OSCARS CSO Call 0005_Amendment 001.pdf

16th AIR FORCE

COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS OPENING – CALL 0005

FA7037-23-S-C001

Topic: 007 Air Force Information Network (AFIN) and Topic: 016, Defense Cyberspace Operations (DCO) & Defense Cyberspace Operations-Internal Defense Measures (DCO-

IDM)

Operations Support Cyberspace Awareness and Response Services (OSCARS)

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2. PURPOSE

3. CSO APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

4. GENERAL INFORMATION

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 The 688th Cyberspace Wing and the 33rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron (COS) provides mission readiness and accountability to National Defense in the cyber domain through innovative approaches to engineer, operate, extend, and defend the Department of the Air Force’s Information Network (DAFIN) and warfighter communications.

1.2 The Air Force faces significant challenges in maximizing the return on investment of its defensive cyber weapon systems and optimizing cyber systems operations across the DAFIN. These challenges hinder the DAFIN's ability to effectively defend against evolving cyber threats and maintain a robust cybersecurity posture.

1.3 The Air Force needs innovative solutions to:

Improve Resource Allocation and Efficiency: Current processes suffer from redundancies and inefficiencies, hindering optimal allocation of resources for defensive cyber weapon systems. This results in less than ideal return on investment and negatively impacts overall operational readiness and lethality.

Address Critical Skill Gaps: A shortage of highly skilled subject matter experts creates critical skill gaps, jeopardizing the Air Force's ability to effectively defend its networks and systems.

Enhance Training Programs: Existing training programs require improvement to ensure personnel possess the necessary skills and expertise to defend critical systems, including aircraft support environments, Industrial Control Systems/Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (ICS/SCADA), Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR), Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3), and cloud environments.

Strengthen Defensive Cyber Capabilities: Governing, identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery of defensive cyber weapon system capabilities require improvement. This includes the potential integration of advanced security tools such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Intrusion Detection System (IDS), or User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA).

Expand DAFIN Cyberspace Mission Support: The DAFIN cyberspace mission support program requires expansion to provide comprehensive coverage for all DAFIN systems, including Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet), Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet), Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS), special enclaves (FIAR, NC3, etc.), cloud environments, airborne, and specialized networks while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations and standards.

Achieve Full Operational Capability of DAFIN - Security Operations Center (SOC) Operating Locations (OL): Ensuring full operational capability of the nine regionally and functionally focused DAFIN-SOC OLs is crucial for a cohesive and effective defense posture.

Solutions are sought that will:

Eliminate redundancies and streamline processes within defensive cyber weapon systems acquisition, deployment, and operation.

Optimize resource allocation to maximize return on investment and enhance operational effectiveness.

Provide highly skilled subject matter expertise to address critical skill gaps.

Maintain defensive cyber weapon systems Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability

(CIA).

Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs to equip personnel with the necessary skills and expertise.

Improve governing, identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery of defensive cyber weapon system capabilities.

Expand DAFIN cyberspace mission support to provide comprehensive coverage for all DAFIN systems.

Ensure full operational capability of the nine regionally and functionally focused DAFIN-SOC OLs.

Successful solutions will ultimately enhance accountability, readiness, and lethality across the DAFIN, strengthening the Air Force's ability to defend against evolving cyber threats and protect critical assets.

2. PURPOSE

2.1 This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call, in accordance with 10 USC 3458, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(b)(c)(d) and 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 approaches to meet the technology objectives within the capability areas listed below.

Detailed topics associated with each capability area appear in Attachment 6.

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

3. CSO CALL APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

3.1 This CSO Call seeks the best commercial approaches to meet various technology objectives of 16th Air Force. 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 resulting from this announcement will be in the form of contracts or other transactions (OT) as codified in 10 U.S.C. §2371b.

3.2 Funding for this program is highly competitive; offerors should consider the price of the proposed technologies. Awards will be based on a two-step proposal evaluation process (Section 5). The government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals; fund only a portion of a proposal; and/or incrementally fund any awards. All awards are contingent upon fund availability.

3.3 All coordination and communication between Offerors and the Government will be conducted using the 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.

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 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 POINTS OF CONTACT. Questions regarding the administrative content of this CSO Call must be addressed to the Contracting Office personnel below:

Cheryl Hawkins-Prebula, Contracting Officer, email: cheryl.hawkins-prebula@us.af.mil Kaela Bean, Contract Specialist, email: kaela.bean@us.af.mil

4.2 CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. Classified information will not be accepted in vendor CSO responses.

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

5.1 SUBMISSION OVERVIEW. Step I submissions must include both a Quad Chart and White Paper formatted according to Attachments 1 and 2, respectively. Each company may submit one white paper and one quad chart for this CSO Call.

Submissions should address both TOPICS and all requirement needs outlined in Attachment 6. While submissions will be accepted until 3 February, 2026, offerors are encouraged to monitor Sam.gov for amendments to this CSO Call, which may contain updated information. The 33rd COS will invite select offerors, based on favorable Step I evaluations, to submit full proposals (Step II). Step II submission instructions and timelines will be provided separately by the Contracting Officer upon invitation.

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 a Quad Chart and White Paper following the instructions in this CSO Call. Submissions will be evaluated based on the criteria in Attachment 7. Given the requirements and scope of this CSO Call, submissions must be concise and informative. Content exceeding stated page limits will not be evaluated. Submissions lacking technical depth, rigor, or alignment with the 16th Air Force mission will be assessed accordingly.

5.2.1.1 The Quad Chart should include the information indicated on the sample template in Attachment 1.

5.2.1.2 The White Paper expands upon the Quad Chart presentation, with format and content instructions detailed in Attachment 2. Each offeror's White Paper must include a preliminary Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment of the proposed technology, aligned with the technology objectives, and projecting the expected TRL upon completion. This assessment must conform to the Department of Defense Technology Readiness Assessment Guidance and address the overall proposed TRL for the complete 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 include in subject line of email

“CALL 0005 OSCARS”.

5.2.2 Notification of Selection. All offerors providing Step I submissions will be contacted by the Government, either with an email 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 FAR Part 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors, have a satisfactory performance record, and otherwise be eligible for award based on federal law and regulation.

Offerors must possess all required personnel security clearances, facility clearances, and other infrastructure necessary to perform any proposed classified work as specified in the Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254), without utilizing government resources. This will be further discussed during government-vendor collaborations.

5.2.3.1 Proposal Submission. Upon notification from the Contracting Officer, offerors have 45 calendar days to submit a proposal formatted according to Attachments 3-5. Each proposal must include a Statement of Work (SOW) and detailed pricing, with all pages numbered.

5.2.3.2 Proposal Review, Evaluation and Selection Process. Each proposal will be evaluated on its technical merit according to the criteria and process detailed in Attachment 7. In accordance with FAR 35.016(e), proposal selection will be primarily based on technical merit, importance to agency programs, and fund 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 must mark each page of their White Paper containing proprietary information.

The government intends to acquire only the data necessary to meet agency needs, addressed on a case-by-case basis. Offerors may include instructions within their White Papers to restrict the use, release, or disclosure of data and/or computer software and documentation provided during contract performance. These assertions are governed by DFARS clauses 252.227-7013, 7014, and 7017, accessible at Acquisition.GOV.

ATTACHMENT 1: QUAD CHART FORMAT

The following information must be included in the Step I Quad Chart. Quad Chart shall not exceed 1-page in landscape view. Please submit the chart without using letterhead or company identifying graphics. The Quad Chart must follow the formatting guidelines on the slide template below.

ATTACHMENT 2: STEP I WHITE PAPER FORMAT

White Papers must expand upon the Quad Chart presentation and adhere to the following formatting requirements: 8.5 x 11 inches with one-inch margins, maximum two pages, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, and no letterhead or company identifying graphics.

Each White Paper must specify a project title, the offeror's organization, and the corresponding topic number from Attachment 6. Content exceeding 2 pages will not be evaluated. File size must not exceed 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 research being proposed (e.g. the hypothesis, theories, concept, approaches, data measurements, and analysis, etc.) to allow for an assessment by a technical expert. Expand as deemed necessary on the following sections of the Quad Chart: Objective; Description of the Effort; Benefits of the Proposed Technology; Technical Challenges; Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology at project start and planned TRL at project completion; Major Goals/Milestones by Government fiscal year. Do not add information not requested in the Quad Chart.

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

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 must not exceed 10 pages, excluding the cover page and table of contents. Any pages beyond this 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 33rd COS [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 688th

CW, 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.]

i. ORDERING PERIOD I (YEAR 1)

1. Task 1: Task Title 1 [Describe what will be accomplished, how the task will be performed, the resources allocated to the task (personnel, hours, materials, etc.), appropriate metrics to measure progress, and deliverables from the task. Describe applicable subtasks. Ensure task description clearly identifies why the task is necessary to accomplish project objectives. Do not include pricing details here.]

2. Task 2: Task Title 2

3. Task N: Task Title N [Define as many tasks as necessary to achieve the stated objective(s).]

ii. ORDERING PERIOD II (YEAR 2) [Define as many Ordering Periods as necessary to achieve the state objective(s). Proposed work shall not exceed 5 years.]

1. Task N+1: Task Title N+1

2. Task N+2: Task Title N+2

3. Task N+M: Task Title N+M

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

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

The price proposal must include pricing information sufficiently detailed for a meaningful evaluation of the proposal. Since the CSO Call is limited to commercial solutions, detailed costs will not be required.

Since all proposals must offer commercial items, technologies, or services, the requirements of the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA) are not applicable. However, if the Contracting Officer determines it is necessary to support a determination of a fair and reasonable price, other than certified cost and pricing data may be requested.

The responsibility for providing adequate supporting data and attachments lies solely with the Offeror. Further, the Offeror must also bear the burden of proof in establishing reasonableness of proposed prices; therefore, it is in the Offeror’s best interest to submit a fully supportable and well-prepared price proposal.

The Offeror shall prepare the Price Proposal (except for 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(s) 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.

a. Format. Price proposals shall be formatted as follows.

(1) Paper Size – 8.5 X 11-inch paper

(2) Margins 1-inch

(3) Spacing – single

(4) Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

(5) Electronic Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat

b. Additional Information: The following information should be contained in a cover sheet attached to the price proposal:

(1) Full company name and address

(2) CSO Call number submitting proposal against

(3) Point of contact, name, title, and phone and fax number

(4) CAGE code

(5) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

(6) Will you require the use of any Government property in the performance of this work? If yes, identify.

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

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

A SOW must be included in the full proposal as part of the Step II submission. The 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 should be numbered, and the initial page should have a date (document date) shown 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 Statement of Objectives (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 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(s) 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 a 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 transition period tasks from ordering period tasks. Phasing of tasks between ordering periods should be identified. The SOW must contain every task to be accomplished.

Note that the Government reserves the right to collaborate with vendor to refine 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 ordering period 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 TOPICS

TOPIC: 007, Air Force Information Network (AFIN)

The 16th AF seeks innovative and novel solutions to 1) prevent, detect, and repel cyber-attacks,

2) advance capabilities to install, support and prevent intrusion of systems, 3) advance capabilities of the AF global communications network infrastructure, 4) advance capabilities of AF computer hardware and software.

TOPIC: 016, DEFENSE CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS (DCO) & DEFENSE

CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS-INTERNAL DEFENSE MEASURES (DCO-IDM)

The 16th 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.

CALL 005 CAPABILITY NEEDS (List not inclusive)

The 33rd Cyberspace Operations Squadron (COS) intends to fund successful efforts in Fiscal Year 2026 with a period of performance of 4 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.

The 33rd COS is interested in innovative technologies and services related to the areas of mission or technical interest listed below. Submissions should identify novel solutions that fill Mission Assurance and engineering needs related to the evolution and execution of the Air Force Cyberspace Defense and Cyber Defense Analysis Weapons System Network Security, Network Operations, Information Protection, Mission Support and support of Defensive Cyber Operations. The level of detail provided for each topic or the order in which they appear is not intended to convey any information regarding relative priority.

1. Intelligent Security Operations Maintenance Support:

24/7 monitoring and analysis of network, host, and other deployed security devices activity using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Intrusion Detection System/Intrusion Prevention System (IDS)/IPS, and other security tools, with potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven anomaly detection and predictive analytics.

Enables rapid detection of outages, faults, and system errors, significantly reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) and minimizing disruption to critical monitoring operations. Provides maintenance teams with the insights needed for swift and effective remediation.

Minimizes the operational burden on maintenance teams by automating rapid response to security vulnerabilities, and outages, incidents, and zero-day exploits, leveraging AI for intelligent troubleshooting and remediation where applicable.

AI-powered security assessments, combined with intelligent patching and configuration hardening, provide proactive vulnerability management and mitigation. This automated approach accelerates remediation, minimizes manual effort, and reduces the window of opportunity for attackers.

2. Adaptive Network Infrastructure Support:

Agile network management platform provides rapid installation, automated configuration, proactive maintenance, and streamlined troubleshooting of network devices. Integrated threat detection, automated backups, and redundant systems ensure resilient network operations capable of withstanding the complexities of the evolving cyber environment.

Utilizes AI-powered network optimization, based on pre-defined policies, to dynamically adjust resources and maintain optimal performance, preemptively addressing potential issues before they impact operations.

Scalable management of virtualized environments (VMware) and cloud-based infrastructure, adapting to the changing needs of the mission.

Automated Configuration Management and Documentation of network infrastructure components, ensuring consistent configurations and accurate records for efficient troubleshooting and compliance.

3. Automated System Administration & End-User Support:

Intelligent management of user accounts and access privileges, with potential for AI-driven authorization controls based on user behavior and risk profiles.

Automated Operating System and Application installation, configuration, and maintenance; minimizing maintenance effort, errors and creating a more standardized base line.

Streamlined troubleshooting of hardware and software issues, leveraging AI for faster diagnostics and resolution, minimizing maintenance effort and errors.

Proactive enforcement of security policies, using AI to identify and remediate non-compliant workstations, minimizing maintenance effort and risk.

4. Proactive Cybersecurity Governance & Compliance:

Dynamic development and maintenance of security policies and procedures, adapting to the evolving threat landscape.

Automated compliance checks, leveraging AI to ensure adherence to relevant cybersecurity standards; Defense Information Systems Agency, Security

Technical Implementation Guides, Air Force Instruction, Technical Order (DISA STIGs, AFIs, TOs).

Streamlined support for Assessment and Authorization (A&A) activities, using AI to automate documentation and evidence gathering, minimizing errors, ensuring accurate, audit-ready documentation for continuous compliance and faster approvals.

Implementation of adaptable security best practices across multiple platforms.

Development and support for agile mission SharePoint infrastructure.

5. Strategic Project Management & Training:

Efficient planning, execution, and management of Information Technology (IT) projects, leveraging AI to optimize resource allocation and project timelines.

Development and delivery of adaptive training programs, incorporating AI-driven personalized learning approaches to enhance knowledge retention.

Smart inventory management and tracking of IT assets, using AI to predict hardware lifecycles and optimize resource allocation.

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

However, proposed 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 that require longer than a year to support a field demonstration, proposals need to provide sufficient justification such as long lead times, or other substantiation.

ATTACHMENT 7: EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

The Government will review each Quad Chart/White Paper (Step I) and select the offerors that have the greatest potential to meet the needs of 16th Air Force technology requirements based on the topic areas stated in Attachment 6. Initially, a determination will be made if each offeror is technically qualified and has a comprehensive understanding to undertake the development of the technology 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 while executing these innovative efforts. The Government will determine the most technically competent and capable of 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 the 16th Air Force mission, and o Funds availability

Relative Importance: All Factors are of equal importance Method of Evaluation: Peer or scientific review