Sandra K. Shaffner

Sandra K. Shaffner serves as a Contract Specialist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she plays a pivotal role in executing mission-critical acquisitions that support the agency’s mandate to advance measurement science, standards development, and technological innovation. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts spanning technical services, scientific instrumentation, and advanced manufacturing support, ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with NIST’s strategic priorities in semiconductors, precision metrology, and cybersecurity. Her work directly enables the development of nationally recognized standards that underpin industrial competitiveness and national security. Shaffner maintains established relationships with key vendors including Quality Biological, Inc., Advanced Technologies and Laboratories (ATL) International, Inc., and Physical Electronics USA, Inc., reflecting a consistent pattern of engagement with specialized scientific and technical service providers. Her contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical precision, often partnering with firms capable of delivering high-integrity calibration services, laboratory instrumentation, and specialized materials essential to NIST’s research infrastructure. These relationships are characterized by long-term collaboration and technical alignment rather than transactional procurement. Her contracting activity is overwhelmingly non-set-aside, with 91.8% of awards issued under unrestricted competition, indicating a strong preference for technical merit and capability over socioeconomic set-asides. However, she maintains a modest but consistent commitment to small business participation, with 8.2% of awards directed toward Total Small Business Set-Asides under FAR 19.5, demonstrating a balanced approach that prioritizes mission needs while supporting broad vendor diversity. Shaffner’s procurement focus centers on NAICS codes 519190 (Other Activities Related to Scientific and Technical Services), 541511 (Custom Computer Programming Services), and 423430 (Computer and Peripheral Equipment Wholesalers), underscoring her specialization in software development, data systems integration, and scientific equipment procurement. She routinely acquires advanced analytical tools, calibration standards, and custom software solutions that support NIST’s leadership in quantum technologies, semiconductor metrology, and next-generation manufacturing.