OTA_1 -_Challenge_Statement_Owners_Advisor 28MAY2026.pdf

ONIX Marketplace Challenge

United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) Command and Control Facility (C2F): Owner’s Advisor (OA) for Collaborative Design-Build Delivery

Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) seeks a partner to serve as an OA for programmatic management during the planning, design and construction of the USSPACECOM C2F at Redstone Arsenal, AL, and to establish a scalable, repeatable model to be implemented in future Air Force Military Construction projects.

1. Summary of Overall Objective:

AFCEC seeks an innovative, highly capable, and deeply experienced partner to serve as the OA for management of design and construction of a new C2F warfighting platform at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. This mission critical facility, and its supporting data center, is required to support approximately 1,800 personnel and cost approximately $2B to design and build. C2F will incorporate Radio Frequency (RF) shielding, High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) protection, Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) / Special Access Program (SAP) construction, and redundant and resilient infrastructure.

The project will be delivered using a collaborative delivery methodology under the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Design Build Done Right framework. The OA partner will help co-create a repeatable, scalable model for Collaborative Delivery Design Build management success across the Department of the Air Force for possible future acquisitions.

This effort is intended to reduce traditional Military Construction (MILCON) delivery timelines by approximately 50%, transforming what is typically a 10-year process into an approximate 5-year requirement to construction completion process. The selected OA will help AFCEC deliver this facility faster, smarter, and with higher mission assurance than any previous Air Force MILCON effort.

USSPACECOM will complete its validated requirements development in late June 2026, and the OA must be prepared to rapidly translate these requirements into actionable technical criteria, performance standards, and design guidance. As the project progresses, the OA will also perform construction oversight and construction security.

AFCEC will not be prescriptive in requiring a response, instead we are asking industry to present their most creative solutions based on their experience and qualifications.

2. Background & Problem Statement:

The Government-owned team is intentionally lean, designed for agile oversight and rapid decision-making. Traditional oversight models are insufficient for the collaborative, iterative nature of the expected delivery model. The Government requires an OA operating at or in the vicinity of Redstone Arsenal, providing the technical depth, programmatic rigor, and strategic insight necessary to deliver a resilient facility with unique, technology-centric mission requirements. By leveraging their industry expertise in large-scale Design-Build delivery, the OA will work with the Government to determine the most strategic application of construction standards for the facility's eventual construction.

The C2F is not a typical Government building. It will include:

• Mission critical command and control operations.

• Secure compartmented environments (SCIF and SAP spaces).

• RF shielded and HEMP hardened architecture.

• High density data center infrastructure.

• Redundant mechanical, electrical, and cyber systems.

• Integrated Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Information

Technology (C4IT) systems requiring coordinated delivery.

The challenge is to define and execute an OA function that is:

• Purpose-built for collaborative delivery methodologies.

• Robust enough to manage a project of this scale and complexity.

• Flexible enough to become a repeatable, scalable model for future Air Force projects.

This project is intended to disrupt and redefine traditional Air Force MILCON processes, with Speed to Capability (S2C) as a mandatory requirement.

3. Desired Outcomes & Solution Requirements:

Respondents should propose a creative, effective, and technically rigorous approach to structuring and executing the OA role. The requirement is divided into three distinct Lines of Effort (LOEs):

• LOE 1 - Program Management & Advisory Services.

• LOE 2 - Construction Management Services.

• LOE 3 - Construction Security.

Detailed descriptions and deliverable requirements for each LOE are provided in the Supporting attached Document.

The Redstone Transition Team (RTT)/Program Management Office (PMO) has office space intended to embed 10 OA personnel; the remainder of the OA team is expected to be located near the site, with OA team reach-back located off-site.

Proposals must address each LOE and align with DBIA best practices and the unique mission requirements of the C2F.

DBIA's best practices, "Design-Build Done Right," provides a universal framework for procuring, contracting, and executing design-build projects. By emphasizing ethical collaboration and professional competence, these guidelines help integrated teams consistently delivering successful project outcomes for all stakeholders.

Proposals must demonstrate a clear philosophy and a proven history of fostering a DBIA-aligned "One Team" environment.

4. Eligibility & Submission Guidelines:

• Open to U.S.-based industry, academic, and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated success as an OA on complex projects using collaborative Design- Build methodologies at or exceeding a $500M construction value, aligning with the DBIA *Design-Build Done Right* framework.

• A Respondent’s representative must possess a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) Facility Security Clearance.

• Respondents must be Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 compliant or actively pursuing certification. Performance of this agreement will involve the storage, processing, or transmission of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) per 32 C.F.R. § 170.3.

• Respondents must register on https://gocolosseum.org to submit.

• Cover sheet containing the company’s name, point of contact (POC), email, and mailing address. The cover sheet is not part of the 10-page limit.

• Submissions must be a White Paper, between 2 and 10 pages. The white paper shall include:

o The Contractor's qualifications, a technical concept, and an implementation approach. Please include:

o References for mega projects cited to demonstrate qualifications.

o References should include the name and contact information of a primary POC representing the customer served by the OA.

o Key personnel designated to work with the PMO.

o Reach-back support capabilities.

o An organizational chart.

o Project deliverables.

o A proposed schedule with milestones.

o A proposed payment structure.

5. Timeline:

• Questions regarding OTA 1 – OA Challenge may be submitted from 28 May 2026 through 04 June 2026. The Government is not obligated to provide responses to any questions submitted by Offerors but will consider them and incorporate changes into the challenge as deemed necessary.

• Rapid down-select anticipated within 30–45 days of posting.

• Down select to 3 bidders for interviews – approx. mid-July.

• Final selection during phase 2 – approx. early-August.

Period of Performance

Contract Segment Trigger/Duration Purpose Milestone 1 (Construction Challenge Statement Segment;

Early Design)

Award through start of construction

August 1, 2026 – November 1, Advise the Government through construction requirement development;

programmatic and project management and governance structure stand up; and early C2F design

Milestone 2 (Ongoing Design; Construction)

Triggered by Government acceptance of GMP. Runs through Substantial Completion.

November 2, 2027 – September 1, 2031

Continue programmatic and project management;

Provide continuous, uninterrupted construction oversight and site presence.

Milestone 3 (Closeout)

Triggered by Substantial Completion.

September 2, 2031 – December 31, 2032

Oversee commissioning, SCIF accreditation, final facility turnover and 1 year warranty period.

6. Contracting Path:

OTA award by Army Contracting Command – Rock Island (ACC-RI) through the ONIX Consortium.

Evaluation Note: Submissions will be evaluated by subject matter experts. ONI’s AI-powered rubric generation tools may be used to provide supplemental analysis, but final evaluations will be determined by human reviewers.

7. Evaluation Criteria:

Category Criteria Weight

Criteria Description

Experience & Relevant Expertise (35%)

Proven collaborative delivery expertise in methodologies related to Design-Build on Mega-Scale Projects

15% Demonstrated success as an OA on complex projects at or exceeding a $500M construction value, aligning with the DBIA *Design-Build Done Right* framework.

Mission-Critical & High- Security Facility Experience

10% Proven experience with high-security, hardened facilities, including those with RF shielding, HEMP protection, and SCIF / SAP environments.

Collaborative Culture & Proven Experience

10% A clear philosophy and demonstrated history of fostering a DBIA-aligned "One Team" environment. Must provide a list of past projects Points of Contact (POCs) as references for relevant Mega projects.

Management & Execution Strategy (30%)

Innovative & Rigorous Approach

10% Proposal must present creative, effective, and technically rigorous solutions for structuring the OA role to meet the project's unique demands.

Speed to Capability Methodology

10% The contractor must demonstrate a clear and viable methodology to support a delivery model that is approximately 50% faster than traditional MILCON timelines.

C4IT Integration Strategy

10% A clear and effective strategy for advising on the integration of a separate C4IT contract with the main facility design and construction schedule.

LOE Compliance (30%)

LOE 1 Compliance with DBIA best practices

10% Response must present a clear methodology for: (1) translating validated mission requirements into Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and performance-based specifications; (2) establishing a governance structure that enables rapid Government decision-making; (3) developing a risk register, risk allocation strategy, and contingency structure; (4) maintaining open-book cost transparency toward a defensible Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP); (5) managing collaborative design development while balancing cost, schedule, and mission assurance; and (6) advising on C4IT contract integration synchronized with facility design. Must explicitly demonstrate how the proposed approach supports a 50% reduction in traditional MILCON delivery timelines.

LOE 2 Compliance with DBIA best practices

10% Response must present a clear methodology for: (1) tracking daily construction activities against approved design, schedule, and quality standards; (2) verifying mission-critical infrastructure including RF shielding, HEMP hardening, and Collective Protection Systems; (3) managing scope change and controlling contract compliance; (4) coordinating construction sequencing with C4IT installation and commissioning; (5) delivering on-site quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC); and

(6) overseeing safety, environmental compliance, supply chain logistics, and statutory requirements specific to the OTA.

LOE 3 Compliance with DBIA best practices

10% Response must present a clear methodology for: (1) providing Construction Surveillance Technicians (CSTs) with active TS/SCI clearances; (2) coordinating directly with USSPACECOM PMO Site Security Managers (SSM) operating under Special Security Officer (SSO) guidance; (3) ensuring construction practices meet Intelligence Community Directive (ICD) standards for secure facility construction;

and (4) integrating construction security requirements with the overall construction schedule without impeding delivery timelines.

Scalability & Knowledge Transfer (5%)

Scalability and Repeatability

5% A viable and detailed plan for capturing lessons learned, processes, and templates to create a comprehensive OA Playbook that can be scaled for future Air Force (MILCON projects.