ETA_Program_Announcement_DOI-ETA-FY26-30_-_Amendment_0001_-_Q_A_1-19_0001.pdf
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- Attached to
- DOI-ETA-FY26-30
- Solicitation number
- DOIDFBO260047
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers amendment for the Emerging Technologies Accelerator (ETA) Program, which solicits white paper submissions for new technology development initiatives.
The ETA Program is a new requirement with no incumbent contracts. No estimated ceiling values are available for the programs. The Q&A submission window closes May 13, 2026, and the white paper submission window is guaranteed to remain open until May 27, 2026. These are new programs, not replacements for existing contracts. Prospective contractors may submit white papers through the IDEAS System. Once the Government Program Manager determines that sufficient white papers have been received for a particular program, that program will be relabeled from "Active" to "Not Active" status. The Government retains discretion in determining what constitutes "sufficient" submissions. Contractors may not submit initial white papers early with the intention of updating them later; all submissions must occur within the guaranteed submission window. The ARCADE program, one of the ETA initiatives, requires end-to-end Phase 1 deliverables and evaluation. Government-furnished equipment and information, including an initial component library of tens of thousands of datasheets and technical documentation, will be provided at Program Kick-Off. The Government prefers Unlimited Rights for intellectual property to the extent possible; Government Purpose Rights are acceptable if necessary. The deployment target is Unclassified Research, and FedRAMP or DoD CC SRG authorizations are not required. AI-based software development tools may be used provided licenses are respected. The Principal Investigator may serve as Lead System Integrator for smaller teams if qualified and capable. No anticipated start date has been established.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ACCELERATOR (ETA) PROGRAM
AMENDMENT 0001
Q&A
Note: Please read the ETA Program Announcement in its entirety prior to submitting Questions.
1. I wanted to confirm the project mentioned above is considered a potential new requirement or is there an incumbent contract currently performing these services? If there are incumbent vendor(s), would you be able to provide the contract details (such as:
Vendor Name, Contract Number, Award and end dates, total contract value)?
Answer: These are new programs.
2. Is there an estimated ceiling value available for this requirement/program?
Answer: No, no estimated ceiling values are available.
3. Could you please clarify the due date for the White Papers?
The solicitation states that: “Once the Government has received sufficient White Papers per Program, the AO will issue an ETA Program Announcement Amendment re-labeling the Program Title in Attachment 1 – ETA Programs from “Active” to “Not Active.”
However, SAM.Gov indicates that offers are due by 6/30/26.
Answer: The description field in the SAM posting states “Due Dates in SAM are Flexible.” The system required a date prior to successfully posting onto SAM.
The ETA Program Announcement supersedes. Also reference the answer to Question # 5 below.
4. Has Q&A been posted to activate white paper submissions yet?
Answer: This is the first set of Q&A received. The IDEAS System is set up to receive White Papers now.
5. We are looking at several of these opportunities. One concern is that while the “active”, “not active” labeling is clear, we are concerned that while we might plan to produce an abstract in 10 days, the opportunity might be changed to “not active” on day 9, thus making all the effort in producing that abstract overcome by events.
Is there any further guidance that can be provided such as “opportunities will remain active for a minimum of two weeks” or alternatively, that opportunities might be labeled as “closing soon” to give a warning as to the impending closure of an opportunity so that we might expedite submission?
Answer: Q&A window closes 13 May 2026. The window to submit white papers is guaranteed to stay open until 27 May 2026.
6. Section 4.1 states “Once the Government has received sufficient White Papers per
Program, the AO will issue an ETA Program Announcement Amendment re-labeling the Program Title in Attachment 1 – ETA Programs from “Active” to “Not Active.” How will “sufficient” be determined?
Answer: The Government Program Manager will decide.
7. Given that the actual close date is unknowable (by us), may we provide an initial submission early, and replace it with an updated submission as long as the program has not been closed (or labeled “Not Active”?)
Answer: No. The window to submit white papers is guaranteed to stay open until 27 May 2026.
8. ARCADE: "Government Furnished Equipment/Information"
a. Is there a timeline for when the "initial component library and technical documentation" will be available?
Answer: Yes, at Program Kick-Off.
b. Will this data also include, for example, schema that will define the attributes used in the "Data Interpretation Accuracy" metrics?
Answer: This data will include data sheets and electrical specifications that we are interested in.
c. Will there be more information or examples of "context-aware queries" (e.g., what context may be included)?
Answer: Yes, at Program Kick-Off.
9. ARCADE: "Normalized Response Time" metric
Will there be more details about the "baseline system of equivalent compute capacity"?
Answer: Yes, at Program Kick-Off.
10. ARCADE: "Independent T&E"
Will the Phase 1 deliverables and evaluation be end-to-end or component-level?
Answer: End-to-End.
11. ARCADE: Software development
Are there any restrictions on using AI-based software development tools like Claude Code?
Answer: Assuming Claude was used as an example, there are no restrictions as long as licenses are respected and followed.
Reminder: ETA Program Announcement Section 5.A.1.2. states “The proposed IP restrictions (if any) will not significantly impact the Government’s ability to transition the technology.”
12. ARCADE: Is there an anticipated start date?
Answer: No, not at this time.
13. ARCADE: Corpus Scale (Section 3 / Program Description)
Can the Program Manager provide an order-of-magnitude estimate of the initial Government-furnished component library (e.g., hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of datasheets) and expected growth over the 12-month period?
Answer: We estimate Tens of Thousands.
14. ARCADE: Corpus Complexity (Section 3 / Test Corpus Description)
Will the corpus include complex devices (e.g., FPGAs, MMICs, SoCs, system-in-package modules, or hybrid microelectronics) with large, detailed datasheets?
Answer: Yes, portions of complex device datasheets will be included.
15. ARCADE: Interpolation Scope (Section 3 / Technical Objectives)
Should systems interpolate strictly within documented operating ranges, or is extrapolation beyond documented limits expected with confidence reporting?
Answer: We want you to interpolate based on the data provided within the datasheets.
16. ARCADE: M5 Deliverable Scope (Section 3 / Deliverables & Milestones)
Is the M5 deliverable expected to be a full end-to-end prototype (INGEST, DIGEST, SUGGEST), or a partial capability with full functionality delivered later (e.g., at M11)?
Answer: Reference answer to Question # 10 above.
17. ARCADE: IP Rights Preference (Section 4.B.1; Appendix A-3)
Does the Government have a preference between Unlimited Rights and Government Purpose Rights for ARCADE? Would proposing GPR for select components be viewed as neutral or disadvantageous?
Answer: To the extent possible, Unlimited Rights. If not able, then Government Purpose Rights.
Reminder: ETA Program Announcement Section 5.A.1.2. states “The proposed IP restrictions (if any) will not significantly impact the Government’s ability to transition the technology.”
18. ARCADE: Deployment Target (Section 3; Section 4.B)
What deployment classification level is anticipated (e.g., IL2–IL5 or higher)?
Answer: Unclassified Research.
Are FedRAMP or DoD CC SRG authorizations expected within scope?
Answer: No.
19. ARCADE: Key Personnel Roles (Section 4.A / Proposal Requirements)
May the Principal Investigator also serve as Lead System Integrator for smaller teams?
Answer: Yes, provided they are qualified, have the expertise, and ability to perform.
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