NASA Releases Mid-Year Acquisition Forecast

NASA released its semi-annual acquisition forecast in early July listing more than 200 procurements over the next eight years.

This includes new, revised, withdrawn, awarded, cancelled and planned procurements. The information is subject to revision or cancellation with final decisions made at solicitation release. This article focuses on the new and revised opportunities in the acquisition planning phase for FY 2026 only.

NASA grouped the value ranges into 15 overlapping categories. To streamline and standardize the classification, Deltek reorganized these into seven more conventional formats. The forecast included five broad types of requirements that combined industry market sectors categorizing Information Technology (IT), Construction, Research and Development (R&D) procurements as Services. Deltek regrouped these under the standard marketing nomenclatures based on the NAICS and PSC. Deltek included the single “supplies” opportunity in the “Other/TBD” category. This category also includes equipment, operations and maintenance and manufacturing items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For FY 2026, NASA projects 44 contracting opportunities ranging from $250K to more than $1B. The agency forecast used 11 overlapping value ranges. To simply analysis, Deltek consolidated these into the seven groups below. One-third of the upcoming contracts are valued above $100M, with two exceeding $1B. And while there is limited competition for these, they open doors for strategic teaming arrangements and subcontracting options especially for small businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Market Sector and Center Distribution

Unsurprisingly, a look at the opportunity distribution across market sectors shows Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) and Information Technology (IT) opportunities representing half of the planned projects. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), or HR-1 allocates funds for these construction and infrastructure projects in FY 2026:

• John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) $120M
• John F. Kenedy Space Center (KSC) $250M
• Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) $300M
• George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) $100M
• Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) $30M

IT procurements account for 23% of upcoming contracts including the recently extended $1.2B NASA Advanced Computing Services (NACS). This contract now expires June 30, 2030 and the agency plans to issue the follow-on solicitation next year. The competition types and solicitation dates remain undecided opening doors for industry input.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More than half of FY 2026 procurements are for KSC and JSC. Two follow-ons exceed $1B in estimated value with eight others estimated to be between $100M and $999M. These include:

• Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation (ESSCA) II: $1B+
• Commercial service contract to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon: $1B+
• JSC Facilities: $500M - $999M
• Glenn Engineering and Research Support II (GEARS II): $250M - $500M
• Intelligent systems Research and Development Support (ISRDS-4): $250M - $500M
• Kennedy Exploration Ground Systems (LX) Support Services IV (KLXS IV): $100M - $250M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Business Outlook

Roughly 36% of next year’s procurements are small business set-asides and Full and Open solicitations include SB reserves. Of note, however, are the 18 opportunities with undetermined competition types, 10 of which are for new projects. Undefined acquisition strategies for nearly half of NASA’s plans creates opportunities for firms to provide input on socio-economic distributions, potential scope changes and innovative concepts. Small businesses remain vital to the success of NASA’s missions not only through prime contracts but through strategic joint ventures and subcontracting opportunities. Small businesses must remain aware of upcoming program changes such as the restructuring of the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer program through which NASA plans to award 360 new small business awards, grants and contracts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contractor-Related Observations

The updated NASA forecast provides a snapshot of the space agency’s plans over the next eight years and continues to evolve as NASA prioritizes Deep Space Exploration missions. The FY 2026 outlook for NASA contractors remains positive even considering the budget reductions and ongoing cost-efficiency efforts. Critical mission-related contract recompetes are on track with two follow-on procurements valued at more than $B. And while the scope of these large contracts often limits the competition, multiple teaming and subcontracting opportunities still exist. Furthermore, one quarter of the FY 2026 procurements are within the $5M - $25M range offering a broader competitive field. Increased focus on Deep Space Exploration and infrastructure modernization in IT and facilities, provide a wide variety of opportunities in AI, communications, equipment and networking products and services. Contractors should closely monitor upcoming amendments to H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), NASA’s Acquisition Forecast, and Deltek’s Federal Market Analysis and GovWin IQ sites for ongoing budget and opportunity information.