Caitlyn O'Connor

Caitlyn O’Connor supports the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in procuring critical scientific and laboratory infrastructure essential to advancing biomedical research on infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. She manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on high-containment research capabilities, diagnostic tool development, and analytical instrumentation, aligning with NIAID’s mission to accelerate medical countermeasures for emerging public health threats. Her work centers on complex scientific services and specialized equipment procurement, ensuring the agency maintains robust biosafety and biocontainment infrastructure to respond to global health emergencies. O’Connor maintains strategic relationships with key contractors including Quality Biological, Inc. and Genomic Labs Ltd., organizations that provide specialized biological reagents, genomic analysis services, and high-containment laboratory support. Her contracting patterns reflect a preference for established vendors with proven expertise in biosafety-compliant manufacturing and life sciences R&D, often leveraging long-term partnerships to ensure continuity in mission-critical supply chains. These relationships are characterized by technical rigor and compliance with federal biosafety standards. Her procurement approach prioritizes open competition, with 83.3% of awards issued without set-asides, reflecting the specialized nature of the required capabilities. However, she consistently allocates 16.7% of opportunities to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a measured commitment to small business participation where technical capacity permits. This balance ensures mission readiness while fostering innovation from qualified small entities. Her primary NAICS focus includes analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing (334516) and professional scientific services (541990), with significant activity in research and development for life sciences (541715) and veterinary diagnostics (541940). She procures advanced diagnostic platforms, biosafety cabinets, pathogen characterization tools, and specialized laboratory services, underscoring deep technical expertise in infectious disease research infrastructure and high-containment science.