NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall, in Huntsville, Alabama, is NASA's propulsion center, and its test stands and fabrication shops create demand for hard metal work and precision parts.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in numbers
Obligated by fiscal year
What they buy
Who they buy from
Contracting offices
Office names arrive with award detail records, so this list grows over time.
What they buy
Marshall manages launch vehicle propulsion, rocket engine work, and elements of NASA's heavy lift and deep space programs. It also manages the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where large rocket structures are built. On site it runs propulsion test stands, materials and manufacturing labs, and environmental test facilities.
That mix produces buys for machined engine and test hardware, welded pressure components, fixtures and tooling, valves and fluid components, instrumentation, additive manufacturing services, heat treating, and specialty coatings. It also buys engineering, test operations, and facility maintenance.
How they buy
NASA posts notices on SAM.gov, and Marshall has its own procurement office. Vehicle and engine production sits with primes on long contracts. Engineering, test, and facility support run on multi-year contracts that recompete on a schedule and are often set aside for small business.
Parts, fixtures, and shop services go out as requests for quotation awarded as purchase orders, and repeat needs may go on blanket purchase agreements. NASA uses sources sought and requests for information ahead of larger buys and publishes a center-level small business forecast.
How a small shop gets in
Register in SAM.gov and set alerts for the Marshall procurement office and your NAICS codes. Read the center's forecast and respond to sources sought notices with a capability statement that names your equipment, materials, and certifications.
Contact the Marshall small business specialist, who can connect you with technical buyers and with the primes and support contractors that subcontract machining and fabrication. Michoud has its own supplier needs and is worth a separate look. For flight or test hardware, expect NASA material and process specifications, so have traceability and certifications ready.
Test hardware is a good first order
Test stand fixtures and ground hardware carry lighter requirements than flight parts. They are a practical way to earn a first purchase order and a past performance record.
Related guides
- Sources sought and RFIsRespond early to shape the set-aside decision.
- Subcontracting to primesHow to get on a prime's approved supplier list.
- NASA Kennedy Space CenterWhere the same vehicles are processed and launched.
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