New Opportunities Center - NASA ARC

New Opportunities Center – NASA ARC serves as the primary procurement lead for the NASA Ames Research Center, overseeing the acquisition of advanced research and development services critical to the agency’s mission in aeronautics, space exploration, and scientific innovation. Responsible for managing complex contract vehicles under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this role specializes in securing technical expertise in physical, engineering, and life sciences research, with a focus on autonomous systems, high-speed flight technologies, thermal protection systems, and advanced computing solutions. The center ensures compliance with federal acquisition regulations while aligning procurements with NASA’s strategic R&D priorities, facilitating timely delivery of mission-critical capabilities through competitive and transparent contracting processes. The primary contractor relationship is with Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, a trusted partner delivering specialized engineering and scientific services across multiple NASA programs. This vendor partnership reflects a pattern of sustained collaboration on high-impact, technically demanding projects requiring deep domain expertise in aerospace systems development, data analytics, and simulation modeling. The center consistently engages this contractor for integrated R&D tasks that demand agility, innovation, and rigorous technical validation, establishing a model of long-term, performance-based vendor engagement. There is no preference for socioeconomic set-asides; all procurements are conducted as full and open competitions, reflecting a mission-driven focus on technical merit and capability over socioeconomic categorization. While small business participation is not formally prioritized through set-aside programs, the center remains open to qualified small entities that demonstrate superior technical proficiency and programmatic alignment with NASA’s objectives. The center’s procurement activity is exclusively focused on NAICS 541715—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences. It procures advanced engineering services, computational modeling, flight systems prototyping, and data-driven scientific analysis, supporting projects in planetary exploration, hypersonics, robotic autonomy, and AI-enabled mission operations. The technical domain demands deep expertise in systems integration, aerospace materials, and high-fidelity simulation environments.