DREN5 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

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 (one-year base period, plus nine one-year 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 provide general comments on the advantages and challenges of a multiple contract procurement model and may then 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) DREN Acquisition Approach

a) Questions:

i) If DREN 5 is separated into multiple contracts, what contract groupings are recommended? Are any of the components a candidate for a multi-award contract?

ii) Which approach (single-award contract vs. multi-award contract) is best suited to manage and ensure seamless integration of these services?

iii) In what capacity can Small Business best support the requirements of the PWS?

iv) Please add any other comments, suggestions, or recommendations regarding the DREN 5 acquisition approach.

2) 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 would make a multiple contract approach more attractive to resellers and/or integrators?

ii) How should the Government structure an acquisition to promote the best competition for high performance circuits in different global regions?

iii) Should access, backbone and international circuits be combined into a single contract or procured via separate contracts (e.g., domestic/international, multiple domestic regions, etc.)? Describe the benefits of your recommendation.

iv) What is the best methodology to engage and coordinate with international providers?

v) Is 10 Gbps a reasonable minimum access bandwidth in the 2030-2040 timeframe? For reference, the minimum access bandwidth currently on DREN 4 is 1 Gbps.

vi) Today DREN’s core is built on 100G wavelength circuits and is expected to grow significantly through 2040. What are the recommended approaches for delivering connectivity between nodes greater than 100G?

vii) Should respondents be required to price all sites (or only a subset of sites)? Please explain.

viii) Should pricing be site specific or by region or by some other characteristic? Please explain.

ix) What is the industry standard for circuit installation timelines? How does the standard vary by region, bandwidth, or other factors?

x) What circuit technologies would industry recommend for DREN and what is the rationale behind that recommendation?

xi) Should DREN be built on shared or dedicated infrastructure? Please explain.

xii) What is the industry standard for circuit SLAs (latency, loss, jitter, reliability) and outage credits?

xiii) What challenges need to be identified and mitigated to assure an end-to-end network providing jumbo frames, low latency, high speed, high bandwidth across multiple network providers?

xiv) Are there any recommendations about circuit term lengths the Govt should consider to minimize costs?

xv) Indicate opportunities for any portion of Transmission Circuits that could be a Small Business set aside. If so, identify where and describe the benefits to the Government.

3) 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) What acquisition strategy would industry recommend for CNDC services (up to 25 kW per site)? (i.e. a single award (suggesting partnerships among industry providers) or a multiple award contract (to multiple industry providers) approach)

ii) For smaller markets, should the Government consider non-neutral carrier data centers? What are the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach?

iii) If the Government decides to locate DCNs at Govt/military base locations, what factors should the Government consider, e.g. access facilities, robust/rich connectivity, available bandwidth?

iv) What industry services are available by CNDC providers that might benefit the Government?

v) Are there ways to minimize cross-connect costs in CNDCs? If so, please detail.

vi) How do industry CNDC facilities meet DoD physical security standards, particularly controlled-access and camera coverage?

vii) If contracting for multiple CNDC sites, what volume discounts could the Government anticipate? Describe scenarios where volume discounts may apply.

viii) Are there procurement-related topics for CNDCs that the Government has not asked above? If so, please describe.

ix) Indicate opportunities for any portion of CNDC Services that could be a Small Business set aside. If so, identify where and describe the benefits to the Government.

4) 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 methods can be utilized/leveraged to ensure hardware/software relevancy, sustainability and licensed appropriately for Government use? Are there lessons learned from recent supply-chain disruptions?

ii) What are the benefits and drawbacks of purchasing vs leasing hardware, such as refresh/update cycles, software upgrades, break fix/routine maintenance, and installation? Which approach best advantages the Government?

iii) What options are available to partner with hardware Original Equipment Manufacturer labs to obtain Tier 3 support?

iv) What is the most cost-effective way for the Government to structure equipment acquisitions?

v) How does industry recommend the Government approach the staging, assembly, configuration, burn-in, testing, shipping, and installation of nodal and site equipment?

5) 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) Should DREN in-source NOC functions within the Government, out-source the functions to industry, or develop a hybrid solution? What are the advantages and disadvantages to each of the approaches? If hybrid, what is the best separation of functions?

ii) Suggest tools and processes to enhance NOC communication and support with DREN customers to ensure smooth operations 24x7.

iii) Describe strategies that can be leveraged to meet security considerations, compliance and resiliency requirements for NOC operations?

iv) Suggest the order of activities and timeline to implement a NOC in a DoD environment.

v) What are the most challenging requirements to operate a NOC in the DoD environment and what mitigation strategies are effective?

vi) What access and tools are required for a NOC to monitor and manage a routed and switched network?

vii) Are there procurement-related topics for NOC that the Government has not asked above? If so, please describe.

viii) Indicate opportunities for any portion of the NOC Services that could be a Small Business set aside. If so, identify where and describe the benefits to the Government.

6) Technical Services

a) Description:

i) Skilled technical labor to provide development, engineering, testing, installation, operations, and cybersecurity functions.

b) Questions:

i) Should Technical Services be an option included with each component procurement, or should technical expertise be procured from a single provider? Please describe.

ii) Indicate opportunities for any portion of Technical Services that could be a Small Business set aside. If so, identify where and describe the benefits to the Government.

RESPONSE GUIDELINES:

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 25 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 April 20, 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 April 6, 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