Jacobs Wins NASA's Contract

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC - Analyst Report), a construction services provider, received yet another contract from NASA; this time for NASA’s Johnson Space Centre (JSC) based in Houston, Texas. The contract is valued at $1.93 billion.

The contract involves a tender for engineering, technology and science services to be rendered by Jacobs. The five-year contract begins on May 1, 2013, with an option of two renewals of two years each.

This deal is a part of the broader JSC Engineering, Technology and Science (JETS) contract, which serves the NASA JSC’s Engineering Directorate and Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate. Per the broader contract, services like sustaining engineering, engineering design and development, technology development, test services will be provided to various NASA programs and offices. The beneficiaries of the contract include International Space Station, Orion, Advanced Exploration Systems, the Chief Technologist and Commercial Crew and Cargo and Mars Science Laboratory science research and operations.

Jacobs is not the only service provider under the contract. Other companies that are a part of the contract are Aerodyne Industries, Barrios Technology, ERC Inc., UTC Aerospace Systems, GeoControl Systems, Inc., HX5 Inc., Oceaneering Space Systems, MRI Technologies.

Jacobs has so far received a healthy stream of contracts from NASA, which indicate not only a cordial relationship but also a firm faith in each other’s capabilities.

Jacobs is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional and construction services. The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). One of its peers, Quanta Services Inc. (PWR - Analyst Report), holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy); whereas others like Willdan Group (WLDN) and AECOM Technology Corporation (ACM - Snapshot Report) hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).