Jeff Saporito, PE, Earns TSP Certification

Jeff Saporito, a water resources engineer based in our Bend, Oregon, office since 2024, has recently earned certification as a Technical Service Provider (TSP) for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

What Is a Technical Service Provider (TSP)?
Technical Service Providers work directly on behalf of clients to deliver planning, design, and implementation services that meet USDA NRCS standards and criteria. This certification requires individuals or firms to demonstrate appropriate education, professional experience, and completion of NRCS-specific training. Certification is nationally recognized through the NRCS, and TSPs apply for approval in specific states—Jeff is approved to practice in Oregon and Nevada.

Opening Doors to Funding
Jeff’s TSP certification can provide our clients with direct access to NRCS-backed programs, including its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). With Jeff acting as the TSP on a project, that role no longer has to be filled by an NRCS employee, thereby removing a significant time barrier from the RCPP process. It’s a shift the NRCS itself is leaning into to accelerate both the application and implementation phases of the RCPP process and improve overall project efficiency.

“Becoming a TSP allows me to serve current and potential clients by giving them access to more pools of funding, which is often the biggest barrier to getting a project started,” Jeff said. “Irrigation piping is a prime example—it carries a very high capital cost just for planning and scoping, before a project can even get off the ground.”

Areas of Specialized Focus
Jeff is currently approved under NRCS Code 430–Irrigation Pipeline and plans to pursue additional practice codes for which his PE license qualifies him among the NRCS’s 150-plus specialty codes. His work centers on irrigation and stream restoration projects, including Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) restorations he’s completed with RCPP funding at previous firms.

Congratulations, Jeff.