Kathleen Sears

Kathleen Sears supports the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in advancing national biomedical readiness through strategic procurement of critical research and development capabilities. While her formal title is not publicly designated, her procurement activities are central to ASPR’s mission of securing rapid-response medical countermeasures and diagnostic infrastructure. She manages acquisitions aligned with high-priority public health threats, focusing on biotechnology innovation, life sciences R&D, and advanced diagnostic systems that bolster the nation’s biomedical industrial base. Her work ensures timely access to next-generation tools essential for pandemic preparedness and biological threat mitigation. Kathleen engages with a diverse ecosystem of contractors, including academic research institutions, biotech startups, and specialized life sciences firms capable of delivering rapid prototyping and scalable manufacturing solutions. She fosters collaborative partnerships with entities possessing expertise in vaccine development, molecular diagnostics, and countermeasure production platforms. Her contracting approach emphasizes agility, technical rigor, and performance-based outcomes, often requiring contractors to demonstrate scalable production pathways and regulatory readiness under accelerated timelines. Her procurement patterns reflect a strong preference for open competition, with 75% of awards issued without set-asides, yet she consistently allocates 25% of opportunities to total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This balanced approach ensures broad market access while actively promoting small business innovation in high-impact biomedical domains. She does not favor specific socioeconomic categories like 8(a) or HUBZone, instead prioritizing capability and capacity, with small business participation driven by technical merit and scalability. Kathleen’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541714 (Biotechnology R&D) and 541715 (Life Sciences R&D), with secondary emphasis on NAICS 517312 (Telecommunications Resellers). She procures advanced research services, preclinical development, diagnostic assay design, and platform technologies for medical countermeasures. Her domain expertise spans molecular biology, biosafety level containment systems, and rapid deployment diagnostics, making her a key enabler of ASPR’s mission to maintain a resilient, responsive biomedical supply chain.