Paula Sales

Paula Sales serves as the primary procurement lead for the Helena National Forest, overseeing the acquisition of critical infrastructure and construction services essential to sustaining public land operations. In this role, she ensures compliance with federal contracting regulations while advancing the U.S. Forest Service’s mission of environmental stewardship and facility resilience. Her portfolio primarily includes heavy civil engineering, commercial building, and public works projects that support ranger stations, visitor centers, water systems, and transportation infrastructure across forested territories. She manages the full lifecycle of solicitations, from needs assessment through contract award and administration, ensuring alignment with agency priorities and national environmental standards. Paula maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors, including LANDMARK DEVELOPMENT VII, DIAMOND CONSTRUCTION, INC., and XENTURIS LLC, who have demonstrated proven expertise in delivering complex, remote-site construction projects under challenging environmental conditions. Her procurement approach favors long-term vendor partnerships built on reliability, safety compliance, and adaptive project execution in sensitive ecological zones. These contractors are regularly selected for their capacity to meet stringent federal construction codes and perform in high-altitude, forested terrains with minimal environmental disruption. A staunch advocate for small business participation, Paula consistently prioritizes socioeconomic set-asides, with 88% of her acquisitions reserved for small businesses under FAR 19.5. She actively promotes opportunities for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, which account for nearly 9% of her award portfolio, reflecting a deliberate strategy to expand economic inclusion in rural contracting markets. Her patterns reveal a strong institutional commitment to fostering local and disadvantaged business participation without compromising project quality or mission readiness. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction), 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction), and 237310 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction), reflecting the agency’s emphasis on durable, mission-critical infrastructure. She specializes in procuring water and sewer line installations, structural upgrades, and road maintenance systems designed for long-term resilience in remote, high-use forest areas.