Request for Information (RFI) - CTAS.pdf

Request for Information (RFI)

The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Detachment 2 (AMIC Det 2/PKS), Contracting Office is seeking information concerning the capability of contactors/vendors to provide the following item(s), the 16th Air Force (16 AF) / Joint Force Headquarters–Cyber (JFHQ-C) AF A39, Malign Influence Actors and Malicious Cyber Threat & Analysis Services (CTAS), Facility Security Clearance (FCL) at Secret / Top Secret; Key Personnel Secret / TS-SCI.

This RFI is being issued for informational and planning purposes only. The information will be used in conducting market research to identify qualified, experienced, and interested potential sources and commercial practices in support of the Government’s requirements.

Legal Disclaimers and Notices

This is NOT A Request for Quote (RFQ). This RFI is not to be construed as a formal solicitation or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. The information requested via this RFI will be used within the Air Force to facilitate decision-making regarding whether to set aside this requirement for small businesses only or have a fair opportunity to all and will not be disclosed outside the agency. Any information provided to the Government is strictly voluntary and will be provided at no cost to the Government. The type of contract anticipated will be a Firm- Fixed-Price contract.

• Competition Decision-Making: The information requested via this RFI will be utilized within the United States Air Force to facilitate decision-making regarding acquisition strategy, including whether to set aside this requirement for small businesses (e.g., Small Business, 8(a), WOSB, EDWOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone) or proceed under full and open competition / fair opportunity across Government-Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs). Information will not be disclosed outside the Government.

• Cost of Preparation: Any information provided to the Government is strictly voluntary and will be provided at no cost to the Government. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing responses to this notice.

Acquisition Overview and Contract Parameters

• Anticipated Contract Type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) with Cost-Reimbursable Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) for authorized travel.

• Period of Performance (PoP): One (1) 12-Month Base Year with four (4) 12-Month Option Years (Total PoP: 5

Years).

• Primary Places of Performance: Contractor facility (for unclassified OSINT/PAI data harvesting) and Government facilities under the control of 16 AF within the Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA), Texas geographical area.

• Security Clearances Required: Facility Security Clearance (FCL) at Secret / Top Secret. Key personnel must possess active Secret and/or Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearances upon performance start date, with full eligibility for unescorted SCIF access.

• Applicable NAICS Codes Under Consideration:

• 541512 — Computer Systems Design Services

• 541715 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences

• 541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

• 541330 — Engineering Services

Submission Instructions

If your firm is capable of providing the products and/or services described below, please respond to Taurean.Clark@us.af.mil, no later than 07 September 2026, 4:00 PM Central Daylight Time (CDT). Please include “RFI Response for 16th Air Force (16 AF) / Joint Force Headquarters–Cyber (JFHQ-C) AF A39 Requirement” in Subject line of e-mail response. At a minimum, responses should include:

● Company Information: (Name, Phone Number, (SAM) Unique Entity ID, CAGE Code, POC Information, etc.)

● GSA contract(s): contract/BPA numbers and contractor’s socioeconomic status.

● Description of your company’s capabilities as they relate to the item(s)/service(s) described in this notice.

● A description of your company’s previous experience providing the item(s)/service(s) described in this notice.

● A description of any teaming/subcontracting your company anticipates utilizing in support of this requirement.

● Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in finalizing its market research and acquisition strategy.

● Format: Responses must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) or searchable Adobe PDF format.

● Page Limit: Submissions should not exceed ten (10) pages (excluding single-page title cover and past performance sheets).

Technical Capabilities and Methodology

1. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Publicly Available Information (PAI) Harvesting:

• Describe your proven methodology to systematically collect, ingest, and integrate multi-source PAI across mainstream news, major social media platforms, decentralized/fringe networks, and regional forums globally.

• Detail your approach to ensuring data harvesting resilience against evolving platform API restrictions, rate-limiting, and anti-scraping countermeasures.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Advanced Data Analytics:

• Explain how your solution leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and large language models (LLMs) to triage voluminous multi-lingual data and identify emerging propaganda trends, narrative propagation patterns, and coordinated inauthentic behavior.

• Describe your proprietary or commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) data models, visualization engines, and threat actor mapping dashboards.

3. Foreign Malign Influence (FMI) Attribution Tradecraft:

• Detail your analytical tradecraft and methodologies for attributing digital influence campaigns and malicious cyber operations to state sponsors, intelligence services, proxy organizations, or criminal syndicates.

• How do you evaluate source reliability and maintain analytical objectivity aligned with Intelligence Community Standards (e.g., ICD 203/206)?

4. Foreign Language and Geopolitical Context:

• Detail your reach and depth in native/near-native key regional languages should include, but not be limited to, Latin America - Spanish / Portuguese, China – Mandarin / Cantonese, Europe – Russian / Ukrainian, Persian Gulf

- Persian / Farsi / Arabic, and Korean Peninsula – Pyojuneo / Munhwao.

• Describe how cultural context and regional nuance are embedded within analytical assessments.

5. Curriculum Development and In-Person Training:

• Describe your capability and past experience developing and delivering tailored in-person training courses on FMI analysis, OSINT tradecraft, and social media investigative techniques to military and intelligence audiences.

Deliverables, Capacity, and Security Compliance

6. Production Throughput and Operational Cadence:

• Detail your organizational capacity and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) processes to consistently satisfy the recurring deliverable schedule:

• Thirty (30) intelligence-focused unclassified reports annually.

• Quarterly intelligence briefings on significant adversarial influence activities.

• Monthly stakeholder working group engagements and gap analysis.

• Monthly fast-turnaround ad-hoc Requests for Information (RFIs).

7. Security and Facility Readiness:

• Confirm that your company holds an active Facility Security Clearance (FCL) at the Secret or Top Secret level.

• Confirm that assigned key personnel and analysts hold active Secret / TS-SCI clearances and can immediately support classified interactions at JBSA facilities upon contract award.

• Affirm compliance with all physical and industrial security mandates, including Personal Electronic Device (PED) prohibitions in SCIF environments, Visitor Group Security Agreements, and strict key/combination controls.

Past Performance

8. Relevant Experience: Provide up to three (3) past performance examples within the last five (5) years demonstrating experience of similar size, scope, and technical complexity in support of DoD, US Air Force, USCYBERCOM, or Intelligence Community customers. Include:

• Contract Number, Program Name, and Sponsoring Agency

• Period of Performance and Total Contract Dollar Value

• Summary of tasks performed, relevance to CTAS PWS tasks, and primary outcomes achieved

Acquisition Strategy and Commerciality Feedback

9. Commercial Item Assessment: Are the required analytical services, data feeds, and platforms provided as commercial items/services under FAR Part 12?

10. Cost Drivers and Pricing Structure: Based on the PWS requirements (1 Base Year + 4 Option Years), what are the principal cost drivers (e.g., cleared native linguists, proprietary commercial data licenses, tool access)? What type of contract does industry recommend to balance operational risk and flexibility?

11. PWS Constructive Feedback: Provide any recommended clarifications, identified risks, or industry best practices regarding the CTAS Performance Work Statement prior to solicitation release.