Nick Niefeld

Nick Niefeld serves as a key procurement professional within the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), supporting the agency’s mission to advance scientific research on substance use disorders through strategic acquisition of specialized scientific and technical services. He manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on translational research infrastructure, analytical instrumentation, and laboratory services, ensuring that funded projects have access to cutting-edge capabilities in neurobiology, behavioral science, and clinical translation. His acquisitions are primarily research-enabling, supporting high-complexity studies conducted at academic and medical institutions across the country. Niefeld maintains consistent working relationships with leading research institutions including The McLean Hospital Corporation, the University of Maryland Baltimore, the University of Miami, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. These partnerships reflect a preference for established academic medical centers with deep expertise in addiction neuroscience, clinical trials, and data analytics. His contracting approach emphasizes long-term, performance-based agreements that support multi-year research initiatives requiring technical continuity and scientific rigor. His procurement patterns show a strong orientation toward open competition, with 94.1% of awards issued without set-asides, indicating a focus on technical merit and institutional capacity over socioeconomic preferences. When set-asides are utilized, they are predominantly under the Total Small Business category, suggesting targeted but limited support for small firms capable of delivering specialized research support services. Niefeld’s primary NAICS focus areas include analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing (334516), testing laboratories and services (541380), and other professional scientific and technical services (541990), underscoring his expertise in procuring high-precision research equipment, analytical testing, and specialized scientific consulting. His portfolio reflects deep domain knowledge in neuroimaging, toxicology, behavioral assessment, and data-driven clinical research infrastructure.