Sandra L French

Sandra L. French serves as a Purchasing Agent for the Custer Gallatin National Forest, a unit of the U.S. Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture, where she manages the acquisition of critical goods and services essential to maintaining federal forest infrastructure. Her responsibilities include planning, soliciting, and awarding contracts for projects related to wildfire mitigation, trail and road maintenance, and ecological restoration. She plays a pivotal role in ensuring the agency’s operational readiness by aligning procurement activities with federal regulations and mission-driven priorities, focusing on timely delivery of materials and services that support public safety and environmental stewardship. French maintains strong working relationships with key contractors including YOUNG GUN CONSTRUCTION LLC, TK3, LLC, and KOMMODITIES CORP, which regularly deliver specialized construction, forestry support, and chemical solutions. Her procurement approach emphasizes collaboration with vendors possessing proven technical capabilities in remote-area operations and federal compliance, fostering reliable partnerships that ensure performance under challenging environmental conditions. A staunch advocate for small business participation, French consistently prioritizes socioeconomic set-asides, with 40% of her awards designated for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and another 40% for general Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to expand economic opportunity within rural and veteran-owned enterprises while maintaining high standards of contractor performance and accountability. Her procurement focus centers on NAICS 325320 (pesticide and agricultural chemical manufacturing), 332311 (prefabricated metal building components), 115310 (forestry support activities), and 237310 (highway, street, and bridge construction). She specializes in acquiring specialized forestry equipment, structural components for ranger stations, herbicides for invasive species control, and heavy civil construction services, demonstrating deep expertise in the technical demands of federal land management operations.