Connie Petitjean

Connie Petitjean serves as a key procurement lead within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, supporting the agency’s mission to accelerate the development and acquisition of medical countermeasures against public health emergencies. She manages a portfolio of research and development contracts focused on biodefense, vaccine platforms, and advanced therapeutics, ensuring timely procurement of critical capabilities to safeguard national health security. Her work spans early-stage innovation to scalable manufacturing readiness, aligning acquisition strategies with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) strategic priorities. Petitjean maintains consistent contracting relationships with specialized biopharmaceutical and life sciences firms, including Cidara Therapeutics, Aquestive Therapeutics, Rafah Laboratories, and Osivax. These partnerships center on advanced drug delivery systems, antiviral therapeutics, and next-generation vaccine technologies, reflecting a preference for vendors with proven expertise in preclinical and clinical-stage development. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical capability, regulatory alignment, and manufacturing scalability, often engaging contractors with prior BARDA collaboration history to expedite response timelines. Her procurement patterns show a strong preference for open competition, with 87.5% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions, while maintaining a deliberate 12.5% allocation to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a balanced strategy: prioritizing technical excellence while ensuring meaningful participation from small businesses capable of delivering innovative medical countermeasures. Petitjean’s primary NAICS focus is on biotechnology and life sciences R&D (541714 and 541715), accounting for 75% of her portfolio, with secondary activity in business service centers (561439) supporting operational logistics. Her expertise lies in procuring complex, high-consequence medical products requiring stringent regulatory oversight, including novel antivirals, inhalable therapeutics, and platform technologies for rapid pandemic response.