AOI NG-RD Prototype OT.pdf

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Area of Interest (AOI) for Next Generation Retransmission Device (NG-RD)

Prototype Other Transaction (OT)

Note: Please advise the Agreements Officer as soon as possible via the email above if your organization intends to submit a Solution Brief to DISA in response to this AOI.

*Any submissions that are received by the Agreements Officer after the suspense date/time listed above will be deemed late and not evaluated. It is the sole responsibility of the company to ensure that its submission is received in the inbox listed above before the deadline specified.

This AOI may result in the Government awarding a prototype OT in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022. This AOI, and any OT awarded from this AOI, is not subject to the Federal Acquisition

Regulations (FAR) or its supplements.

Project Number DISA-OTA-26-R-NGRD

Commercial Solutions Opening Number HC108425S0001

AOI Title Next Generation Retransmission Device Prototype OT

Issued By Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) | www.disa.mil Defense Information Technology Contracting Office (DITCO)

Submission Instructions To respond to this AOI, please refer to paragraph 4 of the AOI and the Commercial Solutions Opening, section 3.1, General Guidelines and section 3.2, Phase 1 Solution Briefs.

*Solution Briefs Due Date/Time (Suspense) 09 April 2026, 4:00 p.m., CST

Submit Solution Brief To

DITCO OTA Team:

disa.scott.ditco.mbx.ps84-other-transaction-authority@mail.mil Agreements Officer: Joe Santel Agreements Specialist: Ashley Fleming http://www.disa.mil/ mailto:disa.scott.ditco.mbx.ps84-other-transaction-authority@mail.mil

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1. BACKGROUND

DISA provides secure mobile devices and services for users within the Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), National Leadership Command Capabilities (NLCC), and other federal agencies through the DoD Mobility Classified Capability - Secret (DMCC-S).

DMCC-S is an enterprise service that enables government-owned mobile devices with access to the Classified Secret Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) telephony and information services. DMCC-S is configured to the National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) Mobile Access Capability Package (MACP) and Data-at-Rest (DAR) Capability Package.

The current DMCC-S solution consists of an End User Device (EUD), such as a phone, tablet, or laptop, paired with a Retransmission Device (RD) that functions as a commercial mobile hotspot.

These EUDs are configured as “Dual DAR” solutions, meaning they use two layers of encryption to protect DAR. As a result, the device is considered unclassified when a user is not logged in or when the phone is powered off.

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT

The CSfC MACP version 2.7, released on January 28, 2025, mandates a hardwired connection between an RD and an EUD when the EUD does not meet specific virtualization requirements.

This supersedes previous guidance that permitted a Wi-Fi connection.

While a cable connection meets the new technical standard, it is operationally untenable. The use of a visible cable between the EUD and the RD creates two critical issues:

a. Degraded Operational Security (OPSEC): The physical cable makes the operator conspicuous, drawing unwanted attention and flagging them as a non-standard mobile user.

This creates a significant OPSEC risk by highlighting personnel and their equipment.

b. Reduced Tactical Mobility: Forcing users to carry and physically connect separate devices is cumbersome, creates a logistical burden, and hinders the tactical mobility required for accessing classified networks like the Secret Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) Network in operational environments.

To close the gap between CSfC compliance and operational viability, this project seeks to prototype an innovative, integrated, and user-friendly NG-RD. The ideal solution would likely take the form of a sleeve or integrated case, which meets the hardwired requirement internally while appearing as a normal device case to an outside observer.

The primary goal of this project is to provide the DMCC-S program with a mobile solution that simultaneously satisfies the new CSfC hardwired connection requirement, eliminates the OPSEC issue caused by external cables, removes the logistical burden of separate devices, and restores full tactical mobility for users.

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3. DESIRED SOLUTION ATTRIBUTES

A fully functional prototype must include the following unique or innovative capabilities, functions, and/or features:

3.1. Core Compliance & Physical Design

a. The solution must meet or exceed all requirements of the CSfC MACP version 2.7, and all subsequent versions released during the period of performance.

b. The solution’s physical footprint shall be minimized to reduce its visual signature. While a form factor similar in size to a commercial smartphone case is the desired baseline, vendors are encouraged to propose innovative solutions that achieve the core requirement of being inconspicuous.

c. The solution must be an all-in-one form factor that eliminates the need for a separate device and connecting cable.

d. The solution must be modular to enable rapid, cost-effective portability of capabilities across current and future EUD form factors.

3.2. Component & Supply Chain Security

a. The solution must be constructed using Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components that are on the CSfC Components List and validated under the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP).

b. The solution must adhere to Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) principles throughout its lifecycle.

c. All manufacturing and assembly, throughout the prototype and any potential follow-on production, must be performed domestically in compliance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

d. All modem chips must be compliant throughout the period of performance with Section 889(a)(1)(A)&(B) of the FY19 National Defense Authorization Act.

3.3. Connectivity & Transport

a. The solution must provide unlocked, globally-certified 4G/LTE and 5G cellular transport options. “Unlocked" is defined as not being bound to a specific carrier, supporting both embedded Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and physical SIM cards.

b. The solution must provide 802.11 a/b/g/ac/ax/be (Wi-Fi 6E/7) transport options.

c. The cellular and Wi-Fi modem components must be on separate, non-integrated chips.

d. The solution must be designed to support emerging transport options, such as Direct-to-

Device satellite communications.

3.4. Security Features

a. The solution must provide Signature Management capabilities, including the ability to physically mask and/or control all Radio Frequency (RF) emissions from the EUD (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Near Field Communication) as required.

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b. The solution must include a cryptographic key store that is physically and logically independent of the EUD, enabling the use of derived credentials.

3.5. Lifecycle, Service & Management

a. The solution must include full lifecycle support, if the prototype is successful and moved into production, to include planning, procurement, deployment, sustainment, and secure disposal.

b. The solution must offer an “as a service” option to control lifecycle costs and provide a support framework for future hardware and software evolution.

c. The solution must support automated inventory and asset tracking.

d. The solution must be administered via a centralized, cloud-based platform that is authorized at Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High and/or DISA Impact Level 6.

e. The platform must support secure, over-the-air firmware updates.

f. The platform must provide tools for remote monitoring and reporting.

4. AWARDING INSTRUMENT

This AOI solicitation will be awarded in accordance with the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) procedures detailed within HC108425S0001 (DISA CSO), posted to SAM.gov on 8 January 2025. The CSO outlines the guidelines for submitting solution briefs, pitches, and proposals and how the Government will evaluate responses to this AOI. The CSO can be found at: https://sam.gov/opp/98c4a509d78f4f95ae21586d7004fd0e/view

As identified in paragraph 3.2 of the CSO, the Affirmation of Business Status Certification is attached to this AOI.

5. SOLICITATION NOTES

In addition to the general guidelines included in the CSO, the following guidelines apply to this

AOI.

• The Government will give preference to submissions that demonstrate an innovative, existing, and reference-verifiable commercial ability to accomplish the desired solution attributes listed above.

• If the Government does not receive any solution briefs that demonstrate an innovative, existing, and reference-verifiable commercial ability to accomplish the desired solution attributes listed above, preference will be given to submissions demonstrating existing and recent products that can be adapted for the solicited purpose with the least amount of non-recurrent-engineering effort.

• Resellers, integrators, and academic research proposals are not desired.

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• To align with the target schedule, proposals with a performance period of 6 months or less are ideal. However, as the primary goal is to find the best possible solution, all submissions are strongly encouraged for consideration.

6. NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS

As identified in section 9 of the CSO, non-government advisors may be used in the evaluation of Solution Briefs, Pitches, and during proposal development and negotiation. For this AOI, the Government anticipates using non-government advisors from the following contractors:

Company: Booz Allen Hamilton Contract/Task Order Number: HC10842392000/HC10842692019

7. FOLLOW-ON PRODUCTION

Companies are advised that any prototype OT agreement awarded in response to this AOI may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of further competitive procedures. The follow-on production contract or transaction will be available for use by one or more organizations in the Department of Defense and, as a result, the magnitude of the follow-on production contract or agreement could be significantly larger than that of the prototype OT. As such, any prototype OT will include the following statement relative to the potential for follow-on production: "In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.