Danielle Pena

Danielle Pena serves as a key procurement professional within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), supporting the agency’s mission to advance measurement science and technological innovation. She manages complex acquisitions for high-precision analytical instruments and specialized manufacturing equipment critical to semiconductor development, advanced metrology, and industrial process control. Her work directly enables NIST’s research infrastructure, ensuring laboratories have access to cutting-edge tools that uphold national standards for accuracy and repeatability. Pena routinely handles competitive procurements under FAR Part 15, with a focus on technical evaluations and performance-based contracting for scientific and engineering systems. Her primary contractor relationships include Quality Biological, Inc., ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND LABORATORIES (ATL) INTERNATIONAL, INC., and PHYSICAL ELECTRONICS USA, INC.—vendors known for delivering calibrated analytical instruments, vacuum systems, and semiconductor process control equipment. She fosters long-term partnerships with firms possessing deep technical expertise in laboratory instrumentation and metrology, often requiring specialized certifications and compliance with NIST traceability standards. Her procurement approach emphasizes vendor reliability, technical capability, and post-award performance monitoring. Pena’s contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 81.5% of awards issued without set-aside restrictions. The remaining 18.5% are awarded under Total Small Business Set-Asides, demonstrating a measured but consistent commitment to small business participation without compromising technical requirements. She prioritizes capability over socioeconomic designation, ensuring that small businesses compete on equal footing when they meet stringent performance criteria. Her primary NAICS focus is 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334519 and 334513, indicating deep specialization in precision measurement devices, process control systems, and laboratory-grade sensors. She procures equipment used in nanoscale characterization, material analysis, and semiconductor process validation—core to NIST’s role in sustaining U.S. technological leadership.