Ms. Sharla Goforth

Sharla Goforth serves as a key procurement lead within the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center’s Acquisition Division, supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mission to advance land conservation and soil health through strategic acquisitions. She manages a portfolio of technical and engineering service contracts critical to field-level conservation initiatives, including land easement restoration, hydrological planning, and data-driven agricultural resource management. Her acquisitions focus on delivering expert civil engineering, environmental consulting, and on-site operational services that enable federal conservation programs to meet statutory and scientific benchmarks at the local level. Goforth maintains consistent working relationships with a core group of contractors including PROJECTELLA LLC, HOMESTEAD SERVICES, LLC, and JANIE B LLC, all of which provide specialized technical services in conservation engineering and land management. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor partnerships grounded in technical proficiency and mission alignment, favoring firms with demonstrated experience in ecological restoration, soil science, and rural infrastructure support. These relationships reflect a pattern of repeat engagement based on performance, compliance, and domain-specific expertise rather than transactional bidding. Her contracting activity is overwhelmingly oriented toward small business participation, with 92.9% of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate and sustained commitment to empowering small, locally rooted enterprises that bring adaptive, place-based knowledge to federal conservation efforts. While women-owned small businesses represent a minor share, the overwhelming focus on small business set-asides underscores a strategic alignment with socioeconomic goals and rural economic development. The primary NAICS categories she oversees center on 237990 (Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction), reflecting her leadership in procuring complex civil works for conservation infrastructure. Additional focus areas include soil preparation and land management services under 115112 and real estate appraisal services under 531320, all supporting land use planning and easement compliance. Her technical domain expertise lies at the intersection of environmental engineering, agricultural policy, and land stewardship, ensuring acquisitions directly serve on-the-ground conservation outcomes.