Richard Mahario

Richard Mahario serves as a Contract Specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically supporting Nac Pharmaceuticals (36E797), where he plays a pivotal role in securing essential pharmaceuticals for enrolled veterans. He manages the full lifecycle of procurement actions for prescription medications, including chronic disease therapies and acute care treatments, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and VA healthcare delivery standards. His acquisitions are primarily centered on pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, with a focus on maintaining uninterrupted supply chains for mission-critical drugs. Mahario works closely with clinical and logistics teams to align contracting strategies with patient care priorities, ensuring timely and reliable access to medications nationwide. Mahario maintains consistent procurement relationships with key industry leaders including Avkare LLC, Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc., Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc., Golden State Medical Supply, Inc., and Seqirus USA Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for established manufacturers and distributors with proven capabilities in sterile compounding, generic drug production, and specialty pharmaceutical distribution. His contracting approach emphasizes performance reliability, regulatory compliance, and supply chain resilience, often leveraging long-term agreements and blanket purchase agreements to ensure continuity of care. Mahario’s contracting activity is entirely aligned with open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside designations. While he does not currently utilize socioeconomic set-asides such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs, his focus remains on securing the highest quality, most cost-effective pharmaceutical solutions through full and open competition, consistent with VA’s mission to prioritize patient access over socioeconomic targeting. His primary procurement focus lies within NAICS 325412 (Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing), encompassing the acquisition of oral solid dosage forms, injectables, and other FDA-approved therapeutics. He also manages limited acquisitions under NAICS 339113 for related medical supplies. Mahario demonstrates deep technical expertise in pharmaceutical regulations, cGMP compliance, and supply chain risk mitigation, ensuring all procurements meet stringent FDA and VA formulary requirements.