DREN5 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - 2.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION – Follow up 6/10 The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO)/DITCO-SCOTT /PS8231 Contracting Office is seeking information from industry to assist with the development and planning of a potential new requirement.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP). NO SOLICITATION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

1. Overview/Purpose/Description of Procurement For almost three decades the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN) has served as the Wide Area Network component of the Department of Defense’s High Performance Computing Modernization Program. DREN provides extremely high bandwidth, low latency, low jitter communications that connect the Department’s Science and Technology, Research and Development, Test and Evaluation, Modeling and Simulation, and Acquisition Engineering communities to one another and to the DoD Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD; Vicksburg, MS; Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; Stennis Space Center, MS; and Maui High Performance Computing Center, HI.

2. Scope of Effort Since contract services began in 1997, the number of connected sites, over 90% of which are in CONUS, has risen from 58 to nearly 250 (in 2025). The aggregate site bandwidth has expanded from 1.5 Gbps to 2 Tbps. In the last twelve years, bandwidth supporting the DSRCs has increased 25‑fold, while Internet bandwidth available to DREN users has grown 250‑fold.

Since DREN II (2013), each DREN contract has been structured with a ten‑year period of performance (base period, plus option periods). At the historical transition rate, to migrate from one DREN contract to another, more than half of the 10-year contract term is consumed by transition activities. To address this transition burden, the PMO is evaluating alternative acquisition strategies. This RFI is issued to explore alternative procurement approaches that would be analyzed against the historical acquisition approach of a single-award contract, with a series of multiple contracts covering discrete functional component areas (e.g., transmission circuits, carrier neutral data centers, network operations center services, technical services, etc.).

3. Technical Characteristics As the DREN program moves forward, it is essential to preserve the performance characteristics that our users depend upon: high bandwidth, low latency, low jitter, and superior bit‑error rate performance.

A listing of DREN service locations is available upon request. The DREN 4 Performance Work Statement (PWS) is included as an attachment to this notice.

4. Requested Information

Respondents are asked to respond to any or all of the component specific sections that follow. Respondents should substantiate their observations with references to industry best practices, state‑of‑the-art technologies, and emerging solutions. The Government seeks actionable guidance to help assist with future DREN acquisition planning. For maximum benefit to the Government, justify your recommendations in the context of performance, security, cost and future innovative solutions. Marketing material and company brochures are not requested.

1) Transmission Circuits

a) Description:

i) Communication channels connecting subscriber locations to DREN Core Nodes (DCNs) (i.e., backbone nodes) and interconnecting DCNs to provide a robust backbone and connectivity, both within the US and international, to the Internet and peers.

b) Questions:

i) What DREN CONUS SDP locations will be difficult to deliver 10G wavelength and/or E-Line circuits, and why? A list of DREN locations is available upon request.

ii) Does industry recommend DREN use cloud service providers for international transport?

iii) How does industry recommend the Government specify minimum latency circuits?

iv) How does industry recommend the Government specify jumbo frame (> 9,000 byte) capable circuits?

v) How does industry recommend the Government specify minimum packet loss circuits?

vi) What is the industry standard for packet loss for both E-Line and wavelength circuits?

vii) How widely available is spectrum? How cost effective is it compared to dark fiber and wavelength circuits?

viii) What is the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) available on E-Line and/or Metro Ethernet circuits to support jumbo frames?

ix) Is Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) supported end-to-end through E-Line and Metro Ethernet circuits?

2) Carrier Neutral Data Centers (CNDC)

a) Description:

i) Nodal hosting facility providing access to multiple network providers, allowing businesses to access a diverse ecosystem of multiple carriers (ISPs, cloud providers, etc.) for connectivity, offering greater choice, competitive pricing, enhanced redundancy (diverse paths), and flexibility to switch providers without migrating.

b) Questions:

i) Is Precision Time Protocol (PTP) broadly available as a service at CNDC locations?

ii) How do international CNDCs provide DoD-level physical security requirements?

iii) Are there any CNDCs planned or currently under development near El Paso TX or in the state of Hawaii?

3) Nodal/Site Equipment

a) Description:

i) Commercial equipment to implement and operate DREN to include routers, switches, firewalls, servers, PDUs, racks and modems, that are Trade Agreement Act (TAA) compliant.

b) Questions:

i) What is industry’s recommended approach for Out of Band (OOB) access to remote equipment?

ii) Is Precision Time Protocol (PTP) broadly available in hardware? If not, when does industry anticipate it would be broadly available? What are the benefits to implementing PTP in the DREN network?

iii) Is Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) broadly available in hardware? If not, when does industry anticipate it would be broadly available? What are the benefits to implementing SyncE in the DREN network?

iv) Is Ethernet Priority Flow Control (PFC) broadly available in hardware? If not, when does industry anticipate it would be broadly available?

4) Network Operation Center (NOC) (Tier 1 & 2)

a) Description:

i) The Network Operations Center provides support across Tier 1 (monitoring, detection, basic troubleshooting, ticket creation) and Tier 2 (investigation and resolution of issues escalated from Tier 1 requiring specialized knowledge). Using network‑management software tools, the NOC monitors overall network health, checks SDP (Service Delivery Point) and DCN status, tracks access-circuit status and performance, observes backbone‑circuit status and performance, maintains an up‑to‑date equipment inventory, and manages port assignments. At the routing layer, the NOC employs management tools to perform IP‑address and Ethernet‑routing assignments and related configuration tasks. The NOC operates an around‑the‑clock call center that interacts directly with customers, creates tickets for reported issues, and drives those tickets through to full resolution across all layers.

b) Questions:

i) What is industry’s recommendation to collect/store network “source of truth” information on configurations, topology, IP addresses, technical details, etc.?

ii) What tools are recommended for vendor agnostic telemetry on a high-performance network?

iii) What tools are recommended for vendor agnostic orchestration on a high-performance network?

iv) In a hybrid NOC model where the Government provides overarching direction and oversight with contracted NOC functions, what are some common methods to achieve automated incident ticket creation, bi-directional updates and seamless information exchange across organizations?

RESPONSE GUIDELINES:

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 15 single spaced pages in 11-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size. The response should not exceed a 5 MB e-mail limit for all items associated with the RFI response. Oral communications are not permissible. SAM.gov will be the sole repository for all information related to this RFI.

Companies who wish to respond to this RFI should send responses via email no later than 1:00 PM CT June 25, 2026 to the Contracting Officer, Ms. Katie Day, katie.s.day.civ@mail.mil, and Contract Specialist, Ms. Amber McKee, amber.m.mckee4.civ@mail.mil.

INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS:

DISA representatives may choose to meet with potential offerors and hold one-on-one discussions. Such discussions would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and certification risks.

QUESTIONS:

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to Ms. Katie Day, katie.s.day.civ@mail.mil, and Ms. Amber McKee, amber.m.mckee4.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Answers to questions will be posted to SAM.gov. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after June 16, 2026 will be answered. The Government will not reimburse companies for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses.

DISCLAIMER:

This RFI is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this synopsis.

All information contained in the RFI is preliminary as well as subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. FAR clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference in this RFI. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This RFI will be the basis for collecting information on capabilities available. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

DREN 5 Components

Components Transmission Circuits Network Operation Center Carrier Neutral Data Centers (CNDC) Nodal/Site Equipment Technical Services 5 5 5 5 5