Sales Opportunities: Understanding the NASA Acquisition Forecast

Table Of Contents

Show Me the Money

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, captures the public imagination with images of distant galaxies, robotic explorers on Mars, and astronauts floating in the microgravity of the International Space Station. These missions represent monumental achievements in human ingenuity, science, and engineering. Yet, behind every spectacular launch, every piece of groundbreaking scientific data, and every spacewalk lies a complex, globe-spanning network of suppliers, contractors, and partners.

NASA, as a United States government agency, doesn’t build everything in-house. It’s one of the world’t’s largest customers for high-technology goods and services. It relies heavily on the private sector – from aerospace giants to highly specialized small businesses – to provide the hardware, software, and expertise needed to accomplish its missions. This collaborative effort requires a transparent, organized, and forward-looking system for procurement. This system is the NASA Acquisition Forecast.

At its core, the forecast is a public-facing database that details NASA’s anticipated contracting opportunities. It’s the agency’s way of signaling to the industrial and academic worlds what it plans to buy in the near future. This document, published by the NASA Office of Procurement, isn’t a collection of guaranteed contracts. Instead, it’s a planning tool, a roadmap that allows businesses to see where NASA’s needs are heading and decide if they can play a role.

For a non-technical audience, the world of government procurement can seem opaque, filled with acronyms and complex regulations. The NASA Acquisition Forecast can be understood more simply: It’s NASA’s public shopping list for the coming years. It’s the essential bridge connecting the agency’s ambitious goals – like landing humans on the Moon through the Artemis program or studying Earth’s changing climate – with the industrial base that will help build the tools to achieve them.

What is the Acquisition Forecast?

The NASA Acquisition Forecast is a dynamic, searchable resource that provides details on planned procurements across the entire agency. It’s updated regularly to reflect the changing needs and budgets of NASA’s many centers and mission directorates. The primary purpose of the forecast is to increase transparency and promote competition. By giving businesses advance notice, NASA ensures that a wider and more diverse pool of companies, including small and disadvantaged businesses, have a fair opportunity to compete for contracts.

This isn’t a casual “help wanted” list. It’s a structured database where each entry represents a potential future contract. A typical forecast entry includes several key pieces of information, designed to give businesses a clear picture of the opportunity.

A user browsing the forecast will find:

A Description of the Work: This is a short summary of the product or service NASA intends to buy. It might be for “Ground Support Equipment Maintenance,” “Advanced Scientific Data Analysis Software,” or “Fabrication of Flight-Grade Thermal Blankets.”
The NASA Center: The forecast is broken down by the specific NASA facility that will manage the contract. This is important because each center has a unique specialty.
Estimated Value: The opportunities are categorized by their potential dollar value, using broad ranges (e.g., $1 million to $5 million, or over $100 million). This helps businesses quickly identify contracts that match their size and capability.
Anticipated Timeline: The forecast provides estimated dates for when the formal “Request for Proposal” (RFP) is expected to be released and when the agency plans to award the contract.
Procurement Type: This indicates if the opportunity is a new requirement, a follow-on to an existing contract, or a modification.
Set-Aside Information: This is a vital component. Many opportunities are “set aside,” meaning they are reserved exclusively for specific categories of small businesses, such as those owned by women, service-disabled veterans, or located in historically underutilized business zones (HUBZones).
Point of Contact: The forecast often lists a NASA contracting specialist who can be contacted for more information, though communication is typically channeled through formal industry days and pre-solicitation announcements.

This database isn’t just a static report. It’s an interactive tool. Potential suppliers can search and filter the forecast by center, by business category code (known as a NAICS code), or by keyword. This allows a small software company, for example, to search for all opportunities related to “software development” at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with an estimated value under $10 million.

The Engine of Innovation: Why the Forecast Matters

The NASA Acquisition Forecast is more than an administrative tool; it’s a strategic instrument for building and sustaining the nation’s aerospace and technology sectors. Its impact extends far beyond the companies that win the contracts.

First, it champions competition. In government contracting, competition is the primary driver of both cost-effectiveness and quality. When multiple companies submit proposals for the same contract, they are pushed to offer their best technical solution at the most reasonable price. The forecast ensures this competition is broad and fair by giving everyone the same advance notice. It prevents a scenario where only a few “insider” companies are aware of upcoming work.

Second, the forecast is a powerful engine for small business engagement. The U.S. government, and NASA in particular, has a strong mandate to award a significant percentage of its contract dollars to small businesses. These companies are often sources of agility and niche innovation. The NASA Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) works tirelessly to connect with these firms, and the acquisition forecast is their single most important tool.

For a small engineering firm, seeing a potential multi-million dollar opportunity on the forecast 18 months before the proposal is due is a game-changer. It gives them time to conduct research, form partnerships with other companies, invest in new capabilities, and prepare a thoughtful, high-quality proposal. Without this advance notice, only the largest, most well-resourced companies would be able to respond to the short timelines of a formal solicitation.

Third, the forecast ensures alignment. NASA’s missions are incredibly complex and long-term. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, for instance, is the product of thousands of suppliers across the country. The acquisition forecast helps orchestrate this vast industrial choir. It signals NASA’s long-range needs, allowing the supply chain to align its investments and research with the agency’s direction. If the forecast shows a growing need for advanced cryogenics management, universities and private companies alike will take note and direct resources toward that field.

Finally, the forecast provides transparency for the American taxpayer. It offers a public window into how NASA plans to spend its budget. Citizens can see the types of projects the agency is investing in, from research into sustainable aviation to the development of next-generation spacesuits. This accountability is a cornerstone of a public-facing federal agency.

The Players: Who Uses the Forecast?

The forecast serves several distinct audiences, each with a different interest in the data.

Large Prime Contractors

For aerospace giants like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman, the NASA Acquisition Forecast is a key piece of business intelligence. These “prime contractors” are the companies that typically manage NASA’s largest, most complex programs, such as building a human-rated spacecraft like Orion or a major science satellite.

These companies monitor the forecast for large-scale, “Tier 1” opportunities. They use the information to make strategic decisions about which multi-billion dollar contracts to pursue. They also use it to plan their subcontracting strategies. When a prime contractor sees a $500 million contract on the forecast, they immediately begin identifying potential small business partners and suppliers they will need to build their team and fulfill the small business requirements included in the contract.

The Small Business Community

This is arguably the forecast’s most important audience. The forecast is a lifeline for small businesses looking to enter the federal marketplace or grow their existing NASA portfolio. It levels the playing field, giving them the same high-level visibility as the industry giants.

A small, woman-owned business specializing in cybersecurity can use the forecast to find opportunities reserved specifically for them. They can identify a need for “IT Security Services” at Goddard Space Flight Center and begin preparing. The OSBP actively encourages small businesses to use the forecast as their starting point, attending industry day events and networking with NASA center specialists related to the opportunities they find.

This ecosystem includes specialized programs like the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. While SBIR solicitations are separate, the graduates of the SBIR program – companies that developed a new technology with early-stage NASA funding – look to the acquisition forecast for the larger-scale contracts where they can apply their new, proven technology.

The Public and Academia

While businesses are the primary users, the forecast is also a valuable resource for universities, researchers, and the general public. Academia can monitor the forecast to identify trends in NASA’s research priorities, which can inform grant proposals and new areas of study. For the public, it provides a concrete look at the economic engine of space exploration. It shows that NASA is not just about astronauts and telescopes; it’s about facility management, IT infrastructure, educational outreach, and advanced manufacturing.

From Forecast to Liftoff: The Procurement Journey

An item appearing on the acquisition forecast is just the first step in a long journey. The forecast itself is not a solicitation; a company cannot submit a bid based on a forecast entry. It is a “pre-pre-solicitation” notice. The typical procurement lifecycle for a major opportunity looks something like this.

Forecast: An internal need at a NASA center is identified. For example, the team at Johnson Space Center determines they will need a new 5-year contract for managing the astronaut training facilities. This need is validated, budgeted, and added to the acquisition forecast, perhaps 12-24 months before the current contract expires.
Market Research: As the timeline gets closer, the NASA contracting officer begins formal market research. They might issue a public “Request for Information” (RFI) or “Sources Sought” notice. This RFI, which is separate from the forecast, asks the industry to submit information about their capabilities. This helps NASA understand the market landscape, refine its requirements, and decide if the contract can be set aside for small business.
Solicitation (RFP): Once the requirements are finalized, NASA issues the official “Request for Proposal” (RFP). This is the formal, legally binding document. It contains the complete “Statement of Work” detailing exactly what NASA needs, the rules for submitting a proposal, and the criteria that will be used to evaluate the submissions. This is the “starting gun” for the formal competition.
Proposal: Interested companies – who have been tracking the opportunity since it first appeared on the forecast – submit their detailed proposals. These are often massive documents, spanning hundreds or even thousands of pages, that detail the company’s technical solution, management plan, past performance, and cost.
Evaluation: A NASA Source Evaluation Board, composed of technical experts and contracting officials, reviews every proposal. They score the submissions against the criteria laid out in the RFP. This is a rigorous, fair, and confidential process.
Award: Based on the evaluation, NASA selects the company that offers the best value. “Best value” doesn’t always mean the lowest price; it’s a balance of technical merit, experience, and cost. The agency then “awards” the contract to the winning bidder.
Performance: The company begins the work, whether it’s building a rocket engine, providing cafeteria services, or managing a complex data network.

The acquisition forecast is the critical first step that sets this entire multi-year process in motion.

A Universe of Needs: The NASA Centers

To truly understand the forecast, one must understand the distributed nature of NASA. The agency isn’t one single entity; it’s a collection of field centers, each with a distinct history and specialized mission. The forecast is a consolidated list, but the needs originate from these unique locations. What Kennedy Space Center buys is very different from what Glenn Research Center buys.

NASA Headquarters (Washington, D.C.)

The agency’s headquarters, located in Washington, D.C., is the administrative and political hub. The procurement forecast for NASA Headquarters reflects these needs. Opportunities here are less about hardware and more about high-level services. This includes agency-wide information technology contracts, strategic communications and multimedia services, policy analysis, legal support, and financial auditing. Headquarters sets the “big picture” strategy, and its procurements are focused on managing the agency as a whole.

Ames Research Center (California)

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Ames Research Center is a leader in research and technology. Its forecast entries reflect a deep need for cutting-edge capabilities. Ames specializes in supercomputing, advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, and fundamental aerospace research. A look at its forecast might show opportunities for “Ames-specific IT services,” support for wind tunnel operations, and research into next-generation air traffic management systems. Ames is also a hub for astrobiology, so its forecast could include contracts for developing life-detection instruments or analyzing data from missions seeking habitable exoplanets.

Armstrong Flight Research Center (California)

Armstrong, located at Edwards Air Force Base, is NASA’s premier site for high-speed aerodynamics and atmospheric flight research. It’s where experimental aircraft, or “X-planes,” are put to the test. The procurement forecast for Armstrong Flight Research Center is focused on enabling this unique mission. It includes contracts for aircraft maintenance and modification, test range operations and safety, development of specialized flight instrumentation, and engineering support for its fleet of research aircraft, which includes the SOFIA airborne observatory (when it was operational).

Glenn Research Center (Ohio)

The Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is a powerhouse of aerospace and space propulsion technology. Its motto is “We power the future of flight and space.” This is reflected in its procurement needs. Glenn’s forecast features opportunities related to developing advanced power systems for spacecraft, solar electric propulsion, battery and energy storage research, and materials science for high-temperature engine components. They also conduct significant research in aeronautics, particularly in developing quieter, more efficient, and safer aircraft engines. Contracts at Glenn are heavily focused on research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E).

Goddard Space Flight Center (Maryland)

Goddard Space Flight Center is NASA’s primary center for Earth science, a “scientist’s” center. Located in Greenbelt, Maryland, Goddard manages a huge portfolio of satellites that study our own planet, the Sun, and the universe. It was the management center for the Hubble Space Telescope and now manages the James Webb Space Telescope. Goddard’s acquisition forecast is vast and varied. It includes multi-hundred-million-dollar contracts for building entire scientific satellites, developing complex ground systems for mission operations and data processing, and procuring specialized optical and sensor components. It also has significant needs for scientific data analysis, programming, and IT infrastructure to manage the petabytes of data its missions send back to Earth.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California)

While JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for NASA, it functions as a NASA center and its major acquisitions are part of the agency’s planning. JPL is the world’s leader in robotic exploration of the solar system. It’s the home of the Mars rovers (like Curiosity and Perseverance), the Voyager probes, and the Deep Space Network. The procurement needs at JPL are highly specialized, focusing on autonomous navigation systems, radiation-hardened electronics, advanced robotics, and telecommunications systems designed to talk to spacecraft hundreds of millions of miles away.

Johnson Space Center (Texas)

“Houston, we have a problem.” That Houston is the Johnson Space Center (JSC), the historical and current hub of American human spaceflight. JSC manages the International Space Station, astronaut training, and the Orion program for the Artemis missions. Its forecast is centered on the needs of humans in space. This includes contracts for mission operations support (the people in Mission Control), astronaut medical care and research, development of spacesuits and life support systems, and the production of space-rated food. JSC also procures engineering services, flight simulation hardware and software, and facility management for its extensive campus.

Kennedy Space Center (Florida)

Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the world’s preeminent spaceport. Located on Merritt Island, Florida, KSC is where NASA and its commercial partners, like SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, launch rockets into orbit. KSC’s procurement forecast is unique, focusing on the specialized needs of a “multi-user spaceport.” This includes contracts for managing propellant (rocket fuel), maintaining the massive Vehicle Assembly Buildingand launch pads, providing weather forecasting services, and ensuring range safety. KSC also leads in ground systems development, so its forecast includes opportunities for advanced command and control systems for launching and landing.

Langley Research Center (Virginia)

Langley Research Center, located in Hampton, Virginia, is NASA’s oldest field center. It is a premier center for aeronautics research, atmospheric science, and structures. Langley’s forecast reflects its research-heavy mission. It features opportunities for computational fluid dynamics modeling, wind tunnel testing services, advanced materials and manufacturing research, and the development of instruments for studying Earth’s atmosphere. Langley is essential to developing the technologies for safer, quieter, and more sustainable aircraft, as well as the entry, descent, and landing systems for spacecraft.

Marshall Space Flight Center (Alabama)

If a NASA mission involves a giant rocket, the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is involved. Marshall is NASA’s center for large-scale propulsion systems and space launch vehicles. It was the birthplace of the Saturn V rocket and now manages the Space Launch System (SLS). Marshall’s acquisition forecast is dominated by large-scale engineering and manufacturing. It includes major contracts for building and testing rocket engines, fabricating the massive fuel tanks for the SLS, and providing systems engineering and integration support for its propulsion programs. It also has a large science mission, managing payload operations for the ISS.

Stennis Space Center (Mississippi)

Stennis Space Center is, simply, where NASA tests its rocket engines. Before an engine can be trusted to launch multi-billion-dollar payloads and human lives, it must be proven on the ground. Stennis is home to the massive test stands that “hot-fire” engines for Marshall and for commercial partners. The Stennis forecast is focused on “rocket-firing as a service.” It includes large contracts for test stand operations and maintenance, propellant handling, data acquisition, and site-wide facility services. It’s a highly industrial site, and its procurement needs reflect that.

NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC)

Not all procurements are for rocket science. NASA, like any large organization, has massive needs for standard business functions. The NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC), also located in Mississippi, handles these. The NSSC’s forecast features agency-wide contracts for human resources (like payroll and training), financial management, IT support (like help desks and enterprise software licenses), and other procurement services. The NSSC’s mission is to centralize and streamline these common business tasks, allowing the science and engineering centers to focus on their core missions.

How to Read the Forecast: A Guide for the Curious

For a business owner or a curious individual, accessing the forecast is simple. The NASA Office of Procurement website hosts the database. It can be searched and filtered without any special access.

When looking at an entry, the non-technical user should focus on the description and the center. This tells the story. An entry for “Astrobiology Research Support” from Ames Research Center paints a picture of cutting-edge science. An entry for “Launch Pad 39B Maintenance” from Kennedy Space Center evokes the immediate, hands-on work of preparing for a launch.

The “set-aside” field is also revealing. Seeing “Total Small Business Set-Aside” on a multi-million dollar contract for “Engineering Services” is a powerful statement. It shows that NASA has confidence that the small business community has the capability to perform this complex work, and the agency is actively reserving that opportunity to support that sector of the economy.

The timeline data is what businesses live by. An opportunity “forecasted” for the distant future is something to “watch and track,” while one with an RFP release date in the next quarter triggers immediate action: proposal teams are assembled, partnerships are finalized, and the work of writing a winning bid begins.

The forecast isn’t perfect. It’s a plan, and plans change. Budgets shift, missions are redefined, and priorities are adjusted. An opportunity on the forecast might be delayed, modified, or even cancelled. It’s a dynamic document, not a static promise. Its value isn’t in its perfect accuracy, but in its direction. It shows where the “smart money” in aerospace, science, and technology is flowing.

The acquisition forecast is a testament to the fact that space exploration is a team sport. It takes a “village” of hundreds of thousands of workers, spread across every state, to make a NASA mission successful. The vast majority of these workers are not NASA employees. They are the employees of the prime contractors, subcontractors, and small businesses that NASA hires to perform the work.

This complex industrial dance begins with a single, simple idea: planning. The NASA Acquisition Forecast is that plan, made public. It’s the blueprint that links the agency’s grandest visions – of returning to the Moon, of understanding climate change, of searching for life beyond Earth – to the practical, on-the-ground business of buying the services and building the machines to make them a reality. It’s the point where ambitious dreams are translated into actionable business opportunities.

Summary

The NASA Acquisition Forecast is a vital, public-facing tool that outlines the agency’s upcoming procurement needs. It’s a bridge between the grand scientific and exploration goals of NASA and the private-sector industrial base that helps execute them. By providing a transparent, forward-looking view of planned contracts, the forecast promotes fair competition and ensures that businesses of all sizes – from large aerospace prime contractors to innovative small businesses – have the information they need to compete for opportunities. Each NASA center has specialized needs, and the forecast aggregates these, offering a detailed map of everything from human spaceflight support at Johnson Space Center to robotic exploration hardware for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Earth science instruments at Goddard Space Flight Center. For a non-technical audience, the forecast is more than a business database; it’s a real-time blueprint showing how NASA’s mission to explore is translated into tangible economic activity and technological development.