Rick Driggs

Rick Driggs serves as a Contracting Officer’s Representative for the USDA Forest Service, supporting the agency’s mission to sustain forest infrastructure through strategic acquisition of construction, maintenance, and ecological services. In this role, he provides critical oversight of contract performance, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and technical specifications for projects ranging from trail and road rehabilitation to bridge replacement and campground modernization. He acts as the primary liaison between contracting officers and field teams, verifying deliverables, managing scope changes, and evaluating contractor performance to uphold safety, environmental, and operational standards across national forest lands. Driggs maintains consistent working relationships with key contractors including GCS LLC, ACME ASPHALT INDUSTRIES INC, and TwentyoneTwentyseven LLC, all of whom specialize in heavy civil construction, asphalt paving, and forest infrastructure support services. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in reliability, technical expertise, and adherence to federal environmental and safety protocols. He collaborates closely with these firms to align project execution with Forest Service standards, often overseeing complex, multi-phase contracts requiring coordination across federal, state, and local stakeholders. While no formal set-aside data is available, Driggs operates within a procurement culture that prioritizes equitable access for small businesses, including 8(a), HUBZone, and SDVOSB contractors, particularly when project scope permits competitive small business participation. His oversight reflects a commitment to socioeconomic goals by actively encouraging qualified small firms to compete for forest infrastructure opportunities, fostering resilience and local economic development in rural communities. His technical domain centers on civil construction, earthwork, pavement systems, and ecological restoration services under NAICS categories including 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction) and 236220 (Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction). He routinely procures services involving erosion control, trail surfacing, culvert installation, and recreational facility upgrades, demonstrating deep familiarity with Forest Service engineering specifications and environmental compliance requirements.