ELICSAR VALAR - RFI Letter.pdf

UNCLASSIFIED

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Defense Cyber Operations (HNCD)

Enterprise Logging Ingest and Cyber Situational Awareness Refinery (ELICSAR) Vulnerability Assessment & Learning - Automated Remediation (VALAR)

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3 (Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes – Oct 1997) and is published for market research and planning purposes only. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Defensive Cyber Systems Branch (HNCD), located at Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas, is seeking information to support its planning efforts. The Government has sole discretion in determining a procurement strategy based on the information received. Submittals will not be returned. Respondents to this RFI may be contacted for additional information or clarification following review of their initial submissions.

This RFI does not constitute an invitation for Bids, Request for Proposal (RFP), Solicitation, or Request for Quote (RFQ), nor does it indicate that the Government will contract for any services based on this request. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of information. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary and will not affect any potential offeror's ability to submit an offer should a formal solicitation be released. Requests for a solicitation package will be disregarded. The Government does not intend to award a contract based on this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of preparing submissions in response to this RFI, and the Government's use of such information.

1. Background

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC/HNCD) is seeking information on solutions that provide Big Data Platform (BDP) services to deploy, develop, and sustain cloud-based enterprise data storage and analytics capabilities on the Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture (JCWA) compliant Unified Platform (UP) BDP, known as the Enterprise Logging Ingest and Cyber Situational Awareness Refinery (ELICSAR). This includes establishing interoperability with Lower Echelon Analytic Platform (LEAP) - Tactical (LTAC)- based edge analytics, storage, and data transport capabilities within the Integrated Defensive Cyber System (IDCS) architecture. BDPs operate at Unclassified and classified domains.

2. Purpose

The primary purpose of this RFI is to gather information to sustain and enhance the existing ELICSAR BDP and the integration of a data analysis tool set that dramatically improves querying, visualization, and collaboration capabilities. This integration moves the Air Force toward a more cloud-native approach, optimizing compute and storage. Additionally, the focus is on development of a comprehensive Data Fabric to support the Cyberspace Operations System (CSOS) mission, aligning with a core component in fulfilling JCWA requirements. This involves creating a secure, integrated framework for data ingestion, storage, analysis, and transport across multiple classification domains. This includes Apache NiFi and the utilization of N8N, an open-source software tool used to create graphical user interfaces (GUI) to allow for quicker and easier configuration changes on ELICSAR.

3. Requested Information

A. This is not a solicitation, but a Request for Information for market research purposes only.

B. The Government requests that interested parties shall submit answers to all the questions and fields in accordance with the instructions provided in the excel document Attachment 1 included with this Request for Information.

4. RFI Timeline:

• RFI Open Date: October 1, 2025

• Question Submission Period: October 1, 2025 – October 8, 2025 at 1600 CST. Questions received outside of this period will not be answered.

• Questions Format: Questions shall be submitted in accordance with Attachment 2 format.

• Posting of Questions and Answers: Answers to submitted questions will be posted to the same source where this RFI was published no later than October 10, 2025. Respondents are encouraged to review the Q&A document prior to submitting their response.

• RFI Closing Date: October 17, 2025 at 1600 CST. Responses received after this deadline will not be considered.

5. Government Shutdown Contingency:

In the event of a U.S. Federal Government shutdown that impacts the RFI submission or question submission deadlines, the following extensions will apply:

• RFI Submission Deadline Extension: If the government shutdown continues past the original RFI closing date (October 17, 2025), the RFI closing date will be automatically extended by five (5) business days from the date the government is authorized to return to normal operations.

• Question Submission Deadline Extension: If the government shutdown continues past the question submission deadline (October 8, 2025), the question submission deadline will be automatically extended by the same duration as the RFI submission deadline extension (i.e., five business days from the date the government is authorized to return to normal operations). The date for posting Q&A will also be adjusted accordingly.

• Any updates regarding the RFI and Government shutdown will be announced via an amendment to this RFI.

6. Demonstration Opportunity

Respondents who submit a complete and compliant response to this RFI, as outlined herein, may be invited to participate in a one-on-one session or demonstration of their capabilities. The Government reserves the right to determine which respondents will be invited to participate in a demonstration. If required, specific date, time, and logistical details for these demonstrations will be communicated to selected respondents at a later date.

7. Questions

All questions and responses shall be submitted via e-mail no later than 8 October 2025 at 1600 CST to the following:

• Technical Questions: Submit all technical questions to AFLCMC.HNCD.ELICSAR@us.af.mil .

• Contractual Questions: Submit all contractual questions to the Contracting Officer (CO) and

Contract Specialist (CS) at the contact information provided below:

• Ms. Promise Reichmuth, Contracting Officer: promise.reichmuth.2@us.af.mil mailto:AFLCMC.HNCD.ELICSAR@us.af.mil mailto:promise.reichmuth.2@us.af.mil

• Mr. Jaret Higley, Contracting Specialist: jaret.higley@us.af.mil

Please Note: The Government reserves the right to extend the response period and question period should the Government experience a shutdown.

Proprietary information, if any, should be minimal and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the US Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become US Government property and will not be returned. If any Responders do not currently possess a Proprietary Data Protection Agreement (PDPA) that would permit the AFLCMC/HNCD support contractors listed below to review and evaluate white papers submitted in response to this RFI, please coordinate with POCs listed in paragraph 4.

The highest classification of the responses should be no higher than CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED

INFORMATION (CUI).

8. Summary

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. It is intended to identify industry sources that can provide AFLCMC/HNCD sustainment capabilities. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The US Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and the release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become US Government property and will not be returned.

Any communication regarding this RFI shall go through the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist as provided above.

mailto:jaret.higley@us.af.mil