Thad Chavez

Thad Chavez serves as a key procurement lead within the Lincoln National Forest, supporting the U.S. Forest Service’s mission of sustainable forest management and ecological resilience. He oversees the acquisition of specialized services critical to vegetation control, wildfire risk reduction, and infrastructure maintenance across federal lands. His responsibilities include planning, soliciting, and awarding contracts aligned with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and Forest Service operational priorities, ensuring that procurements advance both environmental stewardship and public safety. Chavez typically handles service-based acquisitions under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, with a strong emphasis on mission-critical forestry support and land management activities. Chavez cultivates collaborative relationships with a network of small, locally rooted contractors specializing in ecological restoration and forest operations. While no single vendor dominates his portfolio, he consistently engages firms with demonstrated expertise in prescribed burning, invasive species management, and trail and road maintenance. His contracting approach prioritizes regional capacity building, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors who possess on-the-ground knowledge of the Lincoln National Forest’s unique terrain and ecological conditions. Chavez maintains a 100% small business set-aside preference across all eligible procurements, fully aligning with FAR 19.5 and the agency’s commitment to socioeconomic equity. His contracting patterns reflect a deliberate focus on empowering small businesses, including those certified as HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, and Women-Owned Small Businesses, ensuring that federal investment directly benefits underserved communities within the forest’s service area. His procurement focus is centered on NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and NAICS 112420 (Goat Farming), reflecting a dual strategy of ecological management and targeted vegetation control. He procures services such as brush clearing using grazing livestock, fuel reduction programs, and forest health monitoring—technical domains requiring specialized ecological knowledge and compliance with USDA natural resource protocols. This niche expertise underscores his role in integrating innovative, low-impact land management practices into federal contracting.