Zipora Chep

Zipora Chep serves as a key procurement professional within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), supporting the agency’s mission to advance biomedical research through strategic acquisition of scientific infrastructure and specialized services. She manages a diverse portfolio of contracts focused on analytical laboratory instrumentation, biologic data infrastructure, and research services critical to precision medicine and single-cell genomics initiatives. Her work ensures the timely procurement of mission-critical capabilities that enable cutting-edge scientific discovery across cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic research domains. Chep maintains consistent relationships with a range of institutional and commercial partners, including the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, and TDA Research, Inc. These partnerships reflect a blend of academic research institutions and innovative small technology firms, indicating a preference for collaborators with deep domain expertise in biotechnology and laboratory systems. Her contracting patterns suggest a reliance on established, high-capacity vendors capable of delivering complex, compliance-heavy research solutions, often requiring specialized technical validation and regulatory alignment. Her procurement strategy prioritizes open competition, with 85.7% of awards issued without set-aside designations, reflecting a focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic categorization. Nevertheless, she maintains a measurable commitment to small business participation, with 14.3% of awards directed under Total Small Business Set-Asides, demonstrating balanced adherence to federal procurement policy while ensuring access to specialized capabilities. Chep’s primary NAICS focus areas include computing infrastructure and data processing services (518210), administrative and management consulting (541611), and biotechnology R&D (541714), underscoring her expertise in procuring digital research platforms, analytical instrumentation (334516), and operational support for large-scale scientific programs. Her work bridges technical research needs with federal acquisition frameworks, ensuring NHLBI’s infrastructure remains at the forefront of biomedical innovation.