Jenna Bortner

Jenna Bortner serves as a key procurement professional within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), supporting the agency’s mission to advance measurement science, standards, and technological innovation critical to U.S. industrial competitiveness and national security. She manages acquisitions for high-precision analytical instrumentation, semiconductor process equipment, and specialized testing systems used in NIST’s research laboratories and calibration facilities. Her work ensures that NIST maintains technical leadership through access to cutting-edge hardware and calibration-ready systems, aligning procurement activities with federal standards for scientific integrity and technological reliability. Bortner maintains longstanding relationships with specialized suppliers including Quality Biological, Inc., ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AND LABORATORIES (ATL) INTERNATIONAL, INC., and PHYSICAL ELECTRONICS USA, INC.—vendors known for delivering calibrated sensors, mass spectrometers, surface analysis tools, and semiconductor metrology systems. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical specificity, requiring vendors to demonstrate compliance with NIST’s rigorous performance and traceability requirements. These partnerships are typically non-competitive, performance-based, and grounded in long-term technical support agreements essential for maintaining experimental accuracy. Her contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 88.9% of awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on technical capability over socioeconomic classifications. Nevertheless, she consistently allocates 11.1% of awards to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a measured commitment to small business participation when vendor qualifications align with NIST’s demanding technical needs. Bortner’s procurement focus is concentrated in NAICS 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing), with significant activity in 334515 (Electrical Signal Measurement Instruments) and 333242 (Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing). She routinely procures mass spectrometers, scanning electron microscopes, photolithography tools, and calibration standards—equipment critical to NIST’s work in quantum metrology, semiconductor characterization, and advanced materials research. Her expertise lies in bridging scientific requirements with commercial procurement frameworks to ensure acquisition of mission-critical instrumentation.