Doing Business with NASA(Johnson Space Center)
The IAO is located in Building 111 at the main entrance of the Johnson Space Center (JSC), 2101 NASA Road 1, Houston, Texas. The office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CST). You may visit in person, or you may contact us by telephone at 281-483-4512, or by fax at 281-483-4326.
The JSC IAO offers counseling to businesses seeking advice on how best to pursue contracting opportunities with NASA. Specific guidance is provided regarding ways to learn about current and planned procurement opportunities.
NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS)
The NAIS delivers acquisition documents over the Internet to slash lead-times and paperwork, and to save money. The NAIS provides competitive solicitations over $25,000 and a host of other procurement-related information. In addition to synopses and solicitations, NAIS provides award notices, acquisition forecasts, regulations, small business assistance and links to other Federal procurement sites on the Internet. Browsing on-line, companies can quickly identify acquisitions of interest. For fast and easy access place a bookmark on your favorite pages.
Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
CCR was created by the Department of Defense to be the single repository of vendor data for the Government, to avoid administrative duplication, and to allow contractors to take responsibility for the accuracy of their own important business information by supplying it directly to the government through a single registration. The CCR is now being utilized by NASA, and all prospective contractors must be registered in the CCR database prior to award of a contract, purchase order, basic agreement, etc. Companies may register electronically at the CCR website.
NASA provides a no-cost e-mail notification system that companies may use to learn about upcoming contracts. Companies may designate the type of business opportunities they are interested in and the NASA Center(s) they would like to work with. Any procurement announcement that matches their specific areas of interests will be sent immediately upon release. These announcements include advance procurement notices, synopses, solicitation releases, post-award notices, and other general procurement notices. The e-mail also will tell companies where to look on the Internet to obtain the full solicitation and any other information available.
FedBizOps (Federal Business Opportunities)
FedBizOps has been designated as the central source for federal government-wide procurement opportunities that exceed $25,000. A growing number of federal agencies, including NASA, are also using the FedBizOps system to post relevant procurement information on the Internet, including procurement notices, solicitations, drawings, and amendments. An e-mail notification system is also available through this website.
An Acquisition Forecast is published twice a year by each NASA center. The first issue is released in the October time frame and an update is issued in March. The Acquisition Forecast is a listing of procurement opportunities over $100,000 that are anticipated to be released for the next fiscal year. All projected procurements are subject to revision or cancellation. The final decision as to the extent of competition, small or disadvantaged business set-asides, estimated value, etc., will not be made until each procurement is initiated. The data are for planning purposes only; and although copies of solicitations listed in the forecast are not available until the procurement has been formally announced, the Acquisition Forecast can serve as a useful tool by alerting companies of upcoming procurements. Acquisition Forecasts are published by every agency of the Federal Government and are available by contacting those agencies directly or by visiting their respective websites.
Pro-Net is an electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. It is a search engine for contracting officers, a marketing tool for small firms and a "link" to procurement opportunities and important information. It is designed to be a "virtual" one-stop-procurement-shop for small business. Small businesses interested in doing business with NASA and other government agencies should register with the Small Business Administration's PRO-Net Service.
Subcontracting Opportunities
In addition to doing business directly with NASA, there are many opportunities to perform subcontracting work with prime contractors. By either calling, writing, or visiting the Industry Assistance Office, you may obtain a listing of JSC's prime contractors and points of contact within each company. You should then contact the companies directly to learn more about their specific procurement requirements.
