Glenn Research Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center is a civilian sub-agency of NASA that procures aerospace technology development, space systems engineering, and ground infrastructure for lunar and deep-space missions. Glenn Research Center operates as a field center within NASA's broader acquisition structure and conducts substantial contract work alongside limited grant funding.

Glenn Research Center closed 204 awards in 2022, 154 in 2023, 129 in 2024, 94 in 2025, and 105 year-to-date in 2026, with a most-recent award date of October 14, 2026. The center has issued 13,758 total federal contract awards since 1988, carrying combined award potential value of $9.4 billion and $7.33 billion in combined dollars obligated. Across the center's contracting footprint, 3,375 distinct prime contractors have been awarded work.

Over the last five years, contract competition is moderately concentrated among the top primes by award count but highly fragmented by dollar value. Wolf Creek Federal Services LLC leads by award count with 59 awards but reports only $2.1 million combined potential value, followed by Erie Affiliates Inc. (57 awards, $70.9 million) and HX5 LLC (51 awards, $58 million). By potential value, Erie Affiliates Inc., KBR Wyle Services LLC, and HX5 LLC each hold between $58 million and $70.9 million, together representing only 3% of recent combined potential value. The top five primes by award count account for 34% of recent awards; the top five by potential value account for only 3% of combined potential value, signaling that Glenn Research Center distributes work across a wide vendor base with relatively small individual contract ceilings. Small-business set-asides account for about one-quarter of all awards (23% Total Small Business, 4% Competitive 8(a), 1% 8(a) Sole Source, and 1% HUBZone), while 71% of awards carry no set-aside designation.

Grant activity at Glenn Research Center is minimal. The center has issued 21 total federal grant awards since 2007, obligating $20.2 million in combined federal dollars across 17 distinct recipients. The most recent grant award closed January 1, 2024. Over the last five years, the center awarded only 9 grants (2 in 2019, 2 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 2 in 2022, and 1 in 2024), with grant recipients highly concentrated: the Regents of the University of Michigan hold 2 awards ($226 thousand obligated), and the University of California, Los Angeles holds 1 award ($193 thousand obligated), together representing 100% of recent awards and 2% of recent federal dollars. Grants are split between Project Grants (57%) and Cooperative Agreements (43%).

Active contract opportunities include a Lunar Exploration Ground Sites (LEGS) Public Private Partnership intent-to-sole-source to KSAT Inc. (due October 30, 2026), an Aerospace Power Systems Laboratory facility solicitation (due October 30, 2026), a V-Band Cross-Link Mesh Network NASA Research Announcement pre-solicitation (due October 6, 2026), and a Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator broad agency announcement under NextSTEP-3 (due October 15, 2026, with three amendments posted since September 8). A Space Power and Reactor Capabilities multiple-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity draft request for proposals remains in pre-solicitation (DRFP stage), with industry day materials and questions and answers posted as of late September.