Questions Answers RFI.pdf

PWS/RFI Section/ Paragraph/ Text Page Number Question/Comment/Recommendations Government Response

RFI Response Guidelines 4 The white paper page limit is 3 pages, single spaced, 12-point type, one-inch margins. Please confirm whether the company-information block, tables, figure captions and figure text count within the 3 pages, whether a smaller font size is permitted for tables and figures, and whether the 12-point requirement applies to headers and footers.

Please follow the response guidelines provided in the RFI.

RFI Response Guidelines 4 What file format does the Government prefer for the white paper (MS Word or PDF, as stated for questions), is there a file naming convention, and does the cover email itself count toward the 20 MB limit? Please confirm one attachment by email to the three addresses listed is the only submission mechanism.

PDF or MS Word, no larger than 20 MB, naming convention is up to the submitter.

Cover email does not count but please limit your verbiage in the cover email. Confirming one attachment by email to the three addresses listed in the only submission.

RFI Questions 4 Will answers to all questions be posted to SAM.gov as an amendment visible to all interested parties, and if answers post later than October 7, 2026 will the Government extend the response date so that offerors can use them?

Yes

RFI Section 1, Overview 1 to 2 For the incumbent orders (contract number HC108422F0258 under GSA Alliant 2 and contract number W15P7T22F0093 under RS3), please provide the total obligated value, the current annual value and the incumbent staffing level (full-time equivalents) by task, so that industry can size the consolidated follow-on.

This Request for Information (RFI) and Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP).

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft Contract Data Requirements Lists (CDRLs), Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Section 11.1, Phase-In Is the incumbent funded and contractually required to provide knowledge transfer, documentation and access during the 30-day phase-in, and will the incoming contractor receive the current CONOPS, topology diagrams, playbooks, mapping catalogs and eMASS packages before the performance start date?

This will be clarified in the RFP.

PWS Section 3, Performance Requirements

Will the Government publish the anticipated labor categories and the estimated level of effort (hours or FTEs) by task and by site (Fort Huachuca, Aberdeen Proving Ground, the four Regional Cyber Centers, OCONUS), or an independent Government cost estimate, so that a firm fixed price can be built on a common basis?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Section 6, Place of Performance What share of the work is expected on site at Fort Huachuca versus the alternative work sites, which roles require on-site staffing at each mission location, and does the prohibition on remote system administration apply to all elevated-privilege work including cloud administration in AECC and cARMY?

This information is internal to the Contractor's staffing since it's a firm fixed price contract. How the Contractor meets the ESEMS requirements is based on their staffing.

All elevated-privilege work on the DOWIN-A must be performed from a physical location on the DOWIN-A. "Remote" pertains to access through commercial network interfaces. Access will not be provided via commercial internet.

PWS Sections 2.3.4 and 6 What travel is anticipated to the Regional Cyber Centers, OCONUS hub nodes and tactical unit sites (frequency, duration, headcount), and will travel be a separate cost-reimbursable line rather than part of the firm fixed price?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 3.3.10, 9 and 10 Who bears the cost of software licenses beyond the Government enterprise license agreements, of contractor-furnished hardware for on-premises Elastic Defend and C2C nodes, and of the laboratory subscription hardware in Section 3.7? Will other direct costs and the no-fee hardware CLIN in 3.3.10 be priced separately from the firm fixed price CLINs?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 9 and 10, GFS, GFE and GFI

Please list the Government-furnished software (enterprise license agreements for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Elastic, Forescout, Cisco ISE, Cribl and Kafka support), the Government-furnished equipment by site, and the Government-furnished information available at award, including the NETCOM C2C Functional Requirements Document and the current USIEM baseline image.

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 3.1.3, 4.1.3, 4.3.6 and 4.1.8

The availability standards differ: 99.9 percent in 3.1.3 and 3.3.2, 99 percent per infrastructure pod in 4.1.3, and 99.99 percent in 4.3.6.

Which uptime figure governs each environment, and are the response and resolution times in 4.1.8 (Critical 15 minutes and 1 hour) measured 24/7/365 or during operational hours?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 3.1.6, 3.3.5 and 3.4.5, RMF

How many open POA&M items and open findings exist today in the EDR, C2C and USIEM eMASS packages, and will existing POA&M items transfer to the incoming contractor with their original due dates?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

RFI Section 4, item 3, Capabilities For the future solicitation, will past performance be evaluated through past performance questionnaires, and may CPARS records be substituted to reduce the burden on Government references?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 2.3, 3.1.4 and 3.4.3, hosting

For the contractor-managed orchestration, dashboard and evidence layer, will the Government accept a platform that holds a FedRAMP High Readiness Assessment Report and is listed in the FedRAMP Marketplace under 20x, operated inside the Army authorization boundary in AECC or cARMY, or must every contractor-managed component carry its own DoD provisional authorization? Please describe the authorization boundary the Government intends for contractor-managed services.

TThis RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 2.2 and 8, personnel Which roles will be designated key personnel, are resumes required with the quote, what minimum qualifications apply (for example Elastic Certified Engineer, DoD 8140 baseline certifications, IT Level I), and is U.S. citizenship required for all positions or only for those requiring a clearance?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 3.4.1 and 12, DevSecOps and data rights

Are AI-assisted development and operations tools (for example GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and similar) permitted in performance and in preparing responses, subject to the data rights and CUI handling rules in Section 12 and Section 8.2, and does the Government want a written disclosure of AI use with the white paper or the quote?

Yes; please provide a written disclosure of AI use.

SAM.gov notice 842674853

Classification, Original Set Aside

The notice shows no set-aside and both incumbents are other than small. Does the Government anticipate a small business set-aside, a small business reserve or evaluated small business participation for the follow-on, and will responses from small businesses to this RFI inform that determination?

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

PWS Section 8, Security Requirements

Section 8 cites FAR 52.204-2 and a DD Form 254, requires SECRET for all personnel and TOP SECRET with SCI eligibility for ESEMS support personnel, and refers to a table not included in the PWS. What facility clearance level and safeguarding level will the prime contractor need at award, may the Government sponsor a facility clearance after award, how many positions require TOP SECRET with SCI versus SECRET, and may subcontractor personnel perform under the prime’s clearance?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Sections 5, 3.3.10 and 7 What contract type, contract vehicle and evaluation basis does the Government anticipate for the follow-on (Section 5 states firm fixed price while 3.3.10 describes a cost-reimbursable no-fee CLIN), is a single award anticipated, and when does the Government expect to release the solicitation?

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

PWS Section 3.4.6, Vendor Partnership

Is the Elastic professional services and touch-labor partnership to be furnished by the Government through its enterprise agreement, or procured and priced by the contractor? If by the contractor, what level of service (hours, response times) does the Government expect?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Section 3.5.1, NETCOM Edge Section 3.5.1 says the contractor shall utilize the GFE NETCOM Edge suite and also that the contractor must provide all necessary virtual machines and up to 50 TB of storage on both networks. Please clarify which hardware, storage and licenses are Government-furnished and which the contractor provides, and whether the GPU servers are already installed at the hosting sites.

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Section 3.7, Laboratory Subscription

Is the laboratory (871 GHz CPU, 4 TB memory, 154 TB storage) hosted at a contractor facility accredited for CUI, at a Government site, or in AECC, and will the laboratory subscription be a separate CLIN?

Is existing laboratory infrastructure available for the incoming contractor?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

RFI Section 4, item 3, Capabilities and Market Insights

What does the Government consider comparable scale and complexity for each of the four key areas (for example endpoint count, number of sites, event rate), and will the experience of proposed subcontractors and proposed key personnel count toward the requirement to demonstrate at least three areas?

The Contractor will have to demonstrate how they plan to cover what's required in the

PWS.

RFI Industry Discussions Page 4 How should a respondent request a one-on-one discussion, and would the Government accept a capability demonstration of a respondent’s orchestration and evidence approach as part of that discussion?

No discussion or presentations until the formal solicitation.

PWS Section 3, deliverables tables Every deliverables table reads to be provided at RFQ. Will the Government release the draft CDRL list, delivery frequencies and formats before the solicitation, and will the NETCOM repository for deliverables be Government-furnished?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS Section 11.1, Phase-In, and 4.1.1, milestones

Full operational capability is required within 180 days of award and the base period begins 29 March 2027. Does the Government intend to award early enough for a 30-day phase-in before 29 March 2027, and will the 100 percent milestone compliance standard in 4.1.1 apply where a milestone slips for Government-caused reasons such as delayed GFE, access or accreditation?

This will be clarified in the RFP.

PWS Section 8, Security Requirements

Section 8 states that all Contractor personnel, except those requiring TOP SECRET/SCI, shall possess a SECRET clearance, and then states that per Table 1.6.10.3.3 Contractor personnel providing ESEMS support shall hold a final TOP SECRET clearance based on a Tier 5 investigation with ICD 704 SCI eligibility and SI/TK/G/HCS indoctrination at work start. Table 1.6.10.3.3 is not included in the PWS provided with this RFI. Will the Government release Table 1.6.10.3.3, or otherwise identify which labor categories and approximately what percentage of the total staffing require TOP SECRET/SCI versus SECRET? This distinction is the single largest driver of transition risk and price.

Yes, an updated table will be provided in the final PWS.

PWS Section 8, Security Requirements

Will the Government provide a draft DD Form 254 with the RFQ?

Specifically, what facility clearance level will the prime Contractor be required to hold at time of award, and will the requirement include safeguarding, given that Section 8.3 states access to classified information is limited to Government work locations and that no classified information will be discussed, processed, or stored in the Contractor's facility?

Yes. Facility clearance level is TS.

Acquisition Strategy The PWS identifies this as a consolidated follow-on to HC108422F0258 (GSA Alliant 2) and W15P7T22F0093 (RS3), both performed by other than small incumbents. What contract vehicle does the Government anticipate using for the ESEMS requirement, and has a set-aside determination been made? If no determination has been made, will the Government consider a small business set-aside or a partial set-aside for one or more discrete tasks, such as Task 3 Comply-to-Connect or the NETCOM Edge environment?

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

Acquisition Strategy Does the Government anticipate a single award, or separate awards aligned to the two predecessor contracts? If a single award is anticipated, will the Government consider evaluating subcontractor experience and past performance at the same weight as prime experience, given that the consolidated scope spans endpoint operations, network access control, data engineering, and advanced analytics, and few firms hold demonstrated depth across all four.

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

PWS PWS Section 3.1, 3.1.1, and 9.3 Section 3.1 requires that contractor owned, contractor operated hardware be quantum ready in accordance with NSM-10 and FIPS 203, 204, and 205. Section 3.1.1 states that on-premises infrastructure for Elastic Defend may be provisioned using either GFE or Contractor Furnished/Contractor Owned Equipment, subject to Government approval. Section 9.3 states the Government will provide GFE consisting of workstations and printers. For pricing purposes, should offerors assume the Government furnishes all server, storage, and GPU infrastructure, or should offerors price contractor owned infrastructure?

If the latter, will the Government provide an estimated quantity and specification by site?

Yes, quantity and specification will be provided, and it shall be up to the Contractor proposal alternatives.

PWS PWS Section 3.4 and 2.3 The scope contemplates sustaining on-premises USIEM instances at the Regional Cyber Centers while building a centralized instance in the Army Azure and cARMY environments. Will the Government provide current ingest volume (for example, average and peak events per second or terabytes per day), the current number of USIEM nodes by site, and the total managed endpoint count by network (NIPR, SIPR, Tactical)?

Without volume data, offerors cannot size the ingestion pipeline, the storage tier, or the staffing model with any accuracy, and the resulting price variance across quotes will not reflect real differences in approach.

We will provide sites currently managed at RFP. Volume, ingest, and storage sizing for USIEM is performed by the government team. Army Azure and cArmy are government provided via other contract vehicles.

PWS PWS Section 10, GFS Section 10 states that software to perform the ESEMS mission will be Government Furnished through other contracts and Enterprise License Agreements. Please confirm that this includes Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, the Elastic Stack and Elastic Defend, Forescout, Cisco Identity Services Engine, and Cribl licensing, and that no software license cost is to be included in the Contractor's price. If any of these are expected to be Contractor furnished, please identify which.

Yes for government mission. However, the Contractor will need to determine what they will require for their internal infrastructure/services.

PWS PPWS Section 2.2 and Task 4 Section 2.2 states the effort requires Elastic Certified Engineering consulting services. Will the Government establish a minimum number or percentage of Elastic certified personnel as a pass/fail or evaluated requirement, and if so, will certifications held by proposed subcontractor personnel and by named key personnel count toward that requirement?

No. This will be up to the requisite level of staffing by the Contractor.

PWS PWS Section 3.4.3 and Section 2.3

Migration of USIEM into the cARMY environment at IL5 and IL6 depends on Government provided cloud accounts, network transport, and Authority to Operate boundaries. Will the Government confirm which Authorization to Operate the ESEMS capability will inherit or operate under, whether an existing ATO will be transferred to the incoming Contractor, and who holds the Authorizing Official role? Please also confirm whether the Contractor is responsible for obtaining a new ATO within the phase-in period.

Government will determine appropriate AOs for the capabilities. Currently operating under multiple ATOs.

PWS PWS Section 11.1 Phase In Section 11.1 establishes a 30 day phase-in beginning prior to the performance start date, with Full Operational Capability within 180 days of award. Given the TOP SECRET/SCI clearance and indoctrination requirements in Section 8, a 30 day phase-in is unlikely to be achievable for a non-incumbent without a substantial pre-cleared bench. Will the Government consider extending the phase-in period to 60 or 90 days, or permitting phased assumption of tasks, to avoid effectively limiting competition to the incumbents?

This will be clarified in the RFP.

PWS PWS Section 6, Place of Performance

Section 6 permits alternative work sites within two hours travel of a Mission Location but prohibits remote work for system administration involving elevated privileges, while Section

2.3.4 requires 24/7/365 support across CONUS and OCONUS. Will the Government confirm whether 24/7 coverage is expected to be delivered on site at the Global Cyber Center and Regional Cyber Centers, and if so, at which locations and for which functions? This materially affects the staffing model and the on-site versus alternative work site rate structure referenced in Section 6.

24/7/365 personnel are required at the GCC location. RCC support must be able to be onsite at Pacific RCC and Europe RCC within 2 hours.

PWS PWS Section 19, CMMC Section 19 states that CMMC Level 2 Self-assessment is required at time of award. Please confirm whether this requirement flows down to subcontractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information, and whether compliance must be reflected in the Supplier Performance Risk System at time of quote submission or at time of award.

Yes, CMMC requirement flows down.

PWS PWS Section 3, Deliverables Tables

The deliverables tables throughout Section 3 state 'To be provided at RFQ.' Will the Government publish a draft RFQ, a draft Contract Data Requirements List, or a draft Performance Requirements Summary for industry comment prior to the formal solicitation? Early visibility into deliverable frequency and acceptance criteria would materially improve the quality and price realism of industry responses.

This will be provided in the final submission of the solicitation.

May a small business submit a consolidated response describing a prospective prime/subcontractor team, with corporate experience and technical responsibility identified separately by team member?

Any vendor can provide feedback through this RFI.

The draft PWS states that the prospective contractor must be CMMC Level 2 certified. For this RFI response, should respondents and proposed subcontractors already hold the applicable CMMC Level 2 status, or is that a performance/award-stage requirement tied to each entity's handling of CUI?

Any vendor can provide feedback through this RFI.

Does the Government anticipate a minimum recurring onsite staffing presence at Fort Huachuca and/or Aberdeen Proving Ground, and are any personnel or facility clearance levels expected beyond the unclassified handling stated in the RFI?

A presence at Ft. Huachuca is required.

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

The 15 June 2026 Sources Sought Notice stated that DISA was assessing small business capability to determine whether a small business set-aside was appropriate, and asked respondents to show their ability to meet FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. The 25 September 2026 RFI and draft PWS do not address small business participation. Can the Government please clarify:

SSN a. Is a small business set-aside (total or partial) still under consideration for this requirement?

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

SSN b. If a set-aside decision has been made, what is it? Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

SSN c. The draft PWS says deliverables will be "provided at RFQ," and the cover page lists "Task Order Number" fields. The period of performance has also changed from a 2-year base with eight option years (Sources Sought, 15 June 2026) to a 1-year base with four option years (draft PWS, Section 7), and the draft PWS no longer references the estimated $850M single-award IDIQ ceiling. Together, these changes suggest the requirement may now be issued as a task order under an existing contract vehicle rather than as a standalone IDIQ. Can the Government confirm the intended acquisition approach? If a task order is planned, which contract vehicle(s) are under consideration, and does that vehicle have a small business pool or reserve?

Acquisition strategy is still being determined and will be detailed in the final solicitation.

Could you confirm whether cyber compliance support is within this notice's scope and point me to the public industry engagement or teaming route? I would welcome a clearly defined partner-led workshare where it fits.

Yes, cyber compliance. The Government cannot recommend partner-led workshare.

RFI Can our response include a title page and if so, can you verify that the title page will not count in the total page limit?

All inclusive within the 3 pages.

PWS RFI 4 Bullet 2 PWS 2.3.5 and 3

The RFI asks for approaches that enhance automation, reduce infrastructure footprint, and result in seamless data integration.

Paragraph 2.3.5 directs contractors to Migrate and Centralize, Reduce Theater Footprint, and Optimize Enterprise Services. However, the government then directs use of Elastic Defend and states that the USEIM will be installed on cArmy. Is the government open to software other than Elastic Defend for servers and an USEIM on cArmy provided we can meet the same performance thresholds and compliance items?

In place architecture is always under constant review and modernization.

PWS 3.1 bullets 1 and 3 Para 3.1 sub-bullet 3, states: “The Contractor shall deploy and maintain Elastic Defend…for all on-premises endpoints across DOWIN-A.” Can the government please clarify if it requires Elastic Defend on all end-user devices, or just on devices not running MDE?

Operate and maintain current Elastic Defend for non-AUDS endpoints and MDE for AUDS endpoints.

PWS 3.1.7 Can the government provide a breakdown of how the 800,000+ endpoints are distributed across NIPR, SIPR, MPE, and Tactical networks. Within each network, can the government provide the percentage using MDE, Elastic Defend, or other software? This type of information is essential for developing optimal, accurate technical solutions at the lowest cost.

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 11 and 11.1 Can the government please clarify the expected timing of the phase-in (PWS 11)? Is it 30 days or 180 days, and is that from contract award, 30 days prior to the start date, or on the contract start date?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 11.1 Can the government provide the Phase-Out Plan for the current contracts to allow offerors’ Phase-In Plans to seamlessly integrate with the removal of contractor-owned equipment?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 4.1.1 Can the government please clarify if the milestones in paragraph 4.1.1 are based on contract award date (as written) or contract start date? Or should we assume these to be the same date?

Milestones start at date of award.

PWS 11.1 Given the 180-day FOC requirement and hardware procurement lead times, will the government authorize advance procurement of COCO/CFE upon contract award, prior to the performance start date?

This is up to the individual vendor.

PWS 3.4.3 Can the government clarify how deployments to cArmy are categorized (software, hardware, or other) and paid for, especially when workloads are deployed on VMs in Azure? Specifically, should contractors account for Azure use costs in their submissions?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

PWS 10 Can the government provide a list of the government-furnished software available for ESEMS?

Government will provide as part of the RFP.

PWS 10 When designing a technical solution for ESEMS, are offerors restricted to the government’s current software licenses, or can offerors propose additional software? If additional software is allowed, will it still be government furnished?

Yes. This is not intended to be a software procurement vehicle.

PWS 3.1.9 Can the government provide a list of the hardware currently used by the threat intelligence platform? Will management of that hardware transfer to a new contractor, or is the ESEMS contractor expected to replace that hardware in the first 180 days?

The threat intelligence platform is government owned.

PWS 3.1.9 Can the government clarify what threat intelligence platform software is in use and its hardware requirements?

If the Threat Intelligence Platform changes and requires associated hardware changes, will the government provide the replacement hardware?

The threat intelligence platform is government owned.

PWS 3.4 Can the government provide a list of the current USEIM hardware?

Will management of that hardware transfer to a new contractor, or is the ESEMS contractor expected to replace the functionality of that hardware in the first 180 days?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 3.1.1.3 The PWS states the on-premises infrastructure required for Elastic Defend operations may be provisioned utilizing either Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) or Contractor Furnished/Contractor Owned Equipment (CFE/COE), subject to final Government approval.

Can the government clarify the requirements for using GFE, and the timeline for final approval to use GFE When will the government provide approval if hardware provisioning for on-premise infrastructure will be GFE or CFE/CFO?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 3.3 Will the government clarify if FOC for C2C is required in 180 days, or are there separate milestones for C2C? Is the government current C2C status FOC?

Separate milestones and currently not in FOC.

PWS 3.3.10 Will the government provide the C2C functional requirements document and current deployment status by site to enable offerors to develop accurate technical solutions and realistic implementation timelines?

Yes, it will be provided at RFP.

PWS 3.3.10 Will the government clarify if PWS 3.3.10’s requirement to “virtualize assets” refers to endpoints, servers, or both?

Virtualized appliances.

PWS Will the government provide the number of FTEs and their work location for the current contract. Will the government consider purchasing the current contractor-owned hardware and providing it as GFE to the offeror? If yes, will the government provide a list of that equipment? There will be a significant difference in pricing submitted by the offerors if it is not GFE.

We've identified locations in the PWS but it's up to the contractor to determine the number of FTEs. As to the GFE, not at this time.

PWS 3.5.1.1 and 3.5.1.2 Can the government please clarify the GFE for the NETCOM Edge suite? Specifically, are the DL380a Gen 11 servers and NVIDIA L40S 48GB PCIe accelerators GFE?

Yes to all.

PWS Will the government disclose the relative weighting or order of importance regarding technical approach versus price in the evaluation?

For a requirement of this scale, where there may be significant CFE, offerors must make significant capital investment in infrastructure.

Understanding the price-to-technical weighting enables offerors to propose the most effective balance of cost efficiency and technical capability.

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 3.4 The incumbent-administered management domain (ACTD) on both SIPR and NIPR serves as the central management infrastructure for endpoint security operations. At contract transition, will this domain and its associated configurations, policies, and documentation transfer to the government or the incoming contractor; or will the incoming contractor be required to build a replacement management environment?

Only policies/configurations that were put in place by the government. The domain(s) are intellectual property of the incumbent and internal policies created by the incumbent on how they manage their environment will not be provided.

PWS 10 If the Army’s enterprise licensing agreements change during the contract (e.g., new tools are added to or removed from government ELAs), what mechanism will the contractor have to adjust its licensing responsibilities without requiring a formal contract modification, specifically, if new hardware or workforce training is required?

This is not a software procurement contract. Contractor workforce training shall be the responsibility of the contractor.

PWS 11.1 Will the government require the incumbent contractor to provide complete as-built documentation, network diagrams, operational runbooks, and configuration data to the government or the incoming contractor during the transition period?

All products developed by the Government's capability management teams will be available.

PWS 3.1.4 Will the government provide the current state of Gabriel Nimbus connectivity for ESEMS data? Are automated data feeds currently operational, or will the incoming contractor be required to establish this integration for the first time?

The GN current state shall be provided upon award since it's constantly changing.

Integration tasks are continuous.

PWS 3.1.1 Bullet 5 Does PWS 3.1.5 require three separate EDR architectural designs (Core, Hybrid-Managed, and Zero-Trust), or one unified architecture that supports all three operational modes? This distinction significantly affects both the technical approach and pricing.

The capability shall support emerging needs of the Army.

PWS 3.1.2 Will the government clarify if all the application controls, log collections, DLP, and alerts required are just for Elastic Defend or are they also for MDE?

It's consistent with DoW standards.

PWS 3.1.7 Will the government clarify if, when it refers to AUDS, it is referring to both NIPR and SIPR, or just NIPR?

Currently for NIPR however, this could change to support other networks.

PWS 3.3.4; 3.7 Will the government clarify if it prefers 2 distinct labs (1 for comply to connect, and 1 for Task 6), or is this meant to be the same lab environment?

Government will clarify in the RFP.

PWS 7 With the change from the 10-year POP as described in the Sources Sought to a 5-year POP, should offerors assume the estimated award ceiling to be half as much as the Sources Sought?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 3.1.1 Will the government clarify if the COOP location is government provided or contractor hosted?

Government data center.

PWS 3.3.2 Will the government clarify if the COOP location for the Comply to Connect Architecture must be the same location as for Endpoint Detection and Response?

Not the same location.

PWS 3.1.2 On page 7 of the draft PWS, bullet numbering skips from 6 to 14. Can the government confirm whether content was omitted or if this is a formatting error?

Formatting error. It will be correct at the RFP.

PWS 3.2.1 Will the government clarify how many systems are in scope? What constitutes “DOW systems”?

Endpoint numbers are specified.

PWS 3.5.2.2 Will the government clarify what “ESEMS 2.0” is? Is there a published specification?

This is a typo.

PWS 4.6.2 Will the government clarify if this should read “80% resolved within [X] hours/days”?

Shall be clarified prior to the release of the RFP.

PWS 4.1.3

4.4.3

Will the government clarify if cArmy RTO means initiation or full restoration within 30 min?

Full restoration.

PWS 11.2.3 Will the government clarify what remedy “reduction of fee” means under FFP?

This will be clarified in the RFP.

PWS 3.1.10

3.3.8

Will the government clarify what triggers a Flash Report? What is the format and turnaround time?

This RFI and Draft PWS are issued solely for market research, capability assessment, and acquisition planning purposes in accordance with FAR Part 10. This announcement does not constitute a RFP.

The Draft PWS was provided specifically to obtain constructive industry feedback to refine the Government's requirement. Draft CDRLs, Phase-In requirements, CLIN/Pricing structures, GFE details, selected Contract Vehicles, Security Requirements, Personnel Clearance/Citizenship mandates, and Evaluation Factors are currently being finalized and will be provided with the official RFP.

We thank you for your question; please hold all inquiries regarding these formal solicitation elements until the official RFP is released.

PWS 3.7.2 Will the government clarify the minimum qualifications for lab personnel?

Key personnel will be identified in the RFP.

PWS 3.1.7

3.3.6

Will the government clarify how many RCC locations there are? What is the minimum headcount at each?

Key personnel will be identified in the RFP.

PWS Section 8 Will the government provide a cleared personnel matrix? This will be detailed in the RFP.

PWS Section 17 Will the government state the current Army IPv6 timelines applicable to this contract?

Timelines are not yet specified.

PWS Section 18 Will the government include Appendix B in the solicitation? This was included in the RFI.

PWS 4.1.6 Will the government provide the COAMS schema? How does it interact with ECS?

We use the DoW COAMs schema for reporting.