UCAR_IDIQ_PWS_2026-2031.docx

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Weather Systems Branch (AFLCMC/ESAW) Offutt Air Force Base, NE

Indefinite Order Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) Contract Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Numerical Weather Prediction Model Verification and Development

Contract Number: FA4600-YY-X-ZZZZ

4 November 2026 Version 1.0

Table of Contents

General The Contractor shall provide collaborative research, development, and technical execution support across task orders issued under this Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

Air Force Weather (AFW) requires advanced scientific, computational, and software engineering capabilities to sustain, advance, and operationally transition its next-generation Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) enterprise. To ensure seamless synchronization across operational weather forecasting capabilities and eliminate the technical risks, schedule delays, and significant integration costs associated with forked or branched codebases, the Contractor shall serve as the unified, authoritative software steward for AFW's core modeling and data assimilation baselines.

Specifically, the Contractor must possess established institutional authority, direct configuration management, and core scientific development responsibility across the official, community-recognized trunk repositories for:

Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS): The core global and regional atmospheric dynamical core and unified modeling architecture.

Joint Effort for Data assimilation Integration (JEDI): The overarching, next-generation data assimilation framework.

Model Evaluation Tools (MET) and METplus Suite: The core enterprise verification, validation, and diagnostic toolset.

The Contractor shall provide end-to-end scientific expertise across atmospheric and land-surface modeling, stratospheric dynamics, cloud physics and microphysics, and satellite data assimilation. The Contractor shall ensure that all scientific improvements, mission-tailored modules, cybersecurity mitigations, and operational configurations developed under this contract are directly integrated, coordinated, and maintained within the authoritative baseline releases of these interconnected systems.

Description of Services This IDIQ contract Performance Work Statement (PWS) establishes the overarching scope, cybersecurity, project management, and general technical boundaries for the contract. Specific technical requirements, resolutions, timelines, metrics, and deliverables will be defined in individual Task Orders (TOs). In the event of a conflict between this IDIQ PWS and a Task Order PWS, the specific requirements of the Task Order shall take precedence for that effort.

Scope and Objectives The overarching goal of this IDIQ contract is to provide the U.S. Air Force Weather (AFW) with sustained, expert-level research, development, and systems engineering support to advance its Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and data assimilation enterprise. Below are the following overall objectives for this endeavor:

OBJ 1: Provide expert research, development, and systems engineering support for AFW.

OBJ 2: Advance Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and data assimilation capabilities.

OBJ 3: Develop, enhance, and sustain the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework.

OBJ 4: Joint effort to maintain and improve the Joint Effort for Data Integration (JEDI) assimilation framework.

OBJ 5: Enhance and support the Model Evaluation Tools (MET) & METplus suite to meet AFW’s evolving mission requirements.

OBJ 6: Integrate scientific advancements and improvements into AFW operational models as required Core Software Systems The Contractor shall be responsible for the stewardship, maintenance, and enhancement of the following core Government-owned software systems:

METplus Suite The Contractor shall sustain and enhance AFW's verification capabilities through the development and maintenance of the METplus suite. This includes integrating, sustaining, and enhancing all code for the core statistical tools (MET), Python automation scripts (METplus Wrappers), and analysis tools. The Contractor shall provide responsive user support and may be required to perform independent meteorological validation and verification studies via specific Task Orders.

Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) The Contractor shall develop, integrate, and sustain the MPAS atmospheric model. This includes enhancing core capabilities such as the regional Data Assimilation (DA) and the implementation of a variable-resolution mesh. The Contractor shall be responsible for enhancing MPAS tools and documentation, improving physics packages, and ensuring Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) compatibility.

Joint Effort for Data assimilation Integration (JEDI) The Contractor shall perform activities necessary to design, develop, evaluate, and transition advanced data assimilation capabilities using the JEDI framework. This includes the stewardship of a unified, open-source data assimilation system; optimizing the use of observational data; advancing DA methodologies; and developing the end-to-end framework for conducting observing system impact assessments.

Technical Capability Areas The Contractor shall provide research, development, software engineering, and scientific evaluation to advance the AFW modeling and data assimilation enterprise. Task Orders issued under this IDIQ may require the Contractor to execute work across any combination of the following technical capability areas:

Core Data Assimilation and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) The Contractor shall develop, maintain, and optimize DA and NWP systems. This scope includes the development of pre-operational end-to-end (N2N) reference systems, the transition toward rapid-refresh and continuous data assimilation (DA) cycling, and the implementation of variable-resolution meshes (horizontal and vertical) to support global and high-resolution regional mission requirements.

Verification, Validation, and Diagnostics The Contractor shall develop and integrate objective Verification and Validation (V&V) capabilities, primarily utilizing the METplus framework. This scope includes coordinating V&V efforts across modeling teams, developing new metrics to evaluate specific weather phenomena (e.g., clouds, convection), and building diagnostic tools to assess observation impact.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Integration To improve the speed, scalability, and quality of forecasting workflows, the Contractor shall research, develop, and evaluate AI/ML capabilities. This scope authorizes work on hybrid AI-physics architectures (e.g., AI-driven microphysics emulators), AI-enhanced observation operators, AI-generated ensembles for flow-dependent covariance, and AI-native data assimilation paradigms.

Coupled Earth-System Modeling The Contractor shall advance the capability of the modeling enterprise to handle complex, interacting environmental domains. This scope includes research and development for coupled DA and forecasting, including but not limited to stratosphere-troposphere interactions, coupled land-atmosphere systems, and coupled atmosphere-aerosol architectures.

Cloud Computing and Computational Agility The Contractor shall ensure that AFW capabilities remain computationally agile. This scope authorizes the testing, demonstration, and optimization of data assimilation and forecast workflows within Department of War (DoW, commercial, and hybrid cloud computing environments, assessing scalability and cost trade-offs relative to traditional High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems.

Advanced Observational Data Ingest and Exploitation The Contractor shall modernize observation ingest pipelines to maximize the utilization of available data. This scope includes developing standards and interfaces for integrating new commercial, experimental, and next-generation satellite data; implementing all-sky and all-surface radiance DA configurations; and developing methodologies to reduce observation thinning practices.

AFW Mission-Derived Focus Areas Scientific research and technical development may be required throughout the period of performance to address specific AFW mission-derived focus areas. These areas include but are not limited to: convection and aviation hazards (e.g., turbulence, icing); cloud analysis and forecasting; stratospheric modeling (e.g., winds, temperature); chemistry, aerosols, and dust; Arctic-region forecasting; and Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO). Specific requirements for these focus areas will be detailed in individual Task Orders.

Project Management The Contractor shall be responsible for the overall program management of the effort. The Contractor shall maintain clear Government visibility into program cost, schedule, technical performance, and risk across all active Task Orders, including periodic reporting. At the IDIQ level, the Contractor shall:

Conduct oral program reviews, as needed. (CDRL A003) Provide consolidated contract-level status reports that summarize accomplishments, technical status, and high-level risks across all active task orders on a quarterly basis. (CDRL A001) Provide a monthly consolidated financial execution report tracking total obligated funds, expenditures, and remaining ceiling across the IDIQ. (CDRL A006) Specific project management activities, meetings, and reporting requirements for individual tasks will be defined in their respective Task Orders.

Software Engineering Requirements Software User Manual When required by the Government, the Contractor shall provide a Software User Manual (SUM) as needed that outlines the use case of the software, the implementation requirements, limitations, etc. in a format that is SharePoint compliant (CDRL A005).

Engineering and Cybersecurity Requirements Cybersecurity Requirements Disclosure of Information The Contractor shall comply with Revolutionary Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (R-DFARS) 252.204-7000, Disclosure of Information. All information intended for public release must be reviewed and approved by the Government prior to publication. The Contractor must certify that submitted material does not contain classified, sensitive, or proprietary information and submit it for review no later than 45 days prior to intended publication.

Documentation Delivery The Contractor shall use the Government’s designated document collaboration platform (e.g., Atlassian Confluence) for sharing cybersecurity-related documentation, as required. Documentation should reflect the current state of the system’s security posture.

Software Assurance and Secure Development The Contractor shall comply with the latest approved versions of applicable cybersecurity policies, processes, and procedures for the procured and implemented solution. The Contractor shall implement secure coding practices and provide verification of compliance upon request. Security artifacts (e.g., Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), Assured Compliance Assessment Solution (ACAS) scans, SonarQube reports) shall be maintained and made available to the Government upon request. The Contractor shall promptly address and remediate all identified vulnerabilities, including Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), in accordance with DoW or AFLCMC/ESAW timelines (e.g., critical CVEs within 15 days, high within 30 days, or as otherwise directed). (CDRL A007, A008) Security Risk Management Security decisions will be made jointly by the Government and Contractor based on risk. Authorization decisions and acceptance of cyber risk are reserved for the Authorizing Official (AO) or their delegate(s).

Security Integration and Activities The Contractor shall integrate cybersecurity into all phases of the system lifecycle, including design, development, testing, and operations. Security activities shall be balanced and distributed throughout the lifecycle, with an emphasis on early and continuous application of security best practices.

Security Controls The Contractor shall follow the latest adopted version of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-53 (or other applicable Government guidance) to ensure secure coding and minimize security flaws. The Contractor shall provide a copy of their secure coding best practices policy upon request.

Vulnerability and Patch Management The Contractor shall monitor for, and remediate, vulnerabilities (including CVEs) in all software components in accordance with DoW/AFLCMC/ESAW timelines. The Contractor shall provide status updates on vulnerability remediation upon request.

Logging and Monitoring The Contractor shall ensure that security-relevant events are logged and auditable, including detected attacks, failed login attempts, and unauthorized access attempts. Logs must be time-stamped, protected from unauthorized access, and retained per Government policy.

Secure Configuration and Least Privilege The Contractor shall configure systems and applications with secure default settings and least privilege access. Unnecessary services and software components shall be removed or disabled.

Third-Party Software and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) The Contractor shall disclose all third-party software, libraries, and components used. The Contractor shall provide a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for all delivered software, including open-source components. (CDRL A009) Personnel Qualifications The Contractor shall ensure personnel performing cybersecurity functions are appropriately trained and certified per DoD Directive 8140.01 and AF Instruction (AFI) 17-1303, as applicable.

Incident Response and Security Issue Resolution The Contractor shall assist the Government in investigating and resolving security issues discovered post-acceptance. The Contractor shall use commercially reasonable efforts to resolve all non-novel security issues as quickly as possible, consistent with the severity of the risk.

Configuration Management All organizations shall execute effective software configuration management practices to ensure effective versioning control processes and maintain code integrity with a clear, auditable trail of all modifications.

Protection of AFW-Specific Capabilities To prevent unauthorized release of specific capabilities designated by AFW as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), the Contractor shall maintain a separate code repository on a Government furnished system rated for CUI. Specific capabilities may include but are not limited to: AFW mission-area mesh configurations and refinement geometries; AFW reference-system configurations; as well as AFW unique observations, observation operators, quality-control, bias-correction, and observation thinning configurations; tuning parameters and background-error covariance specifications developed for AFW; and any other code, configuration, data, or documentation designated by the Government.

As non-CUI code is released to public repositories, the Contractor shall ensure the new releases are merged into the AFW repository and functionality is maintained. The Contractor shall ensure contributions to public/open-community repositories exclude all AFW-specific capabilities, and that no AFW-specific code, configuration, data, or documentation is merged, mirrored, published, or otherwise made available through any public repository, container registry, release artifact, or public channel. In compliance with NIST SP 800-161, the Contractor shall apply configuration management and access controls to public repositories, including an auditable change history and reviewer controls limiting merges of content to authorized personnel.

Modularity The Contractor shall implement modular software architecture for AFW-specific capabilities to ensure components are separable from the open community baseline through configuration files, plug-ins, and/or private modules ensuring shared community components can continue to be developed openly while AFW-specific components remain private. The Contractor shall implement separation in a manner that does not require forking or divergence from the community baseline that would impair the ability to upstream generic, non-sensitive improvements.

Deliverables Comment by MAZUREK, STACY D CIV USAF ACC 55 CONS/PKT: Were updates made to the deliverables that they are marked with the red line in the right margin? Quickly looked and didn’t see any updates—just asking since it may impact the TO PWS CDRL tables and CDRL attachments too depending upon if/what the updates were? Comment by LUCE, JENNIFER E CIV USAF AFMC AFLCMC/ESAW: Formatting only The deliverables for this PWS are listed below:

Table 6‑1: Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) Summary

Performance Requirement Summary Comment by MAZUREK, STACY D CIV USAF ACC 55 CONS/PKT: Were updates made to the Performance Requirement Summary since they are marked with the red line in the right margin? Quickly looked and couldn’t see any updates. Asking since this would impact the Services Summary in the QASP and possibly the TO PWS’s and their QASPs also. Comment by LUCE, JENNIFER E CIV USAF AFMC AFLCMC/ESAW: Formatting only Table 7‑1: Services Summary

PO-1: Project Management, Financial, and Status Reporting Provide accurate, timely, and actionable reporting on technical progress, risks, and financial status.

PO-2: Software Engineering, Delivery, and Configuration Management Ensure all delivered code, including updates to core systems (MPAS, JEDI, METplus) and new capabilities, is properly version-controlled, documented, and tested.

PO-3: Cybersecurity and Software Assurance Maintain compliance with DoW cybersecurity guidelines, STIGs, and supply chain risk management mandates.

PO-4: Scientific Research, Technical Evaluations, and Diagnostics Deliver high-quality, scientifically rigorous technical reports, roadmaps, and architecture designs that support AFW decision-making.

PO-5: System Implementation, Integration, & Continuous Operations Maintain the baseline reference systems for validation and demonstration.

PO-6: Community Collaboration, Training, and Interoperability Ensure system usability and community integration through coordinated model verification, user training, technical documentation, and standardized data interfaces.

Government Furnished Services AFW personnel may provide subject-matter expertise, mission context, and evaluation support as needed to guide priorities, assess results, and facilitate transition of mature capabilities into operational environments.

Government Furnished Information AFW will provide access to high performance computing resources via High Performance Computing System 11 (HPC 11), as required, to ease access to data and ensure protection of any Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). In addition to computing resources, AFW will provide datasets, as required, for accomplishing each task. Access to HPC 11 requires a Tier One (T1) background check. Only Contractor personnel requiring access to HPC 11 and CUI will be required to obtain a background check.

Special Considerations Travel The Government will fund necessary travel expenses, which must be pre-approved in writing by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). All travel and lodging arrangements shall be made by the Contractor. Reimbursement for travel costs shall be in accordance with the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) 31.205-46.

Cybersecurity Software Meeting the AF cybersecurity requirements necessitates the Contractor purchase software licenses for SonarQube (handles multiple programming languages) and Codee (primarily for Fortran). The expectation is that the licenses will cover all scanning requirements for all software delivered under this contract. The Contractor will work to integrate these tools into development pipeline to ensure new vulnerabilities are not committed to the baselines. The Government will assist the Contractor with establishing security gates to ensure compliance.

Use of Microsoft Collaboration Tools Comment by MAZUREK, STACY D CIV USAF ACC 55 CONS/PKT: We pulled some verbiage from the R-DFARS 252.204-7021 Contractor Compliance with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Level Requirements clause so it was also clear in the PWS during posting for market research (and clauses will not be in this posting). Please review and see if you are okay with this 1st para added or revise/add to it as you deem necessary. Comment by LUCE, JENNIFER E CIV USAF AFMC AFLCMC/ESAW: Reworded a bit and created a separate section (9.5) since its not really related to the use of the microsoft tools To facilitate the handling of potential CUI, the Contractor shall use the Department of the Air Force (DAF) Microsoft Office 365 (DAF365) Government Community Cloud High (GCC-H) environment for personnel to work in collaboration with the Government. Non-CUI work may be accomplished within existing contractor-furnished information systems but all sharing and collaboration with the Government will be accomplished in DAF365. Use of Microsoft products including Teams will ensure maximum collaboration with the Government. Meetings that require Government attendance shall be conducted via Microsoft Teams. The Contractor shall include the cost of licensing for use of Microsoft Teams outside of DAF 365 (for meetings that include a broader audience than the Government and the Contractor).

Information Protection Contractors are required to use a Common Access Card (CAC) to access DAF365, HPC 11 and Air Force Weather Cloud (AFWxC) resources.

Contractor shall submit a Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS) Form 1 to the Program Management Office (PMO) for each employee needing a CAC to conduct tasks on this PWS. Government agents will process applications.

Contractor shall submit a TASS Form 2 to the PMO for each employee every 6 months, reverifying that employee needs to retain their CAC. Government agents will update TASS appropriately.

Contractor employees shall comply with all training requirements associated with using a DoW information system for annual cyber security training. Each Contractor employee shall complete and submit a Department of Defense form DD2875, System Authorization Access Request (SAAR) Form, and a Remote Access User Agreement via the Service Now website.

Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Status The contractor shall possess and maintain a verified Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 1 (self-assessed) status prior to contract award, and for the duration of contract performance, for all contractor-furnished information systems used in performance of the IDIQ contract that process, store, or transmit Federal Contract Information (FCI), in accordance with 32 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 170. The contractor shall input and maintain their annual self-assessment results in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) and require all subcontractors to possess, maintain, and flow down CMMC Level 1 status in accordance with 32 CFR § 170.23. Comment by LUCE, JENNIFER E CIV USAF AFMC AFLCMC/ESAW: Tweaked a little, I was struggling with using the word have Task Order Procedures General All work to be performed under this IDIQ contract shall be initiated and authorized through the issuance of formally executed Task Orders (TOs) by the Government Contracting Officer (CO). The Contractor shall not commence work and is not authorized to incur costs for any effort until a TO has been officially awarded and signed by the CO.

Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR) Issuance The Government will initiate the process for new work by issuing a Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR) to the Contractor. The TOPR will be a formal document that provides all necessary information for the Contractor to develop a comprehensive proposal. At a minimum, each TOPR will include:

A detailed Task Order (TO) PWS describing the specific technical requirements, objectives, and scope of the effort.

The required Period of Performance (PoP), including any option periods.

A list of required deliverables and their due dates, citing the applicable Contract Data Requirements Lists (CDRLs) established in this IDIQ.

Any Government Furnished Information (GFI), Services (GFS), or Equipment (GFE) specific to the task.

The proposal submission due date.

Task Order Proposal Submission Upon receipt of a TOPR, the Contractor shall prepare and submit a complete proposal package. Unless otherwise specified in the TOPR, the Contractor shall submit the proposal package within 30 calendar days. The proposal package shall, at a minimum, contain the following volumes:

Technical Proposal: A detailed narrative describing the Contractor's proposed technical approach to meet all requirements of the TO PWS. This shall include a description of the proposed methodology, major tasks, key personnel, and any identified technical risks with proposed mitigation strategies.

Management Proposal: A plan outlining the management approach for the specific task, including a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), a detailed schedule with major milestones, and a description of how the effort will be coordinated with other ongoing TOs, if applicable.

· Cost Proposal: A detailed cost breakdown for all proposed labor, travel, materials, and any other direct costs required to execute the task. The cost proposal shall align with the technical and management proposals and adhere to the pricing structure of the base IDIQ contract.