Autonomy rules
Ended Definitive Contract Awarded Last action
- Contract number
- FA865125CB004
- Awardee
-
Covar, LLC UEI NL6YKVNN2G46 Part of Covar Holdco Inc.
- Awarding agency
-
Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force Materiel Command, Department of Defense
- Obligated
- $3,498,700
Award facts
- Opportunity
-
- Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values (ASIMOV) Pre-Solicitation · HR001124S0011 · Posted Jan 25, 2024
- Contract value 50% obligated
-
- $3,498,700.00 Current, with exercised options
- $6,995,555.00 Potential, with all options
- Completion date 100% complete
-
- Current, with exercised options
- Potential, with all options
- Contracting staff
- Funding agency
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Department of Defense
- NAICS code
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
- Competition
- 7 offers Negotiated Proposal / Quote
- Pricing
- Firm Fixed Price
- Place of performance
- West McLean, VA 22102, USA
- Legislative mandates
-
- Employment Eligibility Verification (E-Verify) FAR subpart 22.18
Award details come from SAM.gov/FPDS.
Transactions
| Action | Obligated | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Other Administrative Action | $0 | |
| Funding Only Action | $1,283,234 | |
| Supplemental Agreement for work within scope | $0 | |
| Funding Only Action | $952,524 | |
| Funding Only Action | $587,942 | |
| Original award | $675,000 |
About this award
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded a $7.0 million firm fixed-price contract to Covar, LLC (doing business as Covar Applied Technologies Inc.) on October 10, 2024, for the Autonomy Rules program, with an ultimate completion date of August 14, 2026. The program, formally titled "Autonomy Standards and Ideals with Military Operational Values," seeks to develop benchmarks and generative modeling environments capable of objectively measuring the ethical difficulty of various military autonomy use cases and assessing systems' operational readiness and ethical compliance. Under the solicitation, performers will establish prototype benchmarks through phased development, with Phase I demonstrating feasibility over 6-12 months and Phase II allowing optional refinement over 12-24 months. Proposers are required to address benchmark decomposition, testing approaches, and participation in program events to gauge progress. No set-aside designation was applied to this award.
Covar, LLC is a small disadvantaged business headquartered in McLean, Virginia, specializing in advanced technology research and development, autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, sensor technologies, and algorithm development for U.S. federal government clients. The contractor is well-positioned for this work, having previously served as prime contractor on a $3.8 million Office of Naval Research contract for Generative AI Informed Force Design and a $2.47 million DARPA SBIR Phase II contract for the MINGLER multi-modal information project. The contract is performance-based in West McLean, Virginia, and represents continued investment by DARPA in autonomous systems research and development critical to national defense capabilities.
Quick answers
Who was awarded contract FA865125CB004?
FA865125CB004 was awarded to Covar, LLC by Air Force Research Laboratory (Air Force Materiel Command) on October 10, 2024.
How much is contract FA865125CB004 worth?
The government has obligated $3,498,700 on FA865125CB004. Its potential value, with all options, is $6,995,555.
Which agency awarded contract FA865125CB004?
Air Force Research Laboratory (Air Force Materiel Command) awarded FA865125CB004, with funding from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Department of Defense).
Was contract FA865125CB004 competed?
The government received 7 offers.
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