Lynn A Petersen

Lynn A. Petersen serves as a Program Officer responsible for overseeing the planning, solicitation, and management of research and development acquisitions within a federal scientific program. In this role, she bridges technical requirements with acquisition strategy, ensuring that procurements align with agency mission objectives and federal contracting regulations. Her work centers on the full lifecycle of R&D contracts—from needs analysis and market research to award execution and performance oversight—typically involving complex, high-technical-risk projects requiring specialized scientific expertise. Petersen plays a critical role in translating cutting-edge scientific goals into executable procurement actions that support national innovation priorities. Petersen engages with a broad spectrum of contractors, primarily academic research institutions, independent R&D firms, and technical service providers with deep domain expertise in physical, engineering, and life sciences. While no single contractor dominates her portfolio, she consistently collaborates with entities possessing proven capabilities in experimental design, data analytics, and laboratory-scale prototyping. Her contracting approach emphasizes technical merit, innovation potential, and rigorous performance metrics, fostering long-term partnerships with vendors capable of delivering high-complexity, non-commodity solutions. Petersen’s procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of her awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic focus on accessing the broadest possible pool of technical expertise rather than socioeconomic preferences. Her approach prioritizes capability over size-based certifications, aligning with mission-critical R&D needs where specialized knowledge outweighs socioeconomic targeting criteria. Her primary procurement focus is NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology). She regularly acquires services such as applied physics modeling, materials characterization, environmental testing, and engineering simulation, often requiring advanced instrumentation and peer-reviewed scientific methodologies. Petersen’s domain expertise lies in supporting foundational scientific research with high technical specificity, ensuring that contract requirements are both scientifically rigorous and procurement-compliant.