Autonomous Construction Equipment RFI FINAL.docx

Product Manager Engineer, Maintenance and Support Equipment (PdM EMSE) Request for Information (RFI) Robotic and Autonomous Construction Equipment (RA-CE)

SYNOPSIS

The United States Army Product Manager Engineer, Maintenance and Support Equipment (PdM EMSE) is conducting market research to identify mature, field-relevant artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy, and robotic systems capable of transforming combat engineering operations. PdM EMSE seeks to engage leading commercial AI developers, robotics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), autonomy software providers, sensor and perception specialists, and systems integrators to characterize the state of the art and to inform a rapid acquisition strategy aligned with the Army's modernization priorities and the broader national imperative to field autonomous and commercially derived warfighting capability at speed and scale.

This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for market research and planning purposes in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or an announcement of a forthcoming solicitation, and it shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. No contract will be awarded as a result of this RFI. Responses are voluntary, and the Government will not reimburse any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of information. Submitted data will not be returned. All Government-furnished information associated with this RFI is preliminary and subject to revision.

The Government's intent is to: (1) inform PdM EMSE and senior Army leadership of the current commercial and dual-use landscape for robotics and autonomy applied to heavy construction equipment; (2) identify opportunities for industry teaming, prime–subcontractor arrangements, and consortium engagement; and (3) shape an acquisition strategy that rapidly delivers proven capability to the Joint Force. The Government is not seeking a bespoke, ground-up robotic platform. Rather, it seeks to integrate the best available commercial and dual-use autonomy stacks, perception systems, AI/Machine Learning (ML) decision aids, and robotic kits with existing and emerging construction equipment to deliver mission outcomes that decisively advance lethality, survivability, and operational tempo.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this RFI is to assess the current state of commercially available remote and autonomous technologies that can be integrated with existing construction equipment platforms to enable remote and autonomous operation for combat engineering missions. The U.S. Army is seeking information from OEMs and other technology providers regarding solutions that can retrofit or be integrated with medium dozers, High Mobility Engineer Excavators (HMEE), and skid steer loaders. Additionally, the Army is interested in site reconnaissance and surveying capabilities provided by unmanned aerial systems (UASs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), as well as mobile or compact command and control solutions.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

Please complete all information and respond to all questions in Sections IV and V.

This RFI is for planning purposes only; it is not to be construed as a commitment by the United States Government (USG), nor will the USG pay for the information solicited. Send responses to this RFI directly to david.s.berosik.civ@army.mil, with the subject “Response to RA-CE RFI”.

Provide responses and attachments in MS Word or PDF format. Address any requests for questions/clarifications directly to david.s.berosik.civ@army.mil.

Responses to this RFI are due by 3:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), 08 July 2026.

Responses are limited to 10 total pages per solution submission (not including attachments for certifications and title page), using Times New Roman, font size 12, with one-inch margins. Completed Platform Characteristics Tables as outlined in Section VII do not count against the 10-page limit.

If you have multiple solutions per problem statement or believe a single solution can meet multiple problem statements, please submit a response per individual solution per problem statement.

Please respond to every question using the following guidance:

Responses shall answer each question in the order they appear below with the header containing the question number and subsection if applicable.

Header examples: Question 1 or Question 9a.

You do not have to repeat the question in your response.

Respond with “Not Applicable” to any questions that do not apply.

If you cannot answer the question, please indicate “No Response.”

If a response has been satisfied by an answer to a previous question, please state: “See response to question XX.” With XX being the appropriate question number and subsection (if applicable).

Please note: Responses to this RFI will not be returned, nor will detailed feedback be made available.

Proprietary Information. The USG acknowledges its obligations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (18 U.S.C. §1905) to protect confidential information provided to the USG. Pursuant to this statute, the USG is willing to accept any trade secrets or proprietary restrictions placed upon data presented in response to this RFI and to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure, subject to the following:

Data must be clearly marked PROPRIETARY and be accompanied by an explanatory text so that the USG is clearly notified on what data is proprietary.

Mark only data that is truly confidential (over breadth in marking inappropriate data as PROPRIETARY may diminish or eliminate the usefulness of your response). Use circling, underscoring, highlighting or any other appropriate means to indicate those portions of a single page which are to be protected.

Do not mark data that is already in the public domain or is already in possession of the USG or third parties on an unrestricted basis. Do not submit any classified data in response to this Questionnaire.

Proprietary data transmitted electronically must have the PROPRIETARY legend on both the cover of the transmittal e-mail as well as at the beginning of the file. Proprietary information contained within the correspondence shall use the legends: “PROPRIETARY PORTION BEGINS” and “PROPRIETARY PORTION ENDS”.

Disclaimer: The USG is not responsible for the public disclosure of unmarked data received in response to this Questionnaire. Accordingly, the potential offeror shall ensure that technical data provided in response to this Questionnaire shall be appropriately marked (i.e., PROPRIETARY) to ensure proper USG handling of the data. Additionally, marked data that is already in the public domain or in the possession of the U.S. Government or third parties, or is afterward placed into the public domain by the owner or another party through no fault of the U.S. Government will not be protected once in the public domain. Data already in the possession of the USG will be protected in accordance with the USG’s rights in the data. Should the USG need to reproduce the protected data for distribution purposes between USG offices, all such data shall be reproduced with restrictive legends in place. The Government may employ AI as a tool to assist in the analysis and review of RFI submissions. AI tools may be used to support tasks such as summarizing content, and highlighting areas of potential strength, weakness, or risk. The Government retains sole responsibility for all inherently governmental functions and will not delegate decision making authority to any AI tool. The AI tools utilized by the Government will be employed in a manner consistent with applicable regulations that govern the protection of proprietary and source selection sensitive information. The AI tool will be an output-only system. Any generated report data is not saved. No RFI data will be transmitted to or processed by external, non-Government systems without appropriate safeguards and authorizations in place. USG support contractors may assist in reviewing RFI submissions.

INFORMATION REQUESTED FROM INDUSTRY:

Manufacturer

a. Name:

b. Mailing Address:

c. Website:

d. Location of Production:

e. Subcontractor/Inter Org (if known):

Personnel Responding to RFI

a. Name:

b. Title:

c. Company Responsibility/Position:

d. Telephone/Fax Numbers:

e. E-Mail Address:

f. CAGE Code (if any):

QUESTIONS:

****Each solution to a problem statement needs to be provided as a separate RFI response**** Question 1 — Medium Dozer Autonomy Solutions. Does your company offer a commercially available autonomy, supervised-autonomy, or teleoperation solution suitable for integration with electric/hybrid (E/H) or conventionally powered medium dozers in the 65,000-lb class? Describe the solution, its current technical maturity (e.g., prototype, low-rate production, fielded), and any demonstrated operational use cases in defense, mining, or construction, or analogous sectors.

Question 2 — HMEE Autonomy Solutions. Does your company offer a commercially available autonomy or remote-operation solution applicable to the High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE-IV) currently fielded by the U.S. Army? Describe the solution, the proposed integration approach, and any relevant operational or test experience.

Question 3 — Skid Steer Loader Autonomy Solutions. Does your company offer a commercially available autonomy or remote-operation solution for skid steer loaders in the 7,000-lb class with a nominal 2,500-lb lift capacity? Describe the solution and its current deployment status.

Question 4 — Natively Integrated Robotic Construction Platforms. Does your company manufacture or supply medium dozers (~65,000 lb), high mobility engineer excavators, or skid steer loaders (~7,000 lb / 2,500-lb lift) that are natively designed with remote-control, teleoperation, or autonomous capabilities? If so, provide detailed technical specifications, fielding history, and operational lessons learned.

Question 5 — Unmanned Site Survey and Reconnaissance. Does your company offer UAS or UGV platforms capable of site survey, reconnaissance, terrain mapping, route reconnaissance, or persistent surveillance in support of earth-moving and combat engineering operations? Describe the platforms, sensor and perception payloads (Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), photogrammetry, etc.), data products generated, and any pre-existing interoperability with construction equipment or C2 systems.

Question 6 — Autonomy Stack and System Architecture. For any autonomy solution offered, summarize the demonstrated capabilities of the autonomy stack, including drivetrain control and implement manipulation (blade, bucket, attachments, hydraulics). Does the solution employ an open, modular architecture (e.g., Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2), Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-compliant interfaces, government reference architectures such as Robotics and Autonomous Systems – Ground (RAS-G) or Uncrewed Vehicle Control (UVC)) that facilitates integration with third-party platforms, sensors, and Command and Control (C2) systems? Describe the AI/ML models employed, the training and validation pipeline, on-edge versus cloud inference, and provisions for model updates in disconnected, denied, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) bandwidth environments.

Question 7 — Command and Control (C2) Solutions. Does your company offer a C2 system for remote and autonomous construction equipment? Specifically, can the solution support one-to-many supervised control, secure real-time data transfer (e.g., 3D point clouds, imagery, telemetry), and integration with mobile, vehicle-mounted, or compact dismounted command posts? Describe features, open interfaces and Application Programming Interface (APIs), cybersecurity posture (including Risk Management Framework (RMF) readiness), and scalability.

Question 8 — Product Information and References. Provide brochures, technical data sheets, white papers, and links to additional product information. Include points of contact for follow-up engagement and references to prior or current Department of Defense, Department of Energy, or analogous government performance.

Question 9 — Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Cost and Schedule Estimate. Provide a ROM cost estimate for kitting and integrating remote and autonomous capabilities onto each construction equipment platform (medium dozer, HMEE, skid steer loader), as well as for associated UAS, UGV, and C2 components. Include assumptions, major cost drivers, and factors influencing pricing (quantity, integration complexity, sustainment posture). The ROM shall include:

Question 10 — Platform Characteristics Table. Complete the Platform Characteristics Table in Section VII. If the solution comprises multiple platform types (e.g., UGV plus UAS plus C2), complete one table per platform type. Enter "Not Applicable" or "No Response" as appropriate.

Question 11 — Energy and Power. Identify the solution's fuel/energy source(s) and power plant type(s) (e.g., diesel, hybrid-electric, battery-electric, hydrogen, JP-8 multi-fuel, chemistry of batteries used).

Question 12 — Autonomy Typology. Using the Autonomy Component Definitions in Section VI, identify which type(s) of autonomy the system implements (mission, payload, platform, UVC). Describe the features and capabilities, and provide substantiating evidence (safety testing results, fielded systems, ongoing test events, third-party evaluations).

Question 13 — Safety Verification and Validation (V&V). Describe the level of safety V&V the solution has undergone (e.g., ISO 26262, ISO 21448 SOTIF, UL 4600, MIL-STD-882E system safety), results obtained, and any planned future V&V activity.

Question 14 — Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). Does the solution adhere to MOSA principles in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4401? Describe how the architecture supports severability, interoperability, and rapid technology refresh over the system life cycle.

Question 15 — Third-Party Interface Compatibility. Describe the ability of the solution's control software to operate on third-party computing hardware, displays, and physical control interfaces (e.g., Government-furnished End User Devices, Nett Warrior, tactical tablets, Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK).

Question 16 — Control Network. Identify the control network and data-link architecture between the operator control unit (mounted or dismounted) and the UGV/UAS (e.g., Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) radios, Long-Term Evolution (LTE)/5G, Satellite Communications (SATCOM), mesh networking). Address waveform agility, anti-jam/anti-spoof posture, and operation in electromagnetic-warfare-contested environments.

Question 17 — User and Maintenance Documentation. Does the solution have a baseline user manual? If so, does it cover the entire capability set, the platform only, or specific components? Are comprehensive operator and field-maintenance manuals available, including interactive electronic technical manuals (IETMs)?

Question 18 — Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL). Identify the solution's current TRL and MRL per the DoD TRA Guidebook. Provide supporting references.

Question 19 — Autonomy Design Experience. Describe your company's experience in the design, development, integration, and fielding of autonomous systems of any class (ground, air, maritime, subterranean, industrial).

Question 20 — Consortium Membership. Is your company a member of any DoD-aligned consortium (e.g., NAMC, S2MARTS, DIU, IWRP, C5, MD5)? If so, identify each.

Question 21 — Military Standards Compliance. Are your solutions designed to comply with MIL-STD-1275 (vehicle electrical power) and MIL-STD-464 (electromagnetic environmental effects, including Figure RE102-4)? Identify any additional standards adopted (e.g., MIL-STD-810 environmental, MIL-STD-461 EMI/EMC, MIL-STD-1472 human engineering).

Question 22 — Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Risk Management. Describe your cybersecurity posture, including CMMC level, NIST SP 800-171/800-53 compliance, secure software development practices (NIST SP 800-218), and supply chain risk management practices in accordance with FAR/DFARS requirements, including compliance with Section 889 of the FY19 NDAA.

Question 23 — Domestic Manufacturing and Buy American. Describe your domestic manufacturing footprint, U.S. supply chain dependency, and compliance with the Buy American Act, Berry Amendment, and Specialty Metals provisions, as applicable.

REFERENCES:

Autonomy Component Definitions:

Link to TRA Guidebook: https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TRA-Guide-Feb2025.v2-Cleared.pdf

Platform Characteristics Table: Platform Name/Designation/Description Here Platform Characteristics

Platform Length (while operational)

Platform Width (while operational)

Platform Height (while operational, including antenna height)

Platform Weight (while operational, including fuel, consumables, without payloads)

Top Deck Length (useable by payload(s))

Top Deck Width (useable by payload(s))

Payload Capacity (weight)

Platform Towability Speed

Is the platform towable and at what speed?

Top Speed (without payload)

Top Speed (with maximum payload)

Platform Ground Clearance

Maximum Gap Crossing Distance

Maximum Step Climb Height

Maximum Forward Slope Navigation (grade)

Maximum Side Slope Navigation (grade)

Total Operational Range without payload (without refueling/charging)

Note @ what speed here

Total Operational Range with maximum payload

Note @ what speed here

Total Operational Time Estimate while stationary x Hours : y Minutes

Total Operational Time Estimate while stationary/silent (battery only, without charging) x Hours : y Minutes