Steven Eric Butler

Steven Eric Butler serves as a Contracting Officer for the Southern Research Station under the U.S. Forest Service’s Department of Agriculture, where he manages the acquisition of critical support services essential to ecological research and forest management operations. His portfolio centers on enabling field-ready infrastructure, environmental compliance, and scientific operational continuity through the procurement of specialized support activities, landscaping, janitorial services, and agricultural chemical supplies. Butler ensures alignment with federal acquisition regulations and agency strategic priorities, facilitating timely and compliant contract awards that sustain long-term research missions across remote and sensitive ecological sites. He maintains a consistent working relationship with LSG MANAGEMENT, LLC, a primary contractor delivering integrated operational support for research site maintenance and logistics. His contracting patterns reflect a preference for established vendors with demonstrated expertise in forestry support and environmental stewardship, fostering long-term, performance-based partnerships that prioritize reliability, regulatory adherence, and mission readiness. Butler demonstrates a strong commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 74.1% of his awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, and an additional 11.1% reserved for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. His procurement strategy actively promotes small business participation, ensuring equitable access for qualified firms while maintaining rigorous performance standards across all contract types. His primary NAICS focus includes Support Activities for Forestry (115310), reflecting deep expertise in procuring forest health maintenance, soil preparation, and ecological monitoring support services. He also regularly acquires janitorial and landscaping services (561720, 561730) and specialized agricultural chemical products (325320) critical to invasive species control and site sanitation. Butler’s technical domain expertise lies at the intersection of environmental science and federal contracting, ensuring that procurement decisions directly advance the Station’s mission of sustainable forest research and conservation.