NASA Procurement

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) buys a wide range of aerospace, engineering, IT, and research goods and services across its centers, and it also manages one of the largest IT procurement vehicles in the federal government. For contractors, NASA matters both as a direct buyer of mission and research work and as the agency behind SEWP (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement), a government-wide contract used by agencies across the federal landscape. Understanding both sides is essential to building a NASA strategy.

Overview

NASA acquires science, engineering, aerospace, and IT capabilities through its centers, including the Goddard Space Flight Center, which manages the SEWP program. SEWP is a government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC) for IT products and services, and it carries substantial scale: SEWP V ran from 2015 to 2025 with roughly 145 holder companies and a ceiling of $20 billion, and its successor SEWP VI is the next generation of the program. The combined SEWP V and VI ceiling is reported at $20 billion or more, which makes NASA's procurement footprint far larger than its own internal spending alone. NASA also issues large mission-specific contracts; one example is a SpaceX indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) award valued at $3.7 billion.

Where opportunities are posted

NASA's open-market solicitations and many of its direct contracts are posted on SAM.gov, the central federal opportunity system, alongside the rest of the government. SEWP, however, works differently. Task orders placed through SEWP do not appear on SAM.gov; they flow through the dedicated SEWP ordering portal at sewp.nasa.gov. This is an important distinction: if you hold a SEWP contract and only monitor SAM.gov, you will miss the IT hardware and product orders that move through the SEWP portal. SEWP is the government's preferred path for buying IT hardware such as laptops, servers, network equipment, and cloud infrastructure, and agencies can get quotes in 24 to 48 hours with average order-to-delivery in 5 to 7 days. A complete NASA monitoring strategy watches SAM.gov for solicitations and watches the SEWP portal for task orders. If you also pursue research dollars through programs like sbir-gov, track those separate channels as well.

What they buy

On the direct side, NASA buys aerospace systems, science and research services, engineering and technical support, launch and mission services, and the IT and data capabilities that support its programs. Through SEWP, the buying scope is specifically IT focused: hardware, software, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensors, and peripherals, available to all federal agencies government-wide. Because SEWP is product and IT centric, contractors with strong IT hardware, software, and cloud offerings are the natural fit there, while mission, science, and engineering firms compete more on NASA's direct center contracts. NASA's research and technology work also overlaps with other science agencies, so contractors active with doe-procurement often find adjacent capability demand at NASA. For vehicle context, see this contract vehicles guide.

Set-asides and small business

Small businesses can compete for NASA work both through open-market solicitations on SAM.gov and, where eligible, by becoming holders on contract vehicles. Set-aside categories that apply across the federal government, such as small business, 8(a), HUBZone, woman-owned, and service-disabled veteran-owned set-asides, can attach to NASA solicitations, so reviewing the set-aside designation on each opportunity is the first step in qualifying. Getting onto a GWAC like SEWP is a longer path: it requires waiting for the next solicitation (such as SEWP VI), competing through a long and detailed proposal, and demonstrating IT product or service capability plus past performance. An important reality is that even umbrella vehicles end and get recompeted. When SEWP V expired, NASA ran SEWP VI as a new competition where some prior holders returned, some new companies joined, and some were dropped, which means a seat on a vehicle is never permanent and must be re-won.

How to win

1. Decide which NASA you are selling to. If you sell IT products, software, or cloud, prioritize getting on SEWP and monitoring the SEWP portal. If you sell mission, science, or engineering services, focus on NASA's direct solicitations on SAM.gov. Mixing the two strategies dilutes both.
2. Monitor both channels. Watch SAM.gov for NASA solicitations and watch sewp.nasa.gov for task orders, because the two systems do not mirror each other and SEWP orders never appear on SAM.gov.
3. Build past performance before the next vehicle competition. SEWP holders are chosen on demonstrated IT capability and past performance, so win subcontract and open-market work now to be credible when SEWP VI or a similar recompete opens.
4. Move fast on SEWP quotes. Because agencies can get SEWP quotes in 24 to 48 hours and expect 5 to 7 day delivery, contractors who respond quickly and stock or source reliably win repeat orders.
5. Plan for recompetes. Treat any vehicle seat as temporary, track expiration timelines, and prepare your next proposal early so a recompete like SEWP V to SEWP VI does not catch you off the vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is SEWP and who runs it?

SEWP stands for Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement. It is a government-wide acquisition contract for IT products and services, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Although NASA runs it, all federal agencies can use SEWP to buy IT hardware, software, cloud, IoT devices, sensors, and peripherals.

Are SEWP orders posted on SAM.gov?

No. SEWP task orders are placed through the dedicated SEWP portal at sewp.nasa.gov, not on SAM.gov. NASA's open-market solicitations and many direct contracts do appear on SAM.gov, but the SEWP product and task-order flow is separate. Contractors who only watch SAM.gov miss the SEWP market entirely.

How do I get on SEWP?

You wait for the next SEWP solicitation, such as SEWP VI, and compete through a long and detailed proposal. The award process evaluates your IT product or service capability and your past performance. Because SEWP V was closed to new entrants once awarded, the recompete is the entry point, so building qualifying past performance ahead of time is essential.

What is the difference between SEWP V and SEWP VI?

SEWP V ran from 2015 to 2025 with roughly 145 holder companies and a $20 billion ceiling, and it is now closed to new entrants. SEWP VI is the successor program that NASA ran as a fresh competition. In that recompete, some prior holders returned, some new companies were added, and some were dropped, which is the normal pattern when a vehicle expires and is recompeted.

Does NASA buy anything besides IT?

Yes. Beyond the IT focus of SEWP, NASA directly contracts for aerospace systems, science and research, engineering and technical support, and mission and launch services. These direct contracts can be very large; for example, NASA awarded a SpaceX IDIQ valued at $3.7 billion. NASA's research demand also overlaps with other science agencies and with research funding programs.