Paula Darting

Paula Darting serves as a Purchasing Agent for the USDA Forest Service, where she plays a critical role in advancing the agency’s mission to sustain forest and grassland ecosystems through strategic procurement. She manages a diverse portfolio of construction and support service contracts essential to operational readiness in remote and rugged terrains, with a focus on infrastructure resilience, wildfire mitigation, and ecological restoration. Her acquisitions primarily support field operations, including road and bridge maintenance, forest health initiatives, and emergency response capabilities, ensuring that mission-critical resources are delivered efficiently and in compliance with federal procurement regulations. Darting maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors specializing in forestry support and civil infrastructure, including ACI FEDERAL INC, ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC, GONDO ROY E MD, THE LOCUMS CO, LLC, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC. These partnerships reflect a preference for vendors with proven expertise in remote-site logistics, specialized labor services, and technical support for forest management operations. Her procurement approach emphasizes reliability, regulatory compliance, and performance accountability, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in past performance and technical capability. A strong advocate for socioeconomic contracting, Darting consistently prioritizes small business participation, with over 57% of her acquisitions set aside for small businesses under FAR 19.5 and nearly 37% designated for HUBZone-certified firms. Her contracting patterns reflect a deliberate commitment to empowering disadvantaged and geographically underserved businesses, aligning with federal goals to increase economic opportunity in rural and forest-adjacent communities. Her primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction) and 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), underscoring her technical expertise in civil infrastructure and ecological services. She routinely procures specialized contracting services for trail maintenance, erosion control, invasive species management, and forest access improvements, ensuring that federal lands remain safe, accessible, and ecologically resilient.