Rick Gomes

Rick Gomes supports the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s mission by managing complex procurement actions for advanced analytical laboratory instrumentation, specialized research services, and biologic data infrastructure critical to precision medicine and single-cell genomics initiatives. He facilitates acquisitions that enable cutting-edge biomedical discovery, focusing on high-precision equipment and technical services that support NHLBI’s scientific priorities in cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic research. His procurement portfolio centers on mission-critical capital equipment and contract research services, ensuring alignment with federal standards for scientific integrity and technical performance. Gomes maintains consistent working relationships with key research institutions and specialized service providers, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, and TDA Research, Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for established academic medical centers and innovative small technology firms capable of delivering custom analytical solutions and translational research support. His contracting approach emphasizes technical capability, reproducibility, and long-term serviceability, often requiring vendor collaboration on instrument calibration, data integration, and compliance with NIH biospecimen handling protocols. Gomes’ procurement activity is entirely non-set-aside, with 100% of awards issued under full and open competition. This reflects a strategic emphasis on technical excellence and competitive innovation over socioeconomic set-asides, though small businesses remain active participants through open solicitations. His contracting patterns prioritize capability over certification status, ensuring that the highest-performing vendors—regardless of size or socioeconomic designation—are selected based on scientific merit and technical qualification. His primary NAICS focus is 334516 (Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing), underscoring deep expertise in procuring mass spectrometers, flow cytometers, next-generation sequencing platforms, and related lab automation systems. He also regularly engages services under 541715 (R&D in Life Sciences) and 541990 (Other Professional Scientific Services), demonstrating proficiency in managing complex, multi-year contracts for bioinformatics, data curation, and specialized assay development in support of NHLBI’s translational research agenda.