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Release: 01-352

NASA's Marshall Center selects 20 contractors for specialized engineering and project planning support

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has selected 20 contractors to receive blanket purchase agreements for specialized engineering and project planning support.

These agreements will supplement existing engineering support provided by Sverdrup Technology Inc., headquartered in Tullahoma, Tenn., under the Marshall Center's engineering, science and technical services contract by making available the unique expertise and capabilities of these 20 firms to the Marshall Center's product line directorates.

The agreements will enable Marshall to fill critical requirements with the best industry talent available while realizing the schedule and cost benefits that increased competition promotes. The agreements also provide the Marshall Center with an opportunity to increase its industrial base by allowing firms that have not traditionally done a large amount of work with Marshall to compete for new task orders. These agreements do not replace or take away from the engineering support already being provided by Sverdrup.

"This initiative will support the Space Transportation, Engineering and Science directorates and the Systems Management Office," said Michael Sweigart, a contracting officer with Marshall's Procurement Office. "It will also be used to support the Space Launch Initiative."

The Space Launch Initiative, also known as the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program, is a NASA technology development program designed to increase safety and reliability while reducing costs for space travel. The Space Launch Initiative program is not only a technology development program but also a program that is studying alternative launch vehicle architectures that would use the technology in the end. The technology selected for development is based on extensive studies assessing technology needs for the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle. Those technologies have been prioritized and the funding is commensurate with those priorities. The Marshall Center is NASA's Lead Center for Space Transportation Systems Development and manages the Space Launch Initiative.

Firms receiving the blanket purchase agreements were competitively selected from the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Schedule for professional engineering services. Firms selected for award include large, small and small-disadvantaged businesses located in Huntsville, as well as across the country.

The Marshall Center will compete future task orders for services among these contractors with selection based on best overall value to Marshall. The agreements have a minimum value of $25,000 and a maximum value estimated at between $3-5 million per year through Oct. 31, 2005.

Firms awarded blanket purchase agreements are:

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo.;
Boeing Service Company, Seabrook, Md.;
Booz Allen & Hamilton, McLean, Va.;
Computer Sciences Corporation, Fairfax, Va.;
ELMCO Inc., Huntsville, Ala.;
Futron Corporation, Bethesda, Md.;
ITT Industries, Reston, Va.;
Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems Inc., Tinton Falls, N.J.;
Madison Research Corporation, Huntsville, Ala.;
MEVATEC Corporation, Huntsville, Ala.;
Micro Craft Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn.;
MSE Technology Applications, Butte, Mont.;
Oceaneering Space Systems, Houston, Texas;
Orbital Sciences Corporation, Greenbelt, Md.;
Raytheon Aerospace Engineering Services, Houston, Texas;
Science Applications International Corporation, Huntsville, Ala.;
System Studies and Simulation Inc., Huntsville, Ala.;
Swales Aerospace, Beltsville, Md.;
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Reading, Mass.;
Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., Huntsville, Ala.