest-adjacent communities, aligning with federal socioeconomic goals. His portfolio rarely includes full and open competitions, instead leveraging set-asides to promote competition among qualified small firms with relevant technical capabilities. His primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction), followed by landscaping services (561730) and construction material extraction (212321). He specializes in acquiring services related to trail and road rehabilitation, campground infrastructure upgrades, water and sewer line installation, and heavy civil engineering works in ecologically sensitive areas, demonstrating deep domain expertise in federal land management construction contracting.