For Release: November 24, 1997

Jerry Berg
Media Services Branch
(256) 544-0034
jerry.berg@msfc.nasa.gov

Release: 97-272

Marshall Space Flight Center Director Dr. Wayne Littles today presented five Contractor Excellence Awards for 1997.

The annual award, designed to recognize the outstanding contributions contractors make to the Center, is presented to prime contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. The award may be presented in four categories, recognizing outstanding product and service performance in large and small businesses.

Two contractors, the Boeing Company - Rocketdyne Division and the Boeing Company - McDonnell Douglas Aerospace - Huntsville Division, earned recognition in the Large Business - Product category.

"Based on a renewed commitment to excellence, Rocketdyne set out in 1994 to strive for ‘world class’ status as the Agency’s Space Shuttle Main Engine contractor," said Littles. "Their roadmap to ‘be the best’ resulted in a dynamic turnaround. Since 1994, only one Shuttle flight was delayed by the Space Shuttle Main Engine."

Rocketdyne’s value to NASA was acknowledged last year when they were presented with the Agency’s George M. Low Award for quality and excellence.

McDonnell Douglas has worked with the Marshall Center since 1977 in the development, integration and operation of the Spacelab family of pressurized and unpressurized carriers. "This outstanding organization has demonstrated its excellence by achieving 100 percent mission success on more than 35 missions flown to date involving Spacelab hardware," said Littles.

In the Large Business - Service category, Sverdrup Technology - Marshall Space Flight Center Group was recognized for "numerous outstanding contributions to the Marshall mission by underpinning the technical excellence of Center space transportation and space system projects and by supporting the development and application of space and space-related technologies," said Littles. Sverdrup has served as support contractor for the Science and Engineering Directorate since 1989.

Summa Technology garnered the Small Business - Product award for the manufacturing and engineering tasks they performed on ground support equipment at the AXAF Calibration Facility. "In 1996," said Littles, "NASA selected Summa Technology to be the source for the Low Cost Booster Engine. Their performance on the AXAF Facility was meritorious and, to date, they have met every schedule incentive milestone for the delivery of components for the Booster Program."

Distributed Information Systems, a major subcontractor to Computer Sciences Corporation under the PrISMS contract, won in the Small Business - Service category. In addition to providing the technical support and sustaining engineering for a large part of Marshall’s administrative applications, Distributed Information Systems supports the Dryden Flight Research Center’s administrative applications as well as the NASA-wide payroll consolidation effort at Marshall. Littles said their impact on the Center and NASA "is far greater than their 70 employees would indicate."

A committee of representatives from across the Center reviewed award applications, scoring them on contract performance and customer satisfaction; schedule; cost; long-term organizational initiatives to respond to the Center’s strategic aspirations; leadership and continuous improvement; innovative management and technology breakthroughs; and items of special interest to Marshall.

The Marshall Center each year nominates recipients of its Contractor Excellence Award for the George M. Low Award, which recognizes suppliers who demonstrate sustained excellence and outstanding achievements in quality management.

Prepared by: Steve Calatrello