Rebecca Baisden

Rebecca Baisden serves as an Archaeologist and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for the Cibola National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, where she ensures compliance with federal preservation standards in all contracted field operations. Her role bridges technical cultural resource management with procurement execution, overseeing acquisitions that support archaeological surveys, cultural site stabilization, and heritage documentation essential to maintaining compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. She plays a critical part in enabling the agency’s mission of environmental stewardship by ensuring that operational contracts align with both ecological integrity and cultural resource protection requirements. Baisden maintains consistent working relationships with RELIANCE CONTRACTORS INC and ALERTWEST, INC, both of which provide specialized cultural resource services including Phase I and II archaeological surveys, historic structure evaluations, and tribal consultation support. Her procurement approach emphasizes collaborative, technically rigorous vendor partnerships, often requiring contractors to demonstrate proven expertise in federal cultural resource protocols and field-ready methodologies. She actively engages with contractors to ensure deliverables meet National Park Service and USDA standards, fostering long-term reliability and regulatory adherence. Her contracting patterns reflect a strong commitment to socioeconomic equity, with 50% of her acquisitions structured as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5 and an equal portion designated as HUBZone set-asides. This dual focus prioritizes small, community-based firms with demonstrated presence in rural and underserved regions, reinforcing the agency’s goal of inclusive economic development alongside conservation outcomes. Baisden’s procurement portfolio is concentrated in NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), reflecting her specialization in field-based cultural resource management and technical consulting. She routinely procures services such as archaeological monitoring, artifact analysis, GIS-based site mapping, and tribal heritage coordination, requiring contractors to possess certified professionals with expertise in federal compliance frameworks and ethnographic research methodologies.