NASA has selected Jacobs Technology of Tullahoma, Tenn., to receive the manufacturing support and facilities operations contract at the Michoud Facility Assembly in eastern New Orleans.

This is a cost plus award fee, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a three-year base period of performance beginning May 1, 2009, and two one-year options. The contract value is $120.49 million for the base period, $40.11 million for option year one and $42.16 million for option year two. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs Technology will manage the Michoud facility and provide support to its multiple NASA projects and other tenants.

Michoud, a NASA-owned facility, is one of the world's largest manufacturing plants. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages it.

"This contract award marks a new era of management and collaborative manufacturing work at Michoud," said Shelia Cloud, Michoud transition manager. "Michoud has a rich history of providing manufacturing expertise to NASA, and this new contract will enable a more NASA-centric focus at Michoud as we transition to a multi-project facility."

For 35 years, the Space Shuttle Program has manufactured and built the external fuel tank at Michoud. Today, the facility supports several major projects for the Constellation Program, which is developing NASA's next generation of crew exploration and launch vehicles.

The Michoud facility, located on 832 acres, has more than 2.2 million square feet of manufacturing space and features state-of-the-art plant and tooling equipment. It is one of the largest employers in Louisiana with more than 3,900 employees on-site.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/michoud