Operations and maintenance of equipment

NASA's Shared Services Center (NSSC) is seeking operations and maintenance services for equipment related to the Plant X biomanufacturing facility, a specialized research and production system for bioreactor-based crop cultivation and wastewater treatment. The procuring agency intends to issue a sole source contract to the University of Hawaii, which has been determined to be the sole provider capable of delivering these services. Key contract requirements include facility operations oversight using NASA-provided standard operating procedures, scheduled maintenance and troubleshooting of solar panels, reactors, and growth systems, water quality and product evaluation testing, crop health monitoring, and final project reporting with lessons learned. The government will evaluate interested organizations' capabilities and qualifications solely to determine whether competitive procurement is warranted, though the final decision to compete or maintain sole source status rests entirely with the government. The deadline for submission of capabilities and qualifications is April 24, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, with oral communications not accepted as responses.

This solicitation carries no set-aside designation and identifies the University of Hawaii at Manoa (located at 2425 Campus Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822) as the current intended contractor. The contract period spans eight months from August 2026 through March 2027, with performance taking place at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at a housing community site in eastern Oahu where the Plant X facility will be housed. The budget encompasses staffing costs for 2-3 graduate or post-doctoral students (2 full-time equivalent positions over the eight-month period with associated tuition and fringe benefits), a professor summer stipend, chemicals and test kits for water quality analysis, and costs for university analytical equipment usage. The work involves comprehensive facility operations, systematic maintenance of bioreactor systems, extensive water quality testing measuring conventional and micropollutant parameters including PFAS analysis, and coordination with Kennedy Space Center, DEVCOM, the University of South Florida, and other project stakeholders through weekly status meetings.