Sarah Pheral

Sarah Pheral serves as a Contract Specialist and Contractor Support lead within the USDA Forest Service, where she facilitates the acquisition of critical support services essential to the agency’s operational resilience and mission readiness. Her work centers on procuring specialized professional, administrative, and logistical services that enable field operations, emergency response, and resource management across remote and rugged terrains. She manages a diverse portfolio of contract actions under FAR Part 13 and Part 14 procedures, ensuring compliance with federal procurement standards while aligning acquisitions with the Forest Service’s strategic priorities in ecological restoration, wildfire mitigation, and infrastructure sustainability. Pheral maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors, including ACI FEDERAL INC, ONE STOP RECRUITING LLC, GONDO ROY E MD, THE LOCUMS CO, LLC, and AMD INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC. These partnerships primarily support staffing, medical services, and technical consulting needs. Her procurement approach emphasizes reliability, rapid mobilization, and niche expertise, often leveraging long-term vendor relationships to ensure continuity of services in time-sensitive or high-risk operational environments. Her contracting activity shows no preference for socioeconomic set-asides, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a mission-driven focus on securing the most qualified providers regardless of business size or certification status, prioritizing capability and responsiveness over socioeconomic criteria. Pheral’s primary NAICS focus areas—621320 (Optometrists), 621511 (Medical Laboratories), 621111 (Physician Offices), and 812320 (Drycleaning and Laundry Services)—reveal an unusual but operationally grounded procurement pattern. These categories support the health, hygiene, and wellness needs of field personnel and temporary workforces deployed in remote locations. Her expertise lies in procuring non-traditional, mission-critical support services that sustain workforce readiness in austere environments, bridging the gap between public health logistics and federal land management operations.