Robert Avila

Robert Avila serves as a Project Engineer with the USDA Forest Service’s Olympic National Forest, where he plays a pivotal role in planning, evaluating, and overseeing infrastructure projects critical to ecological stewardship and public safety. His responsibilities include technical oversight of construction and maintenance activities related to trails, restrooms, water systems, and utility corridors across rugged terrain. Avila works closely with contracting officers to translate engineering requirements into solicitation specifications, ensuring acquisitions align with environmental regulations and resource management goals. He primarily handles construction and specialty trade procurements that support the Forest Service’s mission of resilient infrastructure in sensitive ecosystems. Avila collaborates with a diverse range of contractors specializing in remote-site construction, including firms with expertise in hazardous tree removal, trail development, and off-grid utility installation. While no single contractor dominates his portfolio, he consistently engages small and mid-sized firms capable of operating in ecologically constrained environments with minimal disruption. His working relationships emphasize technical proficiency, environmental compliance, and adaptability to seasonal and topographic challenges, fostering partnerships grounded in reliability and regulatory adherence. Avila demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 75% of his procurements structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. His contracting patterns reflect a deliberate preference for firms certified under socioeconomic programs, particularly those with experience in federal land management contexts. This focus ensures local economic benefits and promotes capacity building among small contractors familiar with the unique demands of public land infrastructure. His primary procurement focus centers on NAICS 238990 (All Other Specialty Trade Contractors), 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors), 237110 (Water and Sewer Line Construction), and 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction). He specializes in procuring services for trailhead facilities, potable water systems, septic infrastructure, and low-impact structural improvements that balance public access with habitat preservation, demonstrating deep expertise in sustainable construction practices within protected forest environments.