Economic Recovery Operations

The Department of Agriculture Forest Service Washington Office Economic Recovery Operations is a civilian sub-agency within USDA that procures goods, services, and construction support tied to economic recovery and forest management initiatives. The office's contract portfolio spans wildfire recovery, ecosystem restoration, infrastructure repair, and related operational work across the National Forest System.

The agency has issued 1,672 total federal contract awards since 2007, with combined potential value of $367.8 million and combined dollars obligated of $355 million. Activity has declined sharply in recent years: the office awarded 9 contracts in 2011, 4 in 2012, 1 in 2015, 2 in 2017, and 2 in 2019. The most recent recorded award closed on September 13, 2019. No recent contract awards are recorded against the office as of October 2026. The portfolio has engaged 997 distinct prime contractors across its lifetime, indicating highly fragmented competition; the agency distributes awards broadly rather than concentrating spend among a narrow vendor base.

Set-aside designations reflect a mixed approach to small-business preference. Forty-two percent of awards carried no set-aside designation. Small-business set-asides (all categories combined) accounted for 36 percent of awards, distributed primarily as total small-business designations. HUBZone awards comprise 12 percent of the portfolio. Eight-point-one-a sole-source awards represent 7 percent, with an additional 1 percent under competitive 8(a). Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Emerging Small Business, Partial Small Business, and other specialized set-asides each represent less than 1 percent of the award count.

No recent contract opportunities are recorded against the office in the current monitoring window. The agency's contracting activity appears concentrated in the 2011–2015 period, with minimal awards issued since 2015. The seven-year gap between the most recent award (September 2019) and today suggests the office may have exhausted its economic-recovery procurement scope or transitioned mission focus away from active contracting. Business development professionals should verify current operational status and funding availability with the office directly before committing pursuit resources.