Call 0011_CSSP-ARGISS.pdf

16th AIR FORCE

COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS OPENING (CSO) – CALL 0011

FA7037-23-S-C0001

TOPICS: 007, AIR FORCE INFORMATION NETWORK (AFIN); 013,

ENTERPRISE-WIDE INTEGRATION AND ARCHITECTURE MODERNIZATION;

014, ENTERPRISE ASSET AND LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS;

015, HIGH PERFORMANCE AND SECURE CLOUD COMPUTING AND DEV OPS

SOLUTIONS FOR DATA INGESTION, EXPLOITATION, AND DISSEMINATION;

016, DEFENSE CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS (DCO) & DEFENSE CYBERSPACE

OPERATIONS-INTERNAL DEFENSE MEASURES (DCO-IDM)

688th Cyberspace Wing (CW) Cybersecurity Service Provider (CSSP)-Assurance, Risk, Governance and Innovation Systems Security (ARGISS)

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2. PURPOSE

3. CSO CALL APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

4. GENERAL INFORMATION

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 This CSO seeks innovative technical and analytical support to advance Department of the Air Force (DAF) CSSP capabilities for critical Air Force and Combatant Command (CCMD) missions. Provide a roadmap that includes proposed innovative courses of action for people, processes, and technology to operationalize DAF CSSP services. The CSSP mission is to Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover to Network Operation and Defensive Cyber Operations cyber security events to secure and defend the DAFIN (e.g. Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPR)/Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR)/Air Force Sensitive Compartmented Information (AFSCI)). This includes onboarding, engineering, and integrating DAF Accredited systems on to the DAFIN including new emerging technologies like Operational Technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) (ICS SCADA), Cloud Operations, and new mission systems. Execute a pathfinder to determine the best approach for solving these enterprise challenges. Execute defined value proposition and metric, specifying innovative, adaptable, and scalable design solutions, allowing for the integration of new technologies and improved methods as they emerge. Work with 688 CW units to operationalize and implement updated Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), including updated playbooks and training for CSSP operators. The proposed solution must enable the 16th Air Force (16 AF) Air Forces Cyber (AFCYBER) and the 688 CW to protect and support DAFIN across NIPR, SIPR, and Top Secret (TS) AF Sensitive Compartmented Information (AFSCI) networks. The contract vehicle is intentionally designed to be flexible, allowing it to adapt to current and future mission requirements as technology evolves.

1.2 DAF CSSP and 688 CW units are expanding globally, adding new missions, and onboarding new systems without a corresponding increase in resources, potentially placing unsustainable strain on existing CSSP resources.

1.3 All awards resulting from this CSO Call will be for the delivery of services, but the Government is specifically interested in approaches that leverage innovation—whether through technology, process improvement, or novel methodologies—to meet or exceed the capability needs described in Attachment 6. CSO Call white paper submissions should address solutions in paragraph 1.4 and capability needs listed in attachment 6.

1.4 Solutions are sought that will:

1. A complete roadmap of onboarding and integrating processes and procedures for foundational framework that allows the people, processes, and technology to operationalize and sustain the CSSP functions.

2. Provide DAF CSSP Program technical direction necessary for the realization of effective and efficient security across enterprise-wide IT, OT, IoT, and Cloud network and resources. Work with 688 CW units to operationalize and implement updated tactics, techniques, and procedures, including updated playbooks and training for CSSP operators.

3. Deliver technical recommendations and training for the DAF CSSP Program on emerging technologies and innovative hardware, software, and network processes for the DAFIN.

4. Improve ability of the 688 CW to execute DAF CSSP operations and defensive capabilities through innovative processes and technologies.

5. A more efficient DAF CSSP service model to onboard and support mission partners subscribing to DAF CSSP services.

6. Deliver innovative processes and technologies to the DAF CSSP Program to enable situational awareness and data fusion across all enterprise IT, OT, IoT, and Cloud resources.

7. An enhanced defensive cyber posture through the integration of advanced Artificial

Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML)-driven security solutions.

2. PURPOSE

2.1 This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call, in accordance with 10 USC 3458, Federal Acquisition Regulation-Overhaul (RFO) 6.101, and R-DFARS 212.70 Defense Commercial Solutions Opening, is a competitive solicitation of proposals focused on technologies to meet the 16th Air Force’s mission. The 16th Air Force seeks the best available approaches to meet the capability objectives described herein.

2.2 "Innovative" means any technology, process, or method, including research and development, that is new as of the date of proposal submission, or any new application of an existing technology, process, or method as of that date.

2.3 The Government anticipates a single award under this CSO for an integrated solution encompassing all topic areas and capabilities described in Attachment 6.

3. CSO CALL APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

3.1 This CSO Call seeks the best commercial approaches to meet various technology objectives of 16 AF. All items, technologies, and services acquired using a CSO Call will be treated as commercial items. The Government encourages proposals that span a wide spectrum of possible technical and business solutions in response to the specific technology topics stated in Attachment 6. The Government reserves the right to award funding to any combination of proposals which offer the best overall value to the Government, and to oversee all processes and approaches once initiated.

Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of contracts or other transactions (OT) as codified in 10 U.S.C. §2371b (section 2371b).

3.2 Funding for participation in this program is highly competitive, and the price of proposed technologies should be considered. Awards resulting from this CSO Call will be made based on the evaluation results of a two-stepped proposal process described in Section 5. The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal;

and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this CSO Call. All awards are subject to the availability of funds.

3.3 All coordination and communication between Offerors and the Government will be conducted using the Beta Sam.Gov website and the points of contact associated with this CSO Call, as specified in Section 4.

3.4 Note: Do not include Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in responses. The government intends to use contractor support personnel to intake and process whitepapers and proposals.

White paper responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S.

Government to form a binding contract or agreement. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach.

The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any formal solicitation is issued. This request for white papers is issued solely for information and planning purposes and to identify interested sources. Further, unsolicited proposals will not be accepted. Funding is not available at this time. Release of this request for white papers should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.

Response to this CSO Call is voluntary and no reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this and any follow-on information requests. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

4. GENERAL INFORMATION

4.1 POINT OF CONTACTS. Questions regarding the administrative content of this CSO Call must be addressed to the Contracting Office below. Questions regarding the technical content of this CSO Call must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (POC) below.

Contracting Office POC: Mr. Shaun McGinnis and Mr. Anthony Charlow

Email: 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil

Technical POC: Mr. Vincent Valdespino Email: 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil

4.2 CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. Offerors are encouraged to submit unclassified white papers to simplify and expedite reviews and responses by the Government. If an Offeror deems that a white paper contains classified information refer to paragraph 5.2.1.3 for submission instructions. Classified submissions must be handled, labeled, and stored in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) Operating Manual.

Offerors must possess all required personnel security clearances, facility clearances, and other infrastructure requirements necessary to perform any proposed classified work in accordance with the Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254) without reliance on Government resources.

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

5.1 SUBMISSION OVERVIEW. Step I submissions shall include both the Quad Charts and White Papers prepared in accordance with the formats at Attachments 1 and 2 respectively. Each company may submit one white paper and one quad chart for this CSO Call. Submissions should address all objectives and all requirements outlined in Attachment 6. Step I submissions can be submitted at any time prior to

1200 CST on 01 June 2026 but offerors are encouraged to monitor Sam.gov for any specific amendments to the CSO Call that may have updated information. The Government will invite select Offerors to submit full proposals based on favorable evaluation results of Step I submissions. Step II submissions will be requested ONLY by the Contracting Officer and will contain separate submission instructions and timelines within the Request for Proposal (RFP) letter.

5.2 TWO-STEP SUBMISSION. This CSO Call will be conducted in two steps as follows:

5.2.1 STEP I. Interested offerors must submit Quad Charts and White Papers in accordance with instructions provided in this CSO Call. Step I submissions will be evaluated against criteria as described in Attachment 7 of this CSO Call. Due to the requirements and financial scope of this CSO Call, offerors must ensure that submissions are succinct yet descriptive. Proposals will not be evaluated beyond page length limitations. Proposals that lack technical depth and rigor or are not within the 16th Air Force mission will be evaluated as such.

5.2.1.1 All Quad Charts should include the information indicated on the sample template in Attachment 1.

mailto:16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil

5.2.1.2 The White Paper narrative expands on the Quad Chart presentation.

Instructions for format and content are located in Attachment 2. Each offeror shall include in the white paper a preliminary Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment of the proposed technology that conforms to the technology objectives and an expected TRL at the conclusion of the effort. The offeror shall perform a TRL assessment according to the Department of War Technology Readiness Assessment Guidance. The offeror must address the overall proposed TRL for the system, application, or process – not just individual components.

5.2.1.3 White paper and quad chart submissions shall be sent to 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil for review and must include “Call 0011 and CSSP-

ARGISS ” in the subject line of the email. If there is a need for a classified white paper/quad chart submission, send an email to 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil to receive instructions for classified submissions.

5.2.2 Notification of Selection. All offerors providing Step I submissions will be contacted by the Government, either with an email letter informing them that the effort proposed is not of interest to the Government at this time or with a request for a formal price and technical proposal by a specific date.

5.2.3 STEP II. Step II proposals will only be accepted from Offerors who upon review of Step I submissions are invited by the Contracting Officer to submit a full proposal. In order to be considered for award under Step II, offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov, be considered responsible within the meaning of RFO 9.1, have a satisfactory performance record, and otherwise be eligible for award based on federal law and regulation.

5.2.3.1 Proposal Submission. Upon notification for a proposal by the

Contracting Officer, offerors have 20 calendar days to prepare and submit a proposal in accordance with the format and instructions at Attachments 3-5. Each proposal shall include a Statement of Work (SOW) and detailed pricing. All pages shall be numbered.

5.2.3.2 Proposal Review, Evaluation and Selection Process. Each proposal will be evaluated on its own technical merit according to the criteria and process detailed in Attachment 7. Proposal selection will be primarily based on technical merit, importance to agency programs, and funding availability. Qualified Government personnel will conduct reviews and, if necessary, convene panels of experts for evaluation.

5.3 Rights in Technical Data, Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation.

Offerors shall mark each page of its white paper that contains proprietary information.

It is the Government’s intention to acquire only that necessary to satisfy agency needs and this will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. An offeror may provide with its white paper assertions to restrict, use, release or disclosure of data and/or computer mailto:16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil http://www.sam.gov/ software and computer software documentation that will be provided in the course of contract performance. Rules governing these assertions can be found in RFO Part 27 and R-DFARS Part 227 and may be accessed at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul

ATTACHMENT 1: QUAD CHART FORMAT

The following information must be included in the Step I Quad Chart. Quad Charts shall not exceed 1-page in landscape view. Quad Charts must follow the formatting guidelines on the slide template below.

ATTACHMENT 2: STEP I WHITE PAPER FORMAT

The White Paper narrative expands on the Quad Chart presentation and must be 8.5 x 11 inches with one-inch margins, no longer than three pages, single-spaced, with text in Times New Roman, no smaller than 10 point font. All white papers must specify the project title, the Offeror’s organization, CAGE code, the specific topic areas, and Call number associated with the proposal (see Attachment 6). Pages in excess of the page limitation will not be read or evaluated. White Papers must not exceed a file size of 10 MB.

The White Paper must be limited only to further explanation of the information conveyed in the Quad Chart, as deemed necessary by the Offeror. The information should provide sufficient information on the proposed solution to allow for an assessment by a technical expert.

Expand as deemed necessary on the following sections of the Quad Chart:

• Objective and integrated solution approach across all capability areas

• Description of the effort

• Benefits of Proposed Technology

• Technical and integration challenges and proposed mitigations

White paper and quad charts shall be sent to 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil for review.

If there is a need for a classified white paper/quad chart submission, send an email to 16af.cso.workflow@us.af.mil to receive instructions for classified submissions.

ATTACHMENT 3: STEP II TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FORMAT

(DO NOT SUBMIT UNLESS INVITED BY CO IAW Section 5.2.3 above)

The Technical Proposal portion of the Step II submission shall not exceed 25 pages, excluding cover page and table of contents. Any pages submitted in excess of the 25-page limit will not be considered or evaluated.

Suggested page limitations for individual sections are listed below; however, these are guidelines not strict limits.

I. ABSTRACT. [1 page suggested.]

II. SCOPE. This proposal is submitted in response to the 16th Air Force Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call on….. [Cite the Project Title. 8 pages suggested.]

a. Objective. [A clear and concise description of the objective of the proposed project.]

b. Background. [Provide the necessary technical and scientific background to support the scientific and technical merits of the proposed project.]

c. Programmatics. This effort will support the AFCO-CM initiative [topic number] aimed at developing [capability area or topic title] technologies or methodologies. [Describe the Offeror’s management plan for the proposed project; list supporting and collaborating organizations and subcontractors;

clearly identify roles and responsibilities of each organization and subcontractor supporting the project].

d. Relevance. [Describe the relevance of the proposed project in terms of AFCO-

CM mission, end-user needs and the technology maturity of the proposed project.]

III. CREDENTIALS. [Describe the Offeror’s qualifications to perform the proposed work. Summarize the relevant credentials of the primary performing center, and supporting academic and industrial partners. Describe specific examples of similar work performed, and equipment and/or facilities available to perform the proposed work. List summary qualifications of the Key Personnel. Focus on information directly relevant to the proposed work. 4 pages suggested.]

a. Summary of Credentials.

b. Summary of Qualifications for Key Personnel.

c. Summary of Facilities to Perform the Proposed Work.

IV. WORK TO BE PERFORMED. [Provide details of the work to be performed by task and subtask. 9 pages suggested.]

a. General. [Provide an overview.]

b. Detailed Tasks. [Describe the details of all tasks needed to perform the proposed work. Clearly distinguish base period tasks and option tasks as appropriate.]

V. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE. [Depict the tasks and sub-tasks and the duration of performance of each in a Gantt chart or other suitable chart. Briefly describe the proposed period of performance. 2 pages suggested.]

VI. REFERENCES. [List any relevant documents used to develop the technical approach. 1 page suggested]

ATTACHMENT 4: STEP II PRICE PROPOSAL FORMAT

The price proposal must include pricing information sufficiently detailed for meaningful evaluation. Since the CSO Call is limited to commercial solutions, detailed cost breakdowns are not required. However, the offeror must provide sufficient supporting data for the Contracting Officer to determine price reasonableness. The offeror bears the burden of establishing a reasonable price.

The Offeror shall prepare the Price Proposal (with the exception of the narrative information described below) using Microsoft Excel format but shall merge all Price Proposal documents into one Adobe PDF file for ultimate proposal submission. Include the Topic Number and the Project Title on all pages. The Offeror shall retain the Excel version of all Price Proposal documents for subsequent submission to the Government should the Offeror’s proposal be selected for award.

Format requirements:

• Paper Size – 8.5 X 11-inch paper

• Margins 1-inch

• Spacing – single

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

Cover sheet attached to the price proposal shall include:

• Full company name and address of Prime Contractor

• CSO Call number and Title

• Point of contact, name, title, and phone number

• CAGE code

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

• Identification of any Government property required for performance

NOTE: If an Offeror takes exceptions to the requirements called out in the announcement, the exceptions should be clearly stated in the price proposal.

ATTACHMENT 5: STEP II STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) FORMAT

SOW does not have a page limit but should be approximately 3–5 pages in length and must be a separate and distinct document suitable for incorporation into the procurement instrument. Do not include proprietary data or markings in the SOW. Pages must be numbered and the initial page must show the document date under the title.

The proposed SOW must accurately describe the work to be performed, and performance metrics based on your proposed solution and the objectives in the SOO. The proposed SOW must also contain a summary description of the technical methodology as well as the task description, but not in so much detail as to make the SOW inflexible. The SOW template should include the following sections and specifically respond to the Statement of Objectives (SOO) the Government provided with the Request for Proposal (RFP):

1. OBJECTIVE. This section is intended to give a brief overview of the project and should describe why the work is being pursued and what the Offeror intends to accomplish.

2. SCOPE. This section includes a statement of what the SOW covers. This should describe the capability area (CSO Call topic) to be investigated, goals, and milestones for the effort.

3. BACKGROUND. The Offeror must identify appropriate documents that are applicable to the effort to be performed. This section includes any information, explanations, or constraints that are necessary to understand the project tasks and requirements. This section should describe the effort’s relationship to previous and ongoing efforts.

4. TASKS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS. This section contains the detailed description of tasks that are necessary to perform the proposed work. These tasks will represent the work to be performed in any potential contract award, and, thus, shall be considered contractually binding. This section should be developed in an orderly progression and presented in sufficient detail to establish the feasibility of accomplishing the overall program goals. This section should clearly distinguish base period tasks from option tasks. The sequence of performance must be presented by fiscal year and task order, as in Section IV of the Technical Proposal. The SOW must contain every task to be accomplished and the metrics by which these tasks will be measured, generally depicted in a Services Summary. Note that the Government reserves the right to modify and negotiate the language in the SOW prior to any potential contract award.

4.1. Task descriptions must be definite, realistic, and clearly stated. Use the phrase “the contractor shall” whenever the work statement expresses a provision that is binding. Use “should” or “may” whenever it is necessary to express a declaration of purpose. Use “will” in cases where no Offeror requirement is involved (e.g., power will be supplied by the Government. Use active voice in describing work to be performed.

4.2. Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without first defining them. Place abbreviations and acronyms in parentheses following the first usage of the spelled-out phrase.

4.3. If presentations and meetings are identified in the Offeror’s schedule, the Offeror must include the following statement in the SOW: “Conduct presentations and meetings at times and places specified in the contract schedule.”

4.4. The desired project structure consists of base period tasks, focused on demonstrating the feasibility of the technology, and option tasks, which cover design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation of the final product. Execution of option tasks will be dependent upon and determined by the contractor’s performance during and the results produced from the base period tasks.

ATTACHMENT 6:

SOLICITATION TOPIC 007, Air Force Information Network (AFIN) The 16 AF seeks innovative and novel solutions to include the following:

• Advance capabilities to install, support and prevent intrusion of systems

• Advance capabilities in the AF global communications network infrastructure

• Advance capabilities in AF computer hardware and software

• Secure, configure, operate, extend, maintain, and sustain DoD (AF) cyberspace and to create and preserve the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the AFIN

SOLICITATION TOPIC 013, Enterprise-Wide Integration and Architecture Modernization

The 16 AF seeks innovative solutions to integrate data across disparate monitoring methodologies and to modernize hardware and software architectures, enabling unified situational awareness, faster decision-making, and resilient operations in contested environments. This topic includes:

• New solutions to integrate data access and discoverability across varying monitoring methodologies to lower detection thresholds and/or increase efficiency of current operations.

• Technologies to modernize hardware/software architectures or implement improved software design and accrediting processes to more flexibly meet mission needs.

SOLICITATION TOPIC 014, Enterprise Asset and Lifecycle Management Improvements

The 16 AF seeks innovative solutions that can provide enterprise-wide asset management visibility as well as improve our lifecycle management capabilities. This topic includes:

• Increase accuracy of forecasting of requirements and scheduling of procurements through the use and exploitation of supply chain demand data

• Supply chain management, specifically: Automated systems to reduce/eliminate inefficiency, improve asset control, decrease touchpoints and minimize inventory

• Automated identification and reporting of components and systems with substandard reliability

SOLICITATION TOPIC 015, High Performance and Secure Cloud Computing and Dev OPS Solutions for Data Ingestion, Exploitation, and Dissemination

The 16 AF seeks the following for this topic:

• Offer the ability to process data and perform complex calculations at high speeds, addressing the three critical High-Performance Computing (HPC) components (Computation, Network, and Storage).

• Utilize parallel processing to perform modeling, simulation and other scientific computing tasks.

• Offer cloud computing in a secure connection and networking environment, that delivers the following hosted services over the Internet: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

• Software architecture and applications that can be utilized in the continuous development, continuous integration, and continuous delivery of software products that are being developed in an Agile software developing environment.

• Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions.

SOLICITATION TOPIC 016, Defense Cyberspace Operations (DCO) & Defense Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defense Measures (DCO-IDM)

The 16 AF seeks the ability to utilize blue cyberspace capabilities and protect data, networks, cyberspace-enabled devices, and other designated systems by defeating on-going or imminent malicious cyberspace activity. This distinguishes DCO missions, which defeat specific threats that have bypassed, breached, or are threatening to breach security measures, from DODIN operations, which endeavor to secure DoD cyberspace from all threats in advance of any specific threat activity. Detect/defend actions that occur within the defended network or portion of cyberspace and dynamically reconfirm or reestablish the security of degraded, compromised, or otherwise threatened DoD cyberspace to ensure sufficient access to enable military missions.

Capability needs CSSP-ARGISS:

1. Operational Optimization: The DAF requires the capability to conduct continuous and effective discovery and defeat of specific threats that breach, threaten to breach, or are suspected to have breached the DAFIN cyberspace security measures. This capability must include the 24/7/365 administration, monitoring, and management of all essential security infrastructure. The desired outcome is to optimize the Cyber Security and Cyber Defense ability to proactively Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover evolving cyber threats across the DAFIN.

2. Operationalize Risk to Security: Optimize onboarding, engineering, and integrating DAF Accredited systems on to the DAFIN including new and emerging technologies like OT, IoT, ICS SCADA, Cloud Operations, and new mission systems. The DAF requires a comprehensive cybersecurity governance and risk management capability to ensure a functional framework for the DAF CSSP program, its associated networks, and subscribed mission partners, operate in full compliance with the Department of War (DoW) Risk Management Framework (RMF), DoDI 8500.01, Intelligence Community Directive (ICD) 503, and all other applicable standards. This capability must provide verifiable program direction, establish a functional service model, and implement effective security controls across all enterprise-wide Information Technology (IT), OT, IoT, and Cloud resources.

3. Operational Innovation: The DAF requires the capability to integrate advanced and innovative technologies to enhance its defensive cyber posture. This capability must enable the fusion of disparate data sources and systems to create unified situational awareness and leverage AI) and ML to improve the speed and accuracy of threat detection and response.

The desired outcome is an accelerated and agile fielding and deployment of new, mission-enhancing technologies to the warfighter, ensuring a persistent state of technical superiority and system efficiency.

4. Operational Documentation: Deliver on established value propositions and metrics by engineering adaptable, scalable solutions designed to seamlessly integrate emerging technologies. Partner with 688 CW units to update, create new and provide training; develop TTPs, playbooks and other documentation to support CSSP operators.

5. Secure Facility Requirement: The contractor must possess a fully accredited Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), at time of award, within a fifteen (15) mile radius of Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) - Lackland, TX. The primary place of performance for tasks requiring access to classified information shall be in the 688CW government spaces. Tasks for engineering, integration and piloting efforts are expected to be in the Contractor's secure facility. The contractor shall provide and maintain a SCIF as required that is accredited by the appropriate U.S. Government agency (e.g., Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency - DCSA). A copy of the accreditation letter must be provided upon request. Contractor personnel performing tasks within the SCIF must possess the appropriate security clearances and accesses required, as specified on the DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification specification.

There are no specific Technology Readiness Level (TRL) requirements for proposed projects.

However, proposed prototypes or solutions should be sufficiently mature to enable the assessment of the viability, technical feasibility, application, or military utility of the proposed solution and support a field demonstration within a year, as an ideal. For proposed projects requiring longer than a year to support a field demonstration, proposals need to provide sufficient justification such as long lead times, or other substantiation.

16 AF intends to fund successful efforts in Fiscal Year 2026 with periods of performance in the range of 1-5 years. Exceptions may be considered for individual projects based on technological maturity or operational need. The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal; and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this CSO Call. All awards are subject to the availability of funds.

ATTACHMENT 7: EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

The Government will review each Quad Chart/White Paper (Step I) and select offerors with the greatest potential to meet the operational needs of 16th Air Force based on the capability areas in Attachment 6. A determination will first be made whether each offeror is technically qualified and has a comprehensive understanding to execute the proposed solution based on the information stated in the Quad Chart/White Paper.

The offeror is advised that only Firm Fixed Price (FFP) or Fixed Price Incentive (FPI) contracts may be awarded as a result of this CSO Call.

The Government will determine the most technically competent and capable of the qualified offerors using the criteria below:

• Criteria (Factors) for Selecting Quad Chart/White Paper for Full Proposal Submission:

o Technical merit/applicability, o Importance to 16th Air Force mission, and o Fund availability

• Relative Importance: All Factors are of equal importance

• Method of Evaluation: Peer or scientific review