Rick Marinelli

Rick Marinelli serves as Chief of Battalion 43 within the USDA Forest Service, overseeing operational contracting for wildfire mitigation, ecological restoration, and emergency response initiatives across remote and rugged federal lands. In this leadership role, he directs the acquisition of mission-critical resources to sustain forest health, support wildfire suppression teams, and maintain infrastructure resilience in high-risk terrain. His procurement responsibilities span personnel services, technical equipment, and logistical support essential to field operations, ensuring the agency maintains operational readiness through timely and compliant contract awards aligned with federal land management priorities. Chief Marinelli maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors specializing in federal emergency response and workforce support services. Key partners include ACI FEDERAL INC for incident management support, ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC for specialized staffing solutions, GONDO ROY E MD for medical and emergency response personnel, THE LOCUMS CO, LLC for temporary clinical and field health services, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC for technical and communications infrastructure. These partnerships reflect a focus on agile, mission-aligned vendors capable of deploying rapidly in austere environments, often under time-sensitive operational demands. While no formal set-aside data is available, Chief Marinelli’s contracting patterns suggest a pragmatic approach to socioeconomic preferences, with evident reliance on firms capable of rapid mobilization and proven federal experience. His procurement decisions prioritize capability and responsiveness over rigid certification categories, though small and veteran-owned businesses with relevant operational track records are regularly engaged when they meet technical and deployment requirements. His procurement focus centers on NAICS categories related to emergency services (561621), scientific and technical consulting (541611), and administrative support services (561312). He primarily acquires personnel services for fire suppression crews, medical responders, and logistics coordinators, alongside specialized equipment for wildland firefighting, remote communications, and ecological monitoring systems, demonstrating deep expertise in operational readiness contracting for federal land management agencies.