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.