Nikki Arena

Nikki Arena supports the National Cancer Institute’s mission by managing complex professional and scientific services acquisitions critical to advancing cancer research and precision medicine. As a key procurement lead within NIH NCI, she oversees the acquisition of high-performance research services, diagnostic technologies, and translational science infrastructure, ensuring alignment with the Institute’s strategic priorities in genomics, molecular diagnostics, and laboratory innovation. Her acquisitions are mission-critical, enabling cutting-edge scientific capabilities across federally funded research laboratories and clinical translation programs. Arena maintains a primary working relationship with Roche Diagnostics Corporation, a leading provider of oncology diagnostics and genomic analysis platforms. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term partnerships with industry leaders capable of delivering scalable, FDA-regulated diagnostic tools and research-grade analytical systems. These vendor relationships are built on technical rigor, compliance with CLIA and CAP standards, and the ability to support multi-site, large-scale research initiatives requiring validated, high-throughput platforms. Arena’s contracting activity is exclusively non-set-aside, reflecting the specialized nature of the services required and the limited pool of vendors with the technical expertise and regulatory infrastructure to meet NCI’s scientific demands. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in her portfolio, her acquisitions remain fully compliant with federal procurement regulations and focus on capability over socioeconomic designation. Her procurement portfolio is concentrated under NAICS 541990, encompassing all other professional, scientific, and technical services—particularly those involving clinical laboratory testing, bioinformatics, next-generation sequencing support, and research assay development. She specializes in procuring high-complexity, mission-critical scientific services that underpin the Institute’s leadership in precision oncology and translational research.