Boeing

HOUSTON, Feb. 1, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that it is preparing competitive procurement opportunities for qualified small businesses to support the company’s work on the International Space Station (ISS).

Boeing’s Space Exploration division, headquartered in Houston, will issue restricted competitions for small and diverse businesses with NASA program experience. The technical disciplines associated with the solicitations are:

• software engineering
• program integration and configuration management
• engineering design and analysis
• safety and mission assurance
• avionics and systems engineering
• logistics and maintenance.

“In today’s business environment, many small businesses bring innovative and cost-competitive solutions that can complement our business in support of these Houston-based programs,” said Russell Carroll, director of Supplier Management for Boeing Space Exploration. “Boeing has been a leader in providing opportunities to small businesses in the Houston community for nearly half a century.”

Boeing’s legacy in human spaceflight programs spans four decades. The company has worked on every major human spaceflight program since the beginning of the Space Age.

“Our small-business outreach efforts are an opportunity to listen to representatives from the community and facilitate a process to select the best suppliers to support our Boeing team and offer the best value to NASA,” Carroll added. “With these latest opportunities, we are especially interested in suppliers that possess proven experience with human spaceflight programs.”

Business representatives who would like to receive more information can contact Small Business Liaison Kevin Howard in Houston at 281-226-4381 or via e-mail at isshoustonsmallbusiness@boeing.com. Prospective small businesses must submit a completed supplier profile (provided by Howard) no later than Feb. 7 to be eligible to participate.

Boeing is the prime contractor to NASA for the ISS. In addition to designing and building all the major U.S. elements, Boeing also is responsible for ensuring the successful integration of new hardware and software -- including components from international partners -- as well as for providing sustaining engineering work for the ISS.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

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Contact:

Adam Morgan
Space Exploration
Office: 281-226-4030
Mobile: 281-386-4396
adam.k.morgan@boeing.com

Ed Memi
Space Exploration
Office: 281-226-4029
Mobile: 713-204-5464
edmund.g.memi@boeing.com