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KSC Visitor Complex operations and Astronaut Training Experience facility development

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is assessing whether to compete an extension for continued operation of the KSC Visitor Complex and development of a new Astronaut Training Experience facility. - Requirement: Continue operating and expanding the KSC Visitor Complex Public Visitor Program and develop and operate a guest-facing Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) facility. - Facility work: Includes concept development, preliminary and final design, construction, commissioning, and operational implementation. - Acquisition approach: NASA plans to extend the existing agreement for the time needed to complete and operate the facility, citing continuity and project-integration risks from a transition during development. - Industry input: Interested organizations may submit capability and qualification information to help NASA decide whether to conduct a competitive acquisition. This notice seeks capability information; it does not identify a specific product, quantity, part number, or award.

Description

NASA/KSC has a requirement for continued operation and expansion of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) Public Visitor Program (PVP) to include the creation and operation of a new Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) facility for guests. The KSCVC serves as a critical national asset that reaches more than 1.6 million visitors annually and communicates NASA’s mission to the public. Through its PVP, the KSCVC ignites support for NASA initiatives by engaging the public in NASA’s robust history, dynamic present, and inspirational future. Public demand for the current ATX facility greatly outnumbers current operational capacity and reimagined content is vital to communicate NASA’s mission, maintain public enthusiasm, and reinforce support for major programs. A new public ATX will increase capacity; introduce learners to career technical skills desired by the administration and industry; provide a high-tech environment with labs, workshops and makerspaces; and meet the increasing demand of public visitors nationwide.

NASA/KSC intends to extend the current KSCVC agreement with Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts (DNCPR), pursuant to the authority in 51 U.S.C. 20113(k)(2) and (3), for such time as necessary to complete, commission, and operate a new ATX facility. This extension will enable DNCPR to perform and complete all work associated with the development of the new ATX facility, including concept development, preliminary and final design, construction, commissioning, and operational implementation. Because these activities are expected to extend beyond the expiration date of the current KSCVC agreement, continuity of performance is necessary to ensure successful project execution and operations at a reasonable profit. Transitioning responsibility to a successor concessionaire during the design, construction, or commissioning phases significantly increase performance, schedule, and integration risk, adversely impacting NASA/KSC’s objectives for timely delivery and operation of the new ATX facility.

Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort electronically via email to the primary point of contact listed below no later than 5 p.m. ET on November 7, 2026. Such capabilities and qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct this acquisition on a competitive basis. A decision by the Government not to compete this acquisition on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.

The Center Ombudsman can be found at https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf

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