Alexandra Buck, JD

Alexandra Buck, JD, serves as a key procurement professional within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), supporting the agency’s mission to accelerate biomedical research for infectious, immunologic, and allergic disease threats. She manages complex research and development acquisitions, primarily focused on high-containment laboratory infrastructure, diagnostic tool development, and medical countermeasure innovation. Her work directly enables NIAID’s response to emerging public health emergencies by securing technical expertise and specialized biological resources through competitive contracting mechanisms. She oversees the full lifecycle of solicitations, from needs assessment to contract award and administration, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and scientific priorities. Buck maintains a focused relationship with Quality Biological, Inc., a leading provider of biological reference materials and high-containment research reagents, as well as GENOMIC LABS LTD, a specialist in genomic sequencing and bioinformatics services. These partnerships reflect a preference for established, technically accredited vendors capable of delivering mission-critical biological and analytical capabilities under stringent biosafety protocols. Her contracting approach emphasizes reliability, regulatory compliance, and scientific rigor over volume, fostering long-term vendor collaboration grounded in technical specificity rather than broad market competition. Buck’s portfolio reflects a strict adherence to open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside classifications. She does not prioritize socioeconomic programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB, instead prioritizing technical capability and scientific suitability as the primary selection criteria. This reflects NIAID’s operational need for specialized, often non-traditional research partners with proven expertise in biosafety level 3 and 4 environments and advanced life sciences infrastructure. Her procurement activity is exclusively concentrated under NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—reflecting deep specialization in life sciences R&D. She procures services including pathogen characterization, assay development, biospecimen processing, and biocontainment facility support, requiring vendors with advanced laboratory accreditation and experience in federal biodefense research programs.