Paula S. Winningham

Paula S. Winningham serves as the primary procurement lead for the Umpqua National Forest, overseeing the acquisition of critical services that support ecological restoration, vegetation management, and forest infrastructure maintenance. In this role, she ensures compliance with federal contracting regulations while advancing the agency’s mission of sustainable land stewardship. Her portfolio primarily includes contracts for forestry support activities, surveying and mapping, and habitat enhancement projects, with a strong emphasis on post-fire rehabilitation and timber stand improvement. She manages the full acquisition lifecycle—from market research and solicitation to award and contract administration—ensuring alignment with USDA and U.S. Forest Service strategic objectives. Winningham maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of regional contractors, including G E FORESTRY, INC, GREEN HILLS FORESTRY LLC, THREE STRIPES CONTRACTING LLC, and UMPQUA VALLEY FORESTRY, INC. These partnerships reflect a preference for locally rooted, forest-service-experienced vendors capable of executing complex field operations under challenging terrain and environmental conditions. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, technical proficiency, and adherence to environmental compliance standards, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in performance and regulatory accountability. Her procurement strategy is heavily oriented toward small business participation, with 88.4% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate commitment to economic development within rural communities and a strategic effort to empower locally owned enterprises with expertise in forest management. She rarely utilizes no-set-aside contracts, demonstrating a strong institutional focus on socioeconomic inclusion and capacity building among small, family-operated forestry and land services firms. Her primary NAICS focus areas include 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry), 541370 (Surveying and Mapping Services), and 541930 (Translation and Interpretation Services), indicating a blend of technical field operations and administrative support needs. She procures services such as ecological monitoring, boundary surveys, vegetation mapping, and culturally sensitive communication support, underscoring a multidisciplinary approach to forest management that integrates science, compliance, and community engagement.