Issue Papers

Best Value Contracting

Best value contracting is a mechanism that the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and other federal land management agencies can use to effectively implement projects with multiple objectives. It allows the federal government to acquire goods and services from the businesses that offer the best value to the government, not simply the lowest price. The federal land management agencies may use best value when purchasing goods and services and must use it when awarding stewardship contracts.

Effective best value contracting can reward contractors who perform high quality work, build and retain a trained workforce, create local community benefits, and utilize the by-products of forest restoration.

RVCC believes that innovative use of best value contracting can help the federal land management agencies ensure excellent value for the federal government and American taxpayers.

To learn more about the solutions RVCC recommends, read our Best Value Contracting Issue Paper.

Stewardship Contracting

Stewardship contracting is an innovative way to create benefit for rural communities while collaboratively restoring public lands. Land managers, communities and policy makers are experimenting with implementation and quickly developing new approaches. 

To learn more about how we support stewardship contracting read our Stewardship Contracting Issue Paper.  For more information read our 2008 recommendations and talking points.

Working Group

The Workforce, Labor and Contracting Working Group aims to improve the quality and quantity business and employment opportunities for forest workers and contractors. The group approaches this goal in a number of ways including: working to increase the functioning of Forest Service and BLM service, timber sale, and service contracting for rural communities and workers and improving the monitoring and enforcement of labor laws. During 2006, the working groups developed a RVCC workforce and labor issue paper, prepared testimony for hearings on Capitol Hill, and forwarded concerns about job quality and quantity to agency and congressional staff in Washington, D.C. In 2007, member groups co-hosted a forum on the Working Conditions of Forest Workers in Eugene, Oregon and will be continuing its work with Forest Service, BLM, Department of Labor, and congressional staff to improve business and employment conditions.  In 2007, the working group wrote a briefing paper on best value contracting, new talking points for stewardship contracting, and monitored the New Business Model process. 

In 2008, this working group has divided into two subgroups: the Stewardship Contracting working group and the Workforce and Labor working group.  Chairs: Cassandra Moseley, Ecosystem Workforce Program; Lynn Jungwirth, Watershed Research & Training Center