CSO Vendor Inquiries CAO02Dec2025.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 22 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- FA8806-26-S-0001
- Issued by
-
Department of the Air Force
About this file
This file is a Questions and Answers (Q&A) document for the Kronos Family of Systems (FoS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) issued by the Department of the Air Force. The document covers multiple vendor inquiries about a solicitation (FA8806-26-S-0001) for commercial technology solutions across multiple Areas of Interest (AOIs). Key details include an extended submission deadline to 12:00pm MT on 15 December 2025, allowance for vendors to submit multiple solutions across one or multiple AOIs, and confirmation that partial solutions within AOIs will be considered for evaluation.
Notable clarifications include: no recommended milestone delivery timeline for Phase IA submissions, no predefined cloud/software environment preferences, acceptance of GIFs and video content (limited to 5 minutes per solution), and no current consideration of classified submissions. Vendors are instructed to submit proposals and questions to SSC.BMZ.SYD85@spaceforce.mil, with a question submission deadline of 12:00 MT on 8 December 2025. The government indicates that specific technical details, capacity metrics, and integration scopes will be negotiated during Phase II for selected solutions.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 072026 AOI 01 QandA FAQ.pdf | ||
| First Call_Kronos CSO 2.0_DueDateExtension_28Aug2026.pdf | ||
| Kronos_FoS_CSO_2.0.pdf | ||
| First Call_Kronos FoS CSO.pdf | ||
| Phase 1 Overview Briefing Quad Chart.pptx | PPTX presentation | |
| Kronos_FoS_CSO_2.0.pdf | ||
| CSO Vendor Inquiries CAO 10Dec2025.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Quad Chart Template.pptx | PPTX presentation | |
| Kronos CSO CAO 02Dec25.pdf | ||
| CSO Vendor Inquiries CAO25Nov.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Kronos CSO CAO 12NOV25.pdf |
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Text version
QandA CAO02Dec
| ID | Question(s) | Other Vendor Comments | Response |
| 38 | Would the Government consider delaying the submission deadline from 11 December to 18 December? | We believe the adjustment will allow all vendors to provide better innovative ideas for the Government with less impact from recovering from the Shutdown and more dedicated teams by avoiding the holiday. | The Government will extend the deadline for all AOIs to 12:00pm MT on 15 Dec 2025. The Kronos FoS CSO is now amended to reflect this info (reference Attachment 4: Areas of Interest (AOI)). |
| 39 | Would the Government consider a one (1) week extension to the due date for this solicitation, extending the deadline from December 11th at 2:00pm EST to December 18th at 2:00pm EST? | Slingshot and other industry respondents would benefit greatly from an extension especially considering that the Thanksgiving holiday falls within this 30 day response timeframe. | The Government will extend the deadline for all AOIs to 12:00pm MT on 15 Dec 2025. The Kronos FoS CSO is now amended to reflect this info (reference Attachment 4: Areas of Interest (AOI)). |
| 40 | If the KO has a scope / outcomes (preferred) — please supply short bullets: |
- Measurable outcomes / success criteria (3–5). Example: reduce operator decision latency by X%; support Y concurrent users; ingest Z MB/sec.
- Acceptance test(s) — how the government will validate success (scripted mission demo, bench perf tests, user study with X operators, KPI thresholds).
- Data & integration scope — data/sensor types, formats, expected volumes, and number of integration endpoints; note any classified interfaces.
- Security/classification envelope — must Phase II support classified enclaves? Are DD254s expected? Required personnel clearances/facility requirements?
- Deployment environment & certifications — cloud (FedRAMP) vs government enclave; required certifications.
- Operator population & mission scenarios — # of users/roles and 1–2 canonical mission threads to test.
- Expected deliverables at prototype completion — e.g., MVP software, APIs, test harness, operator playbook, transition plan.
- Schedule & milestone dates — prototype duration and target demo/acceptance dates.
Evaluation weighting / budget signal — is there an expected funding range per award or band for Phase II?
IP / data-rights expectations — any required baseline language or preferences (OTA vs FAR stance).
This will be covered in Phase II where applicable. Expected objectives, test and integration will vary depending on the solution identified and will be negotiated prior to phase II award. The Government intends to award for a commercial solution that has relevant or analogous context identified in the AOI's 41 If the KO does NOT have a defined scope and prefers a capacity-based approach — please confirm (short bullets):
Which capacity metrics should offerors commit to? Examples: concurrent users = N, sustained ingest rate = MB/sec, messages/sec = TPS, 95th-percentile latency = T ms. Please provide numeric targets or ranges.
Acceptance method for capacity tests — how will capacity be validated (load tests, simulated feeds, live testbeds)? Will the Government provide test fixtures or must offerors provide them?
Operational thresholds vs SLA expectation — is the expectation a prototype demonstration showing capacity is achievable, or a firm capacity SLA for production (Phase II)?
| Budget signal — if capacity-based, is there an expected per-award funding range or ceiling for prototyping/Phase II? | The Government will address these specific technical questions in Phase II as applicable. | |||
| 42 | Regarding the Kronos CSO submission, can a company submit offerings against multiple AOIs? | Yes, one or multiple solutions from one vendor for one or multiple AOI(s) are allowed. Each solution will be its own submission to avoid noncompliance to format as stated in Attachment 1. | ||
| 43 | Hoping that we can get access to the official quad chart template | The Government will upload the Quad chart template as a separate ppt. | ||
| 44 | Can Vendor’s provide multiple responses to one AOI? Can Vendor’s provide solutions that touch on capabilities from multiple AOIs? If so, should we simply align the response to the AOI it addresses the most? | Yes, one or multiple solutions from one vendor for one or multiple AOI(s) are allowed. Each solution will be its own submission to avoid noncompliance to format as stated in Attachment 1. | ||
| 45 | Is the Government seeking responses that cover the full technology stack for each of the AOIs to include Infrastructure, Platform, Cyber, and Mission Software Applications? | It depends on your solution. Vendors should indicate which AOI(s) their proposed technical solution(s) is/are addressing in their white papers. | ||
| 46 | Would a response that addresses some but not all the individual requirements within the AOI be evaluated? For example, within AOI 1, if a vendor provides AI/ML integration and Data Management but does not provide capabilities to facilitate commander’s decision-making, will the government consider awarding a partial solution for this CSO? Or is it expected that a vendor solution meets all the requirements of the AOI to be considered? | Yes, the Gov will evaluate partial solution(s). The Government will consider any and all solutions provided by the vendor within one or multiple AOIs. | ||
| 47 | Will the government consider hosting an industry day for this solicitation? | No, the Government will not host an industry day for this 1st Call of the Kronos FoS CSO. However, the Government is considering hosting an industry day in the future. | ||
| 48 | Will the Government clarify the proposal submission email address? | Vendors should send Phase IA submissions and questions to: SSC.BMZ.SYD85@spaceforce.mil. Reference CSO document. | ||
| 49 | It sounds like Lt. Col. Greiser presented at the TAP Lab recently. The vendor inquiries document from last week suggested that the presentation might be available online. Are you able to provide a link or upload it somewhere accessible (like SAM)? It is proving hard to locate. | The recording is not available due to technical issues. However, all answers to the questions during the presentation at the SDA TAP Lab were posted on CSO Vendor Inquiries CAO 25Nov | ||
| 50 | Is there a recommended start date from which to build a milestone delivery timeline? | No, there is not a recommended milestone delivery timeline for Phase IA submittal(s). The vendor should indicate a notional timeline in their whitepaper. If a submission is selected for phase II, a milestone delivery timeline will be negotiated then. | ||
| 51 | Is there any information or guidance available regarding the preferred cloud/software environment to which proposed toolkits and/or solutions might be deployed? | No, there is not any information or guidance avaliable regarding Gov's preference. The vendors should indicate in their white papers their proposed technical solution being offered, including the cloud/software environment for the solution. | ||
| 52 | Because PDF files do not reliably support embedded, playable GIFs or video content, is it acceptable for offerors to include a placeholder image or text within the PDF that references an external media file, and then provide GIFs or video clips as separate, attached files within the same submission package? | It is acceptable for offerors to submit GIFs or video content. The Kronos FoS CSO is now amended to reflect a restriction of 5min total per solution on Graphics Interchange Format (GIFs), videos/movies, or clips. The GIFs, videos/movies, or clips must open with Windows Media Player Legacy (reference Attachment 1, Phase 1A line 185 for updated verbiage). | ||
| 53 | I wanted to verify the period of performance expected for the phase 1 Prototype Phase | |||
| The quad chart asks for the ROM to extend to a 6 month window, is this the preferred PoP? | The Government does not set a PoP as the PoP is unique per solution. Please provide the preferred PoP in your submission. | |||
| 54 | If an offeror has a classified-system solution would the offeror be disqualified? | The Government is not considering classified submissions at this time. | ||
| 55 | Can the government provide what classification environment the solution would be delivering to. | Vendors should indicate in their white papers their proposed technical solution being offered, including the classification environment the solution can be delivered to. | ||
| 56 | Can the offeror host on a classified network? IF so does the government have one which the offeror would work on? | Vendors should indicate in their white papers their proposed technical solution being offered, including the classification network the solution can be delivered to. | ||
| 57 | In response to Question 15, it states, "the Government has clarified the use of the ROM information provided in the quad and the potential vendor investment and how it will be reviewed." Where was this clarification provided? Further, how will this factor into the Government's evaluation of Phase 1A proposals? | Government may review Phase I submittals to understand what industry is proposing as investment for the prototype solution. The Government has clarified the use of the ROM information provided in the quad and the potential vendor investment and how it will be reviewed. | ||
| 58 | Do you have any additional information that can be shared regarding the Kronos Family of Systems (FoS), in support of the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) posted on SAM.gov under Notice ID FA8806-26-S-0001? As an example, in the “CSO Vendor Inquiries” file posted on SAM.gov, question #19 references a presentation at the SDA TAP Lab by Lt Col Gresier, and states that the questions and a video are available online. We have been unable to locate the video. | The recording is not available due to technical issues. However, all answers to the questions during the presentation at the SDA TAP Lab were posted on CSO Vendor Inquiries CAO 25Nov | ||
| 59 | Until when the Government will allow Questions to be submitted? | Maybe the Gov can put a deadline of 8th December by 1200pm pacific time to receive questions from industry. | The deadline for industry to submit questions to the Government is 12:00 MT on 8th December 2025. The Kronos FoS CSO is now amended to reflect this info (reference Attachment 4: Areas of Interest (AOI)). |
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