NASA Explored New Pricing for Mission Operations
The agency released a request for information regarding its upcoming GSMO-4 contract to test new procurement models.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Space
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NASA Goddard has initiated a request for information (RFI) to gather industry feedback on the upcoming GSMO-4 contract, signaling a potential shift in how the agency sources mission ground and operations support. The inquiry explores moving from traditional cost-plus pricing toward firm-fixed-price models.
Why it matters
This procurement shift reflects an agency effort to standardize contract costs for future missions. By potentially moving toward catalog-style pricing and task-order structures, NASA aims to align contract overhead with specific mission risk classifications.
The current GSMO-3 contract is valued at $640 million over a five-year term. NASA is now evaluating catalog-style pricing and task-order frameworks to replace the existing cost-plus-award-fee model used in previous cycles.
The players
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
A major research laboratory within the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration that manages space-based science missions and ground system architectures.
KBR
A global engineering and technology firm providing mission operations, ground support, and systems engineering services for government and private sector aerospace projects.
The details
NASA is currently gathering technical and cost data from industry vendors to structure the GSMO-4 agreement. The agency is considering a move to a firm-fixed-price model, a contracting method where the price is not subject to adjustment based on the contractor's actual costs. This would represent a departure from the cost-plus-award-fee structure, where the government pays for allowable expenses plus a fee for performance, historically used to manage the uncertainties of mission operations.
Timeline
January 2017: NASA awarded the GSMO-2 contract.
2022: KBR secured the five-year GSMO-3 contract.
September 24, 2026: NASA issued the RFI for the GSMO-4 contract.
The Tech Race
This move follows the standard progression of procurement cycles governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) procurement guidelines. The agency is attempting to move away from the flexible but cost-variable models seen in the GSMO-3 era toward more predictable, cataloged pricing benchmarks.
Industry partners and contractors should prepare for shifts in bidding requirements as NASA evaluates these new pricing models. No specific timeline for the final GSMO-4 contract award has been set following this initial inquiry phase.
The takeaway
NASA is currently signaling a move toward more rigid, fixed-price procurement to manage its ballooning ground operations budget. Interested parties should monitor the SAM.gov contract portal for future task order requirements and official GSMO-4 bidding deadlines.
Further reading
For broader trends in agency procurement and mission support, visit the Space section.
More information
Read the full solicitation details on the SAM.gov contract portal.
Source note: This article includes information reported by GovCon Wire.
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