Amendment 0004 -All Q and A _final.pdf

Responses to Industry Questions to “RFI - Commercial Solutions Opening:

Tactical Oceanography Supporting Full-Spectrum Undersea Warfare”

1. Is there a secret level version of the SOW that can be accessed through the appropriate channels?

No.

2. Will the CSO [Commercial Solutions Opening] allow participation from non-traditional defense contractors acting either as prime offerors or as part of a teaming arrangement with traditional contractors?

Yes.

3. Will white papers submitted at the initial stage be limited to unclassified content, with classification considerations addressed later in the evaluation process, if applicable?

White papers will be limited to unclassified content only. The Government may request submission of classified addenda to the white papers as deemed appropriate.

4. Does NUWC anticipate that award structures under this CSO will be limited to prototype Other Transaction Agreements under 10 U.S.C. 4022, or might certain efforts transition to FAR-based follow-on contracting?

The awards made under this CSO will be limited to prototype Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) under 10 U.S.C. 4022. The Government reserves the right to perform sole source follow-on production.

5. Will there be multiple topic areas identified within the CSO (e.g., sensing, data fusion, modeling/analytics, operator training), or will the announcement be broad and open to any prototype concept reasonably aligned with the objectives stated in the synopsis?

The CSO is seeking to establish other transaction agreements with multiple companies in order to execute the requirements of the Statement of Work. The CSO is not anticipated to require proposals related to specific prototypes.

6. Does NUWC anticipate hosting an industry day or virtual information session in connection with the CSO once it is formally released?

The Government does not anticipate holding an industry day or virtual information session at this time but will consider it.

7. Will this be a single award or multi award?

The Government anticipates making multiple awards under this CSO.

8. Will there be separate acquisitions for the Commercial Solutions and for TAC-O?

The Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) will serve as the request for proposals to bid on the Tactical Oceanography (TAC-O) prototyping requirement.

9. What type of contract do you intend to award or do you prefer (CPFF, FFP, etc.)?

Individual requirements executed against awards made in response to this CSO may be either Cost Plus Fixed Fee or Firm Fixed Price.

10. What will the response period be once you open the window (30 days, 60 days)?

The Government currently anticipates that the CSO will be open for approximately 30 days.

11. What is the projected RFP date?

The Government anticipates that the CSO will be released on or about 13-FEB-2026.

12. What is the due date for the Solutions Brief?

The current anticipated due date for responses to the CSO is on or about 13-MAR-2026.

13. Regarding the past performance references (with page limits of 2 pages per reference), are these expected to take the form of letters from past program managers attesting to the offeror's capacity to execute? Or are they just synopses of related work prepared by the offeror?

Past performance references are expected to be either from a system of record (such as the Government’s Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, CPARS, or from a source that has direct knowledge of the contractor’s performance on previous requirements.

14. If the offeror already has a Seaport contract vehicle with NUWC, would that be considered helpful? That is, could it be used in lieu of the OTA vehicle mentioned in the solicitation.

Any SeaPort Task Order that an individual contract has is not relevant to this requirement except as it may relate to past performance.

15. In the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Document Section 3. Guidelines for Solution Briefs. Paragraph 6 references an attached DD 254 but it was not included in the attachments available for download. Please advise when the DD 254 it will be available.

The DD254s will be posted as attachments when the CSO is posted.

16. Is this a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

This is a new contract.

17. For prototype projects under this CSO, does NUWC anticipate interest in experimentation focused on deployment concepts, survivability, activation timing, and recovery of undersea devices, in addition to sensor performance and data exploitation?

Yes.

18. Are concepts involving long-duration, dormant undersea systems that activate on command (including upward-moving or surfacing payloads or devices) considered responsive to the TAC- O objectives described in the CSO?

19. Within the TAC-O scope, which technical focus areas are expected to receive the highest near-term prioritization for initial prototype awards (e.g., analytical studies and modeling, operator decision aids, software-centric prototypes, sensor integration concepts, or end-to-end system demonstrations)?

All of the above.

20. Does NUWC anticipate awarding prototype OTAs where the primary deliverable is advanced analysis, modeling and simulation, operational assessment, and decision-support artifacts, with hardware development treated as a follow-on rather than an initial requirement?

Both situations could apply over the duration of any OTA project awarded under the base agreement established in response to this CSO.

21. Is NUWC seeking performers that provide integrated technical execution across multiple TAC- O task areas, or is the Government equally receptive to specialized contributors focused on discrete elements such as operational analysis, human-systems integration, training content, and analytical methodology development?

Both.

22. For early prototype efforts, what criteria most strongly indicate a project’s potential for follow-on production or expanded prototyping (e.g., technical performance metrics, operational utility demonstrations, integration readiness, analyst/operator adoption, or transition partner alignment)?

The Government will make decisions on whether to award any follow-on production on a case by case basis for individual OTA project awarded under the base agreement established in response to this CSO.

23. To what extent does NUWC value training materials, analyst/operator education, structured knowledge transfer, and institutional documentation as part of TAC-O prototype deliverables, particularly for scaling concepts across platforms and commands?

It values all of the above.

24. Could you explain the origin and history of the TAC-O initiative? Did it grow from a specific program, and has the focus evolved since its inception

The Government is not prepared to answer this question at this time, and the answer is not necessary in order for white paper submittal under this CSO.

25. Who do you see as the primary users of the systems being developed under TAC-O, (e.g., operators, mission planners coordinating hybrid fleet operations, leadership making strategic decisions)?

Operators and mission planners coordinating hybrid fleet operators

26. How are the functions envisioned for TAC-O currently performed, and what do you see as the limitations of existing tools and processes?

The Government is not able to answer this question publicly at this time but will engage with contractors individually after award as needed.

27. Could you describe a mission thread or scenario in which TAC-O capabilities would be used?

The Government cannot describe more than what is presented in the SOW. TAC-O capabilities are used to inform maneuver of platform and employment of systems to maximize their performance and/or to maintain the stealth of U.S. Forces.

28. What would you consider to be a “homerun” outcome at the end of this program?

The Government does not have any particular homerun solution to share at this time.

29. Is it preferred to pitch one idea for this RFI, or a couple that would all fit the call, but address different concerns/fields/stakeholders?

The Government is looking for Offerors to state the case that can they can fulfill the analysis and prototyping needs, in a general sense, without being given additional specifics beyond what was detailed in the SOW (e.g. ocean sensors, robotic systems, USW analysis).

30. Is there interest in using environmental data to inform operators about sensor limitations in real time?

Yes

31. How might TAC-O incorporate environmental knowledge into subsea and seabed warfare (SSW), e.g., selection of different mission assets, adaptive sampling schemes, multiple environment-specific ML algorithms?

The purpose of the CSO is for industry to tell the Government how they see themselves contributing to these types of questions.

32. Are there specific challenges or gaps in current environmental sensing technologies that TAC-O is aiming to address, such as improving real-time data integration, overcoming sensor limitations (extreme environments, latency, bandwidth), fine-scale predictive modeling, or enhancing interoperability across platforms?

Not at this time.

33. Will there be a limit to the number of solution briefs an individual company can submit?

A company can submit only one proposal as a prime but there is no limit to the number of other proposals that they could be proposed as a subcontractor. Please submit one brief that adequately conveys your approach to address the tasks contained within the SOW and provide evidence of your expertise in those specific areas.

34. If selected for an OTA agreement, will individual companies be expected to execute “all” Technical Requirements in the SOW?

No.

35. Is there a limit on the number of solution briefs a company can submit?

A company can submit only one proposal as a prime but there is no limit to the number of other proposals that they could be proposed as a subcontractor.

36. Are there expected reporting requirements for an award?

Reporting requirements will be indicated in individual projects as applicable

37. How are Agreements Officer’s Representative (AOR) identified on a per project basis? Is this done during proposal review or after an award?

The Agreements Officer Representative (AOR) will be assigned at a later date.

a) Who is the Agreements Officer?

The Agreements Officer (AO) will be assigned at a later date.

b) Is the Agreements Specialist the analog of a contract specialist?

38. Does NUWC anticipate a preference for early-stage exploratory prototypes versus more mature commercial technologies adapted for undersea warfare applications, or will multiple maturity levels be considered within the CSO?

Multiple maturity levels will be considered.

39. Will the CSO specify weighted evaluation criteria for white papers (e.g., technical merit, relevance to operational use cases, schedule risk, performer experience), or should offerors assume a best-value tradeoff approach?

The Government currently plans to evaluate based on technical merit.

40. For efforts initially proposed at the Unclassified/CUI level, does NUWC anticipate the possibility of transitioning to higher classification levels (Secret or TS/SCI) during the prototype period if operational relevance is demonstrated?

Yes, pending the offeror is able to perform at higher classification levels.

41. Will the CSO identify whether government-furnished data (e.g., oceanographic models, historical datasets, or sensor outputs) will be available to prototype performers, or should offerors assume self-provisioning of data sources?

Both Government furnished and contractor generated data will apply to individual projects executed under the OTA awarded in response to this CSO.

42. Does NUWC envision a balance between onboard environmental sensing and offboard data fusion/decision-support systems, or is one approach of greater interest for this

CSO?

Both are equally valued.

43. Under the contemplated 10 U.S.C. § 4022 Agreements, does NUWC anticipate potential follow-on production or transition pathways, either through FAR-based mechanisms or additional OT agreements, contingent on prototype success?

The awards made under this CSO will be limited to prototype Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) under 10 U.S.C. 4022. The Government reserves the right to perform sole source follow-on production.

44. Does NUWC plan to host any industry days, technical interchange meetings, or Q&A sessions following CSO release to clarify operational priorities or proposal expectations?

Not at this time.

45. Can you please confirm the requested responses and due dates for this solicitation? I’m not sure what the government is requesting as a response to the RFI. Please clarify.

The below dates are subject to change:

1. RFI response – 2/6

2. CSO posting – projected as 2/13

3. Solution briefs / white papers – projected as 3/13

4. Award timing – projected as 4/1

46. If we can’t respond to the RFI in time, can we still respond to the RFP

There is no requirement to respond to the RFI.

47. Are there cost share/ratio limitations for Teaming arrangements envisioned (i.e. what might minimum cost share be for Prime)?

The government is unsure whether this question is asking about how much a prime can subcontract or whether a prime must contribute cost share to the OTA. If the former, there are no specific limitations on subcontracting but the Government will assess offerors to ensure they are adding value and not merely a pass-through of costs. If the latter, those will be assessed in compliance with 10 USC 4022.

48. Are multiple awards expected (i.e. for traditional and/or non-traditional companies)?

See Questions 5 and 7.

49. Can an organization submit multiple White Papers/Presentations (i.e. covering different Tasking areas for consideration)?

See Questions 5 and 33.

50. To what extent is autonomy considered a discriminator for TAC-O prototypes, including adaptive tasking, onboard processing, and approaches that reduce operator burden

Onboard processing and novel environmental sensing for unmanned platforms is included in the solicitation. How that would feed improvements to autonomy is included. But the development of the actual autonomy is not included.

In other words, the concept can feed autonomy improvements or inform what is possible with autonomy given the success of a particular concept, but no actual autonomy development.

Autonomy development is also NOT in the SOW.

51. Is this a solicitation for specific project ideas, or for our capability as an organization to support tasking in these categories?

The CSO will be a solicitation for an organization’s capability to support tasking in those areas in which the Offeror has expertise.

52. Should separate prototype/capability project proposals be submitted as individual white papers/solution briefs, or should each organization submit only one, collective document?

See Question 5.

53. If awarded, will the OTA contract be directly with NUWC, or with an intermediate organization? If another organization, which?

The Agreement will be directly with NUWC.

54. Must proposed solutions include all technical requirements listed in the SOW in Section

4.1 and 4.2? Or can a solution address just a few of the technical requirements in the SOW such as Section 4.1.2, 4.1.3, and 4.2.1.?

The proposed solution does not need to include all technical requirements listed in the SOW, rather it should address the requirements for which the offeror has a solution.