Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) - Tactical Networks Software Defined Networking (SDN) Transport Solution

This is a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) solicitation issued by Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic's Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) for a prototype contract addressing cyber hardening and sustainment of a Software Defined Networking transport solution for the Department of Navy. The solicitation number is N65236-26-S-0001, Area of Interest 26-A010, under Command Focus Area 3.1 Battlespace Connectivity.

The Department of Navy seeks an industry partner to assume a Government-furnished Information (GFI) codebase representing an extensible network infrastructure and orchestration toolset and harden it using advanced industry best practices and AI-assisted tooling to improve cyber resiliency and security posture. The desired solution must encompass three primary capability areas: (1) Cyber Hardening & Modernization—utilizing AI-assisted tools to identify vulnerabilities and streamline code while maintaining integration with open-source products; (2) Comprehensive Sustainment Plan—including detailed patching frequency, enterprise delivery integration, and continuous improvement frameworks with consistent release cadence; and (3) Scalability, Team Agile Support & Deployment—demonstrating organizational infrastructure and personnel agility to deliver solutions across diverse Navy and DoD customers with scalable delivery and deployment support. The Government requires the offeror to demonstrate capability through three milestone deliverables: a Hardening & AI Tooling Demonstration, a Sustainment & Pipeline Proof of Concept showcasing security patch deployment through CI/CD pipelines, and delivery of an initial hardened MVP packaged for Government validation. Solution briefs must be submitted via the Vulcan platform no later than 12 pm Eastern Daylight Time on 26 August 2026, with virtual pitches anticipated between 31 August and 3 September 2026. CMMC Level 2 (Self) certification is required. The solicitation indicates potential for follow-on production contract awards without further competitive procedures based on prototype performance.