NASA to Compete Contract for Jet Propulsion Laboratory Management

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.Credit: NASA NASA announced plans Friday to compete the next contract for managing and operating the agency’s federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in Southern California at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), to ensure continued accountability and strong value for U.S. taxpayers. The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has managed the laboratory since its inception in the 1930s, and previous NASA contracts for its management and operations have been awarded sole source to the university since the facility was transferred from the U.S. Army to NASA in 1958. The rapid growth of the U.S. space economy indicates there may now be a viable competitive market for programmatic and institutional elements of the FFRDC operations. Conducting a competition for this contract enables NASA to assess the potential benefits of alternative management approaches to the FFRDC, including opportunities to enhance mission performance, innovation, and overall cost and operational efficiency, consistent with federal competition requirements. This decision is part of a broader governmentwide and agency effort to find efficiencies, strengthen performance, and drive mission outcomes faster and more affordably. “The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has delivered some of the most extraordinary scientific and engineering achievements in NASA’s history,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “As America’s space economy evolves, we have a responsibility to the American people and the scientific community to evaluate how we can execute faster, operate more efficiently, and continue to deliver world-class science and engineering at the highest level. The decision to compete this contract reflects NASA’s commitment to strong stewardship of taxpayer resources and positions Jet Propulsion Laboratory to continue driving world-changing scientific discovery and technological innovation for decades to come.” The work cond