James Hawkins

James Hawkins supports the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s mission by managing strategic procurements for advanced biomedical research infrastructure and analytical services. He oversees acquisitions of specialized laboratory instrumentation, research support services, and data systems critical to advancing precision medicine, single-cell genomics, and biologic specimen analysis. His procurement activities align with NHLBI’s focus on enabling cutting-edge scientific discovery through the acquisition of high-precision equipment and mission-critical research services, ensuring compliance with federal contracting standards and scientific operational needs. Hawkins maintains consistent partnerships with a diverse cohort of research institutions and specialized service providers, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, and TDA Research, Inc. These relationships reflect a preference for academic medical centers and innovative small technology firms capable of delivering customized analytical solutions, specialized instrumentation, and laboratory support services. His contracting patterns emphasize long-term, performance-based engagements that require technical expertise in life sciences and biomedical engineering. His procurement portfolio reflects a balanced approach to socioeconomic set-asides, with approximately one-third of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a deliberate commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses in the biomedical research ecosystem. While the majority of contracts remain open to all competitors, his consistent use of small business set-asides underscores a strategic effort to foster innovation through diverse vendor participation. Hawkins primarily procures under NAICS 561990 (All Other Support Services), 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences), and 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing). His domain expertise centers on high-end analytical instruments, bioinformatics platforms, and research services supporting cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic studies, ensuring NHLBI’s scientific workforce has access to state-of-the-art tools and infrastructure.