Stephen L. Hayford

Stephen L. Hayford, doing business as Arbitrator, operates as a sole proprietor providing professional arbitration and alternative dispute resolution services to federal agencies on a prime contracting basis, competing under full-and-open procurement with no set-aside designations. Based in Bradenton, Florida, and registered in SAM.gov since February 2001, Hayford delivers impartial arbitration hearings, mediation, and technical advisory support for labor grievances, employee benefit disputes, and interdepartmental conflicts across civilian federal agencies. The vendor is classified primarily under NAICS 541590 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services) and PSC Support-Professional: Legal, reflecting his role as a specialized dispute resolution practitioner rather than a traditional law firm.

Hayford's customer base spans eleven distinct federal agencies. The Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service leads by award count (16 awards, $30 thousand combined potential value), while the Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration National Office commands the largest dollar share (3 awards, $36 thousand combined potential value). The Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection accounts for 4 awards worth $35 thousand combined potential value. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 21 round out active customers. The top five customers together account for 72% of all recent awards and 76% of combined potential value, with IRS volume-driven by repeated small purchase orders alongside DOL and CBP concentrated in higher-value individual disputes.

Recent representative work includes a $16,508 time-and-materials contract with the SEC for arbitration services awarded June 3, 2025, with completion through June 30, 2026; a $20,955 purchase order from the Department of Labor National Office for continued arbitration services under a long-standing labor union dispute framework, awarded April 4, 2022, with completion through February 26, 2025; and a $13,200 purchase order from the Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 21 for arbitration services awarded October 17, 2023, with completion through October 16, 2024. A $6,875 purchase order from VISN 21 for arbitration services in support of VANCHCS was awarded July 10, 2026, with completion by December 31, 2026. Hayford sits on one identified blanket purchase agreement, the SEC HQ115A0001, carrying a single $5 thousand task order.

Activity has remained modest and episodic — two awards in 2022, four each in 2023 and 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026 — reflecting the ad-hoc nature of arbitration demand across agencies. The combined potential value across all thirty-nine awards totals $187 thousand, with $168 thousand obligated (90% realization rate), indicating reliable invoicing against ceiling values. Only one award carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months, creating minimal recompete exposure. Hayford operates without subcontractors and maintains no presence on government-wide vehicles or agency IDIQs, positioning him as a niche individual practitioner rather than a scalable services enterprise.