Robert J. Zeglin

Robert J. Zeglin serves as a secondary procurement liaison within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, supporting the agency’s mission to safeguard U.S. agricultural systems from biological threats. While not the primary contracting officer, Zeglin plays a critical role in facilitating acquisition planning, vendor coordination, and contract administration for specialized scientific and operational support services. His work primarily involves procuring high-integrity biological products, diagnostic materials, and technical services essential to APHIS’s surveillance, containment, and laboratory response programs, ensuring alignment with federal biosecurity protocols and regulatory compliance standards. Zeglin maintains consistent working relationships with a select group of contractors specializing in biological manufacturing and aviation maintenance, including AEROSPACE & COMMERCIAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, THOROUGHBRED AVIATION MAINTENANCE, INC., and AR6 CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING, LLC. These partnerships reflect a focus on mission-critical capabilities—ranging from the production of veterinary biologics to the maintenance of aircraft used in wildlife disease monitoring. His procurement approach emphasizes reliability, regulatory adherence, and technical precision, often engaging vendors with proven experience in federal biosafety and controlled-environment manufacturing. His contracting activity shows a strong preference for open competition, with 82.3% of acquisitions issued without set-aside restrictions, indicating a priority for technical capability over socioeconomic categorization. However, he actively supports small business participation through Total Small Business Set-Asides, consistently allocating approximately 17.6% of opportunities to qualified small businesses under FAR 19.5. Zeglin’s procurement focus is heavily concentrated in NAICS 325414 (Biological Product Manufacturing), reflecting his domain expertise in veterinary vaccines, antitoxins, and other non-diagnostic biological agents. He also procures related services in agricultural chemical manufacturing, in-vitro diagnostic substances, and professional training for biosafety protocols, demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach to protecting national agricultural health through scientifically grounded acquisitions.