Sara McLaurin

Sara McLaurin serves as a key procurement professional within the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, where she manages complex scientific and technical acquisitions aligned with the agency’s mission to accelerate cancer research and precision medicine innovation. She oversees the solicitation and award of contracts for high-capability research services, diagnostic development, and laboratory support, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and NCI’s strategic priorities in genomic analysis and translational science. Her work directly enables the deployment of cutting-edge technologies across NCI-funded laboratories and clinical research networks. McLaurin maintains a primary contracting relationship with Roche Diagnostics Corporation, reflecting a consistent reliance on industry leaders in molecular diagnostics and clinical laboratory services. Her procurement patterns demonstrate a preference for established, high-capacity vendors with proven expertise in life sciences instrumentation and data-driven diagnostic platforms, while also engaging smaller firms for specialized technical support. These partnerships are typically structured as competitive, performance-based acquisitions requiring rigorous technical evaluation and compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards. Her contracting portfolio reflects a balanced approach to socioeconomic goals, with nearly 35% of awards designated as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5 and an additional 11.8% awarded through 8(a) competed programs. This demonstrates a deliberate commitment to expanding opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses in the biomedical research ecosystem, while maintaining rigorous technical standards. McLaurin’s acquisitions are concentrated in NAICS 541511 (custom computer programming for research applications), 541380 (testing laboratories and analytical services), and 541990 (scientific and technical consulting). She routinely procures bioinformatics platforms, genomic data analysis tools, and specialized laboratory testing services critical to cancer biomarker discovery and clinical trial support, reflecting deep expertise in the intersection of informatics, diagnostics, and translational oncology research.