PM TRASYS_Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)_M67854-27-S-8000_20 Oct 2026.docx

Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Solicitation: M67854-27-S-8000

1.0 General Information

1.1 Authority

Authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 3458 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Subpart 212.70, this CSO enables PM TRASYS to competitively procure commercial solutions through a streamlined acquisition process, allowing for rapid award decisions. This approach underscores our mission to expedite the award and delivery of critical training capabilities, ensuring that the Government can leverage advancements in manufacturing, modeling and simulation, and training technologies swiftly and efficiently. By prioritizing speed in our contracting efforts, we aim to support timely integration of cutting-edge training technologies that advance operational readiness.

Contracts or agreements awarded under this authority will be structured as fixed-price, including fixed-price incentive fee. Through this initiative, the DoN will affirm its commitment to delivering superior training capabilities to our Warfighters in an expeditious manner.

1.2 Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS) Portfolio

Program Manager for Training Systems (PM TRASYS) is the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Marine Corps (PAE-MC) executive agent assigned to manage acquisition and life-cycle support of Marine Corps ground training systems, devices, and training support services.

PM TRASYS consists of the following three (3) Product Manager (PdM) groups and two (2) direct-report teams, each with their own distinct capability sets and needs: Product Manager, Synthetic Training Systems; Product Manager, Range and Training Area Management; Product Manager, Force on Force Training Systems; Team – Synthetic Vehicle Training Systems; and Team - Warfighter Training Systems.

The mission of PM TRASYS is at the speed of relevance, deliver force design aligned ground training systems to our expeditionary force in readiness in order for the Marine Corps to master new missions, enhance lethality, and maintain the initiative between force planning and battlefield readiness. As such, the purpose of this PM TRASYS CSO, addressed in detail through individual Areas of Interest (AoIs), is to seek mature commercial capabilities and enabling technologies that can enhance Marine Corps training effectiveness, readiness, and warfighting advantage. This will support the PM TRASYS vision to ensure every Marine adapts to the changing character of war prepared, lethal, and victorious through access to solutions across the training continuum.

1.3 Definitions

1. “Area of Interest” (AoI) means an announcement posted on the Government Point of Entry website (www.SAM.gov), which may result in the award of various types of contracts that will be dependent on the specific AoI requirement.

2. “Commercial Solutions Opening” (CSO) is a competitive procedure that contracting and agreements officers may use to acquire commercial items, technologies, or services.

3. “Commercial Solution Proposal” (CSP) is a commercial proposal that is submitted in response to an AoI that is governed by a CSO. CSPs may be requested as a result of solution briefs and/or presentations/demonstrations.

1.4 CSO Procedures

Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS) seeks to award various contracts and agreements that may include but are not limited to: FAR contracts under FAR Part 12, Commercial Procedures; non-FAR agreements such as transaction agreements under 10 U.S.C. § 4022. The purpose is to acquire mature solutions and enabling technologies to influence and enhance the effectiveness of PM TRASYS’s missions.

This CSO notice is an umbrella CSO which covers multiple AoIs. For purposes of posting on SAM.gov, the primary North America Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541715 (domain of Research and Prototyping). In order to capture the broadest spectrum of emerging commercial technologies/solutions, this umbrella CSO is open to all responsible sources, including Non-Traditional Defense Contractors (NDCs), traditional defense contractors, large businesses, small businesses, and academic or research institutions. The targeted AoIs issued under this CSO may be issued with the most appropriate NAICS and may be restricted or set aside based on market research results.

This CSO may result in awards to proposals for commercial technologies through 19 October 2031. The Government reserves the right to extend this CSO beyond the open until date and will issue an amendment if the authority is extended. The Government also reserves the right to close, amend, or suspend this CSO or any individual AoI at any time. This CSO may include awards for but are not limited to: immediately available technologies; commercially available technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment; concept demonstrations; pilots; and agile development activities that can incrementally improve commercial technologies, existing government-owned capabilities, or concepts for broad defense applications.

The CSO solicitation process may include a multi-phased solicitation and evaluation approach that is dependent upon specific AoIs. The AoIs are focused topic(s)/categories specified in Section 5. The following phases may be used:

Phase 1 – Submission of solution brief, Phase 2 – Pitch (if applicable), and Phase 3 – Request for Commercial Solution Proposal (CSP) The Government may add AoIs against this CSO at any time throughout its duration. Interested offerors are encouraged to frequently check www.SAM.gov for new AoI postings.

Please note this CSO is not like a traditional procurement under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). FAR-based competitive negotiation concepts such as opening, closing, discussions, clarifications, setting of a competitive range, proposal revisions, debriefings, etc., do not apply to this CSO. The Government will evaluate solution briefs on a revolving basis (i.e., as they are received). This means there is no set time for submission of solution briefs other than the period of time for receipt specified in a given AoI. Any solution brief submitted outside the period specified in the relevant AoI may, at the Government’s complete and total discretion, be rejected without further action by the Government or notice to the offeror. Further, in accordance with DFARS § 212.7004, the Government will not and is not required to perform any comparative evaluations between or among solutions briefs received in response to an AoI posted within this CSO. Consistent with statutory competition requirements, this Area of Interest (AoI) is open to submissions from all interested offerors for Government evaluation. To maintain a highly streamlined and efficient review process, the Government does not anticipate providing post-submission feedback, formal debriefings, or unsuccessful offeror notifications, irrespective of the evaluation outcome. Submission of a solution brief serves as acknowledgment that individual notifications of non-selection will not be issued.

The process under this CSO may result in a two- (2) or three- (3) phase approach (solution brief, pitch (if applicable), and a request for a CSP):

Phase 1 Solution Briefs: A solution brief must be submitted as specified in Section 2.2 of this CSO. The Government will evaluate solution briefs against the criteria stated in this CSO. The Government will not reimburse offerors for the costs incurred for solution brief submissions.

Phase 2 Pitch (if applicable): Offerors whose solution briefs are evaluated to be of merit may be invited to provide a pitch following the instructions provided in Section 2.4 of this CSO. If the Government requires a solution demonstration in addition to a pitch, additional information will be provided in the specific AoI highlighting those procedures; otherwise, Phase 2 will be comprised solely of the pitch. The Government reserves the right to request additional technical and financial information to determine if a company has a viable solution for the Government’s specific AoI. The Government will not reimburse offerors for incurred costs associated with pitches, such as travel, unless otherwise stipulated.

Phase 3 Request for Commercial Solution Proposal (CSP): Those offerors that are evaluated to be of merit through Phase 1, Phase 2, or a combination of both, may be invited to submit a full written proposal following the instructions provided in Section 2.6 of this CSO. Requests for an AoI CSP under this CSO are subject to the availability of Government funds. The Government will not pay offerors for costs associated with developing submissions in regard to this CSO or resulting AoI, unless otherwise stipulated within the AoI.

NOTE 1: The Government reserves the right to forgo Phase 2 based on the individual merits of the solution brief. The Government also reserves the right to move expeditiously through the phases based on the merit of submissions if urgent requirements arise.

NOTE 2: During any step of the CSO, the Government may send written questions or comments for the offerors to address via email, or other suitable communication methods as determined by the Government. Costs incurred by the offeror in responding to Government requests will not be reimbursed.

2.0 General Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures

Submissions must be submitted electronically.

Offerors that are selected for the presentation phase or the CSP phase will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.

2.1 General Guidelines

1. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or proposals are not desired.

2. Use of a diagram(s) or figure(s) to depict the essence of the proposed solution is strongly encouraged.

3. Offerors may submit multiple solution briefs in response to any single AoI if each submission represents a separate and distinct concept.

4. Technical data with military application may require appropriate approval, authorization, or license for lawful exportation.

5. All solution briefs, pitches, and proposals shall be unclassified. Solution briefs, pitches, and proposals containing data that are not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall include the following sentences on the cover page:

“This [select one: Solution Brief, Pitch, or Proposal] includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government, except to non-Government personnel for evaluation purposes, and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this submission. If, however, an agreement is awarded to this Company as a result of -- or in connection with – the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent agreed upon by both parties in the resulting agreement. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use the information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets].”

Each restricted data sheet should be marked as follows:

“Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.”

1. Foreign-Owned businesses may independently submit a solution or do so as part of a teaming arrangement with one or more United States-Owned businesses. However, the ability to obtain an agreement based upon a submission may depend upon the ability of the Foreign-Owned business to obtain necessary clearances and approvals to obtain proscribed information.

2. Submissions must be submitted electronically.

3. Submissions sent through other channels or after the AoI period has ended will not be reviewed nor evaluated.

4. Solution briefs that are chosen for the Phase 2 pitch will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.

2.2 Phase 1 - Solution Brief

Solution briefs will take the form of briefing slides which should not exceed 15 slides. Briefs will be held virtually or in-person in Orlando, FL; the coordination of date, time and in-person or virtual format will be made individually with each offeror and the Program Office during scheduling. Solution briefs shall address the technical requirements identified in the applicable AoI and include, at a minimum, the following:

Title Page (does not count against page limit) Entity Name, Date, Point of Contact Name, E-Mail Address, Phone, Address, and CAGE code.

Specifically identify the AoI for which the solution brief is submitted.

Executive Summary of the solution (one slide).

Describe the concept and unique aspects of the technology as it relates to the AoI.

Identify whether the solution is an existing technology that has satisfied a pilot or demonstration (i.e., commercially ready and viable technology), or if the solution will require development for defense application.

If development or adaptation is proposed, identify a suggested path to mature the technology.

Identify aspects of the solution which may be considered proprietary or Intellectual Property (IP)

2.3 Phase 1 - Solution Brief Basis of Evaluation

All solution briefs correctly submitted in response to an AoI will be evaluated against the stated criteria below.

1. Affirmatively state whether or not the proposed solution is a mature commercially available technology. The offeror is encouraged to provide evidence of successful employment of the proposed solution by commercial customers, and, if applicable, Government customers.

2. Relevance of the Solution brief in addressing the AoI.

3. Technical Merit and feasibility of the solution to address Government AoI problem statement. Offerors should identify any parts, subassemblies, or other portions of its technical solution that are manufactured in or rely on sources of supply from the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran or any country that is a state sponsor of terrorism and include any plans for developing alternative countries of supply for those items. Further, Offerors are hereby on notice that any contract awarded pursuant to this CSO will be subject to all foreign sourcing restrictions contained in applicable law, statute, or regulation or various FAR and DFARS clauses.

4. A quick, reasonable, and efficient way exists for DoW to test the commercial solution, within a specified duration, whether outside or integrated within DoW infrastructures or networks, as appropriate. Offerors are also encouraged to provide evidence via submission of existing formal test reports if they believe another DoW entity has already performed such testing successfully.

Solution briefs will be solely evaluated based on the merit of the proposed concept in addressing the AoI, not against other solution briefs submitted in response to the same AoI. Additionally, while not overtly stated in AoIs, the Government’s evaluation will consider whether the proposal increases the likelihood of accomplishing the USMC’s mission.

All submissions will be evaluated; however, the Government reserves the right to limit the number of entities invited to pitch. As such, a company’s solution may be evaluated to be of merit but not invited to pitch. Solution briefs that are chosen for the Phase 2 pitch will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.

2.4 Phase 2 – Pitch (if applicable)

In Phase 2, entities shall provide an in-person or virtual pitch to provide further details on their proposed commercial solution and the technical and business viability of the proposed solution. The Government may elect to use external market research during the pitch to evaluate viability. The Government may elect to request a demonstration; if so, additional information will be provided in the specific AoI highlighting those procedures. In addition to the pitch, the Government, at its discretion, may request written submission to further supplement the information provided in the Phase 1 solution brief. During the Phase 2 pitch, the offeror must detail/address:

· Estimated monthly production rate and lead time with scalability.

· Rough order of magnitude (ROM) or pricing. If historical pricing or contracts are available, the Government requests the Company annotate the contract number(s).

· Anticipated Data Rights Assertions.

· Maintenance strategy (e.g., Line-Replaceable Unit (LRU) replacement; Return Merchandise Authorization processes; repair turnaround time (RTAT)).

· During the pitch, the Government may request additional information/detail with respect to the information provided in the Phase 1 solution brief.

· Pitches may be held at the Government facility and/or offeror facility at the Government’s option. The coordination of date, time, location and format will be made individually with each offeror and the Program Office during scheduling.

2.5 Phase 2 – Pitch Basis of Evaluation

Individual pitches will be evaluated against the following factors:

1. Relevance of the pitch in addressing the AoI and whether the pitch adequately addressed Government questions or concerns regarding the proposed application or use of the commercial solution, the solution has technical merit, adequately and realistically addresses Government need and can be quickly incorporated into DoW systems.

2. The associated delivery schedule is expeditious and realistic.

3. The offeror shall submit no more than three (3) summaries of recent contracts or agreements that are similar to the effort identified in the AoI with respect to size, scope and complexity.

4. Reasonableness of the ROM.

Individual pitches will be evaluated on the basis of the merit of the proposed concept in addressing the AoI and the factors above, not against any other pitches held under the same AoI; however, the Government is not required and does not intend to create a formal, extensive evaluation of the pitch, and the Government will not under any circumstances provide any offeror a copy of any written evaluation materials. The Government will evaluate the offeror’s proposed solution on how well the offeror demonstrates an understanding of the work to be performed or the technical solution required. The Government will evaluate the offeror’s proposed delivery schedule against the needs of the Marine Corps and its realistic approach. The Government will evaluate the offeror’s recent past performance record to determine the level of confidence the Government has that the offeror will successfully perform the requirements. The Government will then rate the offeror’s past performance as either acceptable or unacceptable. Offerors without adequate record of past performance may be viewed less favorably than those with acceptable records and will be viewed more favorably than those with unacceptable records. The Government will utilize the factors above to identify the best value submission(s). In making this decision, the Government is more concerned with obtaining submissions demonstrating superior technical merit based on non-cost factors at a reasonable cost/price or ROM. Pitch submissions will be valid for 180 calendar days after the pitch date. Upon completion of evaluations, the Government will notify the company that: (1) the proposed solution has been selected for possible award and the company is invited to submit a full proposal; (2) the proposed solution is not of interest to the Government; or (3) the proposed solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to availability of Government resources.

If the proposed commercial solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to limitation of Government resources, the Company may be contacted with a request to respond to proposal request within 180 calendar days from the pitch date. If after 180 calendar days from the pitch date (or earlier if notified by the Contracting/Agreements Officer), the Government may request an extension from the company, to respond after 180 days and allow the company to update their proposal.

2.6 Phase 3 – Commercial Solution Proposal

2.6.1 Phase 3 Proposal Content

The final phase of the evaluation process is the proposal request. Based upon the evaluation process detailed in Phase 1 and 2, the Government may request a written commercial solution proposal. The company will be invited to develop and submit a fully written proposal and negotiate appropriate terms and conditions. Entities may discuss ideas and questions related to the proposal with the Government POC during the proposal writing process.

Each proposal submitted shall consist of two sections: Section 1 shall consist of the technical proposal; Section 2 shall consist of the price/cost/schedule. Proposals will be assessed by PM TRASYS technical and contracting subject matter experts. Awards made under this authority will only be issued as fixed price awards in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 3458(c) and DFARS 212.7002(b).

2.6.2 Technical Proposal

Each issued AoI will define the specific technical proposal minimal requirements. The overall intent of the AoI technical proposal instructions is to transition an innovative, commercial concept into a highly structured, low-risk, and operationally viable production program. The Government is seeking to evaluate not just the "how" of the technology, but the long-term sustainability, schedule feasibility, integration readiness, and intellectual property/data rights framework necessary to fulfill the identified training gap.

2.6.3 Price Proposal

The company shall propose a fixed price for the item or service and provide any data or supporting information necessary for the determination of a fair and reasonable price. This can include, but is not limited to, commercial price catalog or other proprietary information to help the Government assess the proposed price.

2.7 Phase 3 – Commercial Solution Proposal Basis of Evaluation

2.7.1 Proposal Evaluation Rating:

1. The technical proposal volume will be evaluated and assigned one of the following ratings:

a. Acceptable: The proposal has been evaluated and determined to be appropriate for additional consideration and discussion. An acceptable proposal is generally considered well-conceived, scientifically or technically sound, and important to program goals and objectives. An acceptable proposal may proceed into negotiations or directly to the award process. NOTE: An acceptable rating does not guarantee contract award. The following will be taken into consideration: program priorities, outcome of negotiations, and availability of funds.

b. Unacceptable: The proposal has been evaluated and deemed inappropriate for additional consideration. An unacceptable proposal is generally considered not well-conceived, scientifically or technically unsound, or does not meet program priorities. An unacceptable proposal will be rejected.

2. The price proposal volume will be evaluated as follows:

a. Affordability: The proposed costs must also be affordable to the Government in order to be considered for award and that affordability determination is at the sole discretion of the Government regardless of whether appropriated funds of any kind have been made available for the procurement. The technical merit of the proposal may dictate the level of scrutiny required for a price analysis, however cost alone may be a sufficient reason for the Government to decide not to award a contract. The following will be taken into consideration: program priorities, outcome of negotiations, and availability of funds. A price and/or cost evaluation will only be made in the event for an offeror is selected for an award in Phase 3.

3.0 Awards

3.1 General Guidelines

Upon favorable review and available funds, the Government may choose to make an award, multiple awards or no award. Only warranted Contracting/Agreements Officers may obligate the Government by entering or modifying a binding contract on behalf of the Government.

Awards made under this CSO will primarily be FAR Part 12 fixed price contracts. Other instruments may be used when justified by the specific AoI and legal authority. Contract type will be determined during Phase 3. Multiple awards may be made to pursue similar or dissimilar solutions should they all meet the technical criteria, be selected for award, and if funds are available.

Entities must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE Code registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) to receive award. Offerors are advised to commence SAM registration upon receipt of a proposal request.

Awardees must be determined to be responsible by the Contracting/Agreements Officer and must not be suspended or debarred from award by the Federal Government nor be prohibited by Presidential Executive Order and/or law from receiving award.

Receipt of a proposal request does not guarantee receipt of award. The Government reserves the right, at any point prior to award, to cancel the request. Upon receiving an award, awardees must register in the prescribed Government system (e.g. Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE)).

3.2 Procurement Integrity Act (PIA)

The CSO solicitation process for FAR contracts is covered by the PIA. PIA is implemented for FAR contracts through FAR 3.104. Accordingly, the CSO competitive solicitation process and awards made thereby must adhere to the ethical standards required by the PIA.

3.3 Follow-on Production Contract

At the Government’s sole discretion, after the initial award made pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 3458(a), the Government may decide to award a follow-on production contract or agreement under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 3458(c).

4.0 Point of Contact (POC) Information

CSO POCs: Contracting/Agreements Officers: Nicole Batts, nicole.batts2@usmc.mil and Anthony Genao, anthony.genao@usmc.mil.

Questions regarding the objectives or preparation of the solution brief(s) should be addressed to the Points of Contact (POCs) listed in the respective AoI.

5.0 Specific Areas of Interest (AoI)

Specific AoIs will be posted as separate documents. All solution briefs received under a specific AoI will be evaluated in accordance with Section 2.0 above.

NOTE: If Government funding and/or resources are unavailable for the proposed effort, all brief(s) and submitted material will be retained by PM TRASYS.