NASA FFRDC at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Competitive Procurement Request for Information (RFI) / Sources Sought Notice (SSN)
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- FFRDC-26-RFI-SSN
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- PSC
- AJ12 General Science And Technology R&D Services; General Science And Technology; Applied Research
- Place of performance
- Pasadena, California, United States
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
NASA issued a competitive Request for Information and Sources Sought Notice on August 3, 2026, for management and operation of its Federally Funded Research and Development Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with responses originally due August 24, 2026, but subsequently amended to extend engagement through October 14, 2026. The current contract, held by Caltech since 1958, expires September 30, 2028; the new contract is scheduled to begin October 1, 2028.
NASA seeks capability statements and procurement strategy input from interested entities, including small businesses, HBCUs, and minority institutions. Respondents must address research and development, programmatic, and institutional work elements; provide small business subcontracting recommendations with rationale; submit up to three customer references from the past three years; and offer input on contract structure, workforce retention, transition planning, and source selection factors. The facility spans approximately 177 acres with 140 buildings totaling 7.78 million square feet across multiple California locations, including Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex and Table Mountain Observatory. Core capabilities include deep space exploration, planetary missions, entry/descent/landing systems, robotic autonomy, spacecraft navigation, and advanced science observations. NAICS 541715 (small business size standard: 1,300 employees).
Amendments added an Industry Engagement Event October 21–23, 2026, at JPL (U.S. citizens only; maximum four individuals per entity; registration deadline September 24, 2026), and invited feedback on a draft Statement of Work by October 14, 2026. NASA's procurement schedule targets final RFP in Q2 2027, proposals due Q3 2027, and award in Q1 2028.
Notice text
3 versions
Update #3 · Latest ·
UPDATE September 29, 2026:
This is the second amendment to the subject notice, originally posted August 3, 2026, to invite interested entities to review and provide feedback on the draft Statement of Work (SOW) for the management and operations of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Note that this draft SOW is not final and any feedback provided will help shape the final SOW, which will be released with the solicitation.
See the attachment titled "2026 09 29 FFRDC Draft SOW for Feedback" for complete details and “2026 09 29 FFRDC SOW – Draft” for the draft SOW.
*****************************************************************
UPDATE September 10, 2026:
This is an amendment to the subject notice, posted August 3, 2026, to invite interested entities to participate in an Industry Engagement Event at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), that will take place October 21-23, 2026.
The purpose of this event is to provide interested entities an early opportunity (i.e., before solicitation release) to access and tour the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to continue engagement with members of the NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight (NOJMO) and the NASA Source Evaluation Board (SEB), and to support development of the NASA procurement strategy and solicitation and potential Offeror proposal development and teaming opportunities.
See the attachment titled "2026 09 10 FFRDC Industry Event at JPL" for complete details and registration information.
*****************************************************************
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is hereby soliciting information regarding potential sources for a new competitive procurement for the management and operation of NASA’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is also seeking input regarding potential procurement strategies.
See the attachment titled "2026 08 03 FFRDC RFI-SSN" for complete details.
Update #2 ·
UPDATE September 10, 2026:
This is an amendment to the subject notice, posted August 3, 2026, to invite interested entities to participate in an Industry Engagement Event at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), that will take place October 21-23, 2026.
The purpose of this event is to provide interested entities an early opportunity (i.e., before solicitation release) to access and tour the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to continue engagement with members of the NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight (NOJMO) and the NASA Source Evaluation Board (SEB), and to support development of the NASA procurement strategy and solicitation and potential Offeror proposal development and teaming opportunities.
See the attachment titled "2026 09 10 FFRDC Industry Event at JPL" for complete details and registration information.
*****************************************************************
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is hereby soliciting information regarding potential sources for a new competitive procurement for the management and operation of NASA’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is also seeking input regarding potential procurement strategies.
See the attachment titled "2026 08 03 FFRDC RFI-SSN" for complete details.
Update #1 ·
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is hereby soliciting information regarding potential sources for a new competitive procurement for the management and operation of NASA’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA is also seeking input regarding potential procurement strategies.
See the attachment titled "2026 08 03 FFRDC RFI-SSN" for complete details.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 09 29 FFRDC Draft SOW for Feedback.pdf | ||
| 2026 09 29 FFRDC SOW - Draft.docx | DOCX document | |
| 2026 09 10 FFRDC Industry Event at JPL.pdf | ||
| 2026 08 03 FFRDC RFI-SSN.pdf |
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