Tobi Underwood

Tobi Underwood serves as a key procurement professional within the U.S. Forest Service’s CSA East 3 office, supporting operational readiness across forested lands in the southeastern United States. Responsible for managing acquisitions that sustain ranger district functionality, Underwood oversees contracts for vegetation management, environmental compliance, and field infrastructure support. Their work directly enables mission-critical activities such as trail maintenance, recreational facility upkeep, and ecological restoration, ensuring alignment with federal land management priorities. Underwood handles a diverse portfolio of service and equipment acquisitions under FAR Part 13 and Part 15 procedures, with a strong emphasis on mission-driven, low-dollar, high-frequency contracting to meet dynamic field needs. Underwood maintains collaborative relationships with a broad base of small and medium-sized vendors, primarily engaged through competitive small business set-asides. While no single contractor dominates the portfolio, they consistently engage specialized firms in environmental services, forestry support, and light equipment manufacturing. These partnerships are characterized by recurring, task-order-based engagements that prioritize responsiveness, local presence, and technical adaptability to regional forest conditions. Vendor relationships are cultivated through proactive outreach and streamlined acquisition pathways designed to lower barriers to entry for niche providers. Underwood demonstrates an exceptional commitment to socioeconomic contracting, with 94.6% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate strategy to empower small businesses, including HUBZone, 8(a), and women-owned firms, ensuring equitable access to federal forestry contracts. The consistent use of set-asides underscores a culture of inclusive procurement that strengthens community resilience and promotes long-term vendor capacity building across rural and underserved regions. The procurement portfolio is heavily focused on NAICS 115310 (Support Activities for Forestry) and NAICS 336999 and 333111, indicating a specialization in forestry support services and specialized equipment for land management. Underwood regularly procures vegetation control tools, off-road maintenance vehicles, and environmental consulting services, demonstrating deep technical familiarity with silvicultural operations and federal environmental regulations. Their expertise lies at the intersection of ecological stewardship and operational logistics, ensuring that acquisitions directly enhance field-level effectiveness.