Stephanie LaRuffa

Stephanie LaRuffa supports procurement operations for the Tonto National Forest under the U.S. Forest Service, ensuring the acquisition of critical goods and services aligned with the agency’s mission of ecological stewardship, infrastructure resilience, and public safety. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on facility maintenance, environmental compliance, and visitor services, coordinating with field personnel to translate operational needs into compliant solicitation requirements. Her work directly enables the Forest Service’s ability to sustain aging infrastructure, support wildfire response logistics, and maintain safe public access across the forest’s vast terrain. While specific contractor relationships are not publicly enumerated, LaRuffa engages with a broad spectrum of vendors including janitorial services providers, hazardous waste management firms, and recreational equipment lessors, reflecting the operational breadth of the Tonto National Forest. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and compliance with federal acquisition regulations, fostering partnerships with both large and small businesses capable of delivering mission-critical support under challenging environmental conditions. LaRuffa demonstrates a strong commitment to small business participation, with 42.9% of her acquisitions structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, indicating a deliberate preference for qualifying small businesses over open competitions. This pattern aligns with USDA and Forest Service goals to expand economic opportunity in rural and underserved communities, and suggests consistent engagement with service-disabled veteran-owned, woman-owned, and HUBZone-certified firms where applicable. Her procurement focus centers on five key NAICS categories: janitorial services, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, recreational goods rental, general government support, and physical sciences research. These reflect the Forest Service’s need for environmental cleanup, visitor amenities, facility upkeep, and applied ecological studies. LaRuffa’s expertise lies in bridging technical operational demands with compliant acquisition strategies to support sustainable land management and public safety across a dynamic, high-use national forest.