Richard Ortega, Contract Specialist

Richard Ortega serves as a Contract Specialist within the USDA Forest Service-spoc Software, where he manages the acquisition of critical civil engineering and land management support services essential to national forest stewardship. His portfolio centers on infrastructure resilience, ecological restoration, and public safety initiatives, including road and bridge construction, hazardous tree removal, and site preparation for reforestation. Ortega ensures compliance with federal procurement regulations while aligning acquisitions with the agency’s strategic priorities in environmental remediation and sustainable land use. He handles complex, performance-based contracts requiring technical oversight of heavy civil works and specialized trade services, often coordinating with engineers and environmental specialists to define scope and evaluation criteria. Ortega maintains a consistent working relationship with McKenzie Construction & Site Development LLC, a primary contractor delivering civil infrastructure and site development services across forested regions. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in performance history, safety compliance, and environmental stewardship. He routinely engages contractors with proven expertise in heavy civil construction and specialty trade work, fostering collaboration to meet mission-critical deadlines in remote and ecologically sensitive areas. A strong advocate for small business participation, Ortega consistently structures procurements as Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, reflecting an 84.6% preference for small business contracting. His pattern demonstrates a deliberate commitment to expanding economic opportunity among small, locally based firms capable of delivering specialized services in forested environments, aligning with federal socioeconomic goals without compromising mission readiness. His primary NAICS focus includes Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (237310), Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990), and All Other Specialty Trade Contractors (238990), with additional activity in construction materials sourcing and roofing. Ortega’s technical expertise lies in procuring services that ensure the integrity of forest infrastructure while minimizing ecological disruption, requiring deep familiarity with environmental regulations, geotechnical constraints, and sustainable construction practices.