Kathleen Ferguson

About Kathleen Ferguson

I help organizations maximize the value of their sponsor-CRO partnerships, whether responding to commercial or federal RFPs, navigating CRO selection, or optimizing delivery strategies.With 20 years leading proposals, delivery strategy, and contracts for global CROs, plus sponsor-side resource forecasting and vendor governance experience, I\'ve delivered complex agreements valued from $1.5M to $300M+ across pharma, emerging biotech, and federal (NIH, NIAID, BARDA, DoD) sectors in oncology, rare disease, cell & gene therapy, infectious disease, cardiovascular, metabolic, CNS, reproductive health, and inflammation.Leading the full lifecycle of clinical research proposals and contracts: RFx strategy and response, SOW and pricing model development, Master Service Agreement and change order negotiation, and vendor governance, I bridge sponsor needs and delivery capabilities, whether a federal health research contract, an emerging biotech Phase 1 or 2 study, a pharma Phase 3/3b trial, a regulatory application, a RWE study, or FSP engagement.Combining strategic thinking with operational discipline, I consistently deliver measurable results: 70% reduction in budget cycle times, 10%-25% reduction in uncompensated delivery per project through budget accuracy, scope and change order management. I also build Excel-based pricing models bringing transparency to complex pricing, perform scenario modeling and sensitivity analyses to ensure cost-effectiveness and margin protection, offer sponsor-side experience managing vendor resource forecasting and governance, and facilitate Red Team exercises that stress-test assumptions and strategies.RFx Strategy & Response | Proposals | Contracts & Change Orders | Full-Service & FSP | Phase 1-4 Clinical Trials | Federal Health Contracting (NIH, BARDA, DoD)| FAR-Compliant Cost Proposals | Inactive Secret Clearance | CRO Pricing & Delivery Strategy | Master Service Agreement Negotiation | Win Strategy & Competitive Intelligence | Excel-Based Financial Modeling | Scenario Planning & Analysis | Certified Red Team Instructor | Cross-Functional Leadership (BD, Ops, Finance, Legal)| Vendor Governance | GCP-ICH Compliance | Coach & Mentor | Notary Public

Experience

1. Director Proposals & Contracts

   Lexitas Pharma Services

   Mar 2026 — Present · Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, US

Education

• Rhodes College

  Political Science, Legal Studies and Public Administration

• The University of Alabama in Huntsville

  BSBA, Marketing and Management