Teresa D. Morales, P.E

Teresa D. Morales, P.E., serves as Regional Program Leader and Geotechnical Engineer for the U.S. Forest Service’s R1 Regional Office, where she leads the planning, evaluation, and procurement of geotechnical and civil infrastructure services critical to maintaining forest roadways, trails, slope stabilization systems, and erosion control structures across ecologically sensitive landscapes. In her dual technical and program leadership role, she ensures that all acquisitions align with federal engineering standards and environmental compliance requirements, directly supporting the agency’s mission of sustainable land stewardship and public safety in remote regions. Her acquisitions primarily involve complex engineering services for slope analysis, foundation design, and wildfire mitigation infrastructure, often requiring specialized subsurface investigation and geospatial modeling. Morales collaborates closely with a network of qualified engineering firms specializing in geotechnical analysis, soil mechanics, and environmental site assessments. While specific contractor names are not disclosed, her procurement patterns reflect consistent engagement with firms possessing proven expertise in federal forest infrastructure projects, particularly those with experience in remote fieldwork, seismic risk assessment, and USDA-specific environmental protocols. She fosters long-term vendor partnerships built on technical rigor, regulatory compliance, and adaptive project execution under challenging terrain and weather conditions. Her contracting approach is fully aligned with Small Business Set-Aside preferences, with 100% of her procurements designated for small business participation under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate and sustained commitment to expanding economic opportunity for small engineering firms, including 8(a), HUBZone, and women-owned small businesses, ensuring diverse technical capacity supports national forest resilience. Morales’s procurement focus is exclusively within NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services), with deep specialization in geotechnical engineering, slope stability analysis, earthwork design, and geospatial data integration. She routinely procures services involving borehole logging, lab soil testing, landslide risk modeling, and drainage system design—all essential to maintaining safe, durable infrastructure in high-risk forest environments. Her technical expertise ensures that all acquisitions meet rigorous engineering standards while advancing the Forest Service’s environmental and operational goals.