RFI Collaborative Autonomy Software.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

AIR FORCE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT CENTER

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE

23 June 2026

Tracking No. FA8629-26-R-6001

MEMORANDUM FOR: All Qualified Vendors with SAM.gov Access

FROM: AFLCMC/WISJ Asymmetric Warfare Contracting Office, Wright Patterson AFB, OH

45433-7200

SUBJECT: Request for Information (RFI) – Collaborative Autonomy Software Framework

Development

1. NOTICE: This Request for Information (RFI) is issued for informational and market research purposes only; it does not constitute a solicitation. The Government will not reimburse any company for expenses associated with preparing or submitting information in response to this posting. The information provided may be used by the Government in developing its acquisition strategy and Performance Work Statement (PWS). Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition-sensitive information.

2. BACKGROUND AND SCOPE: The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center

(AFLCMC/WISJ) is conducting market research to identify sources capable of serving as the primary developer for an advanced, Government-owned collaborative autonomy software framework. This open-architecture software stack is designed to enable collaborative, autonomous capabilities across a variety of crewed and uncrewed systems. The baseline for this framework is an evolution of complex, multi-agent swarming autonomy architectures previously developed under Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) initiatives.

The Government’s objective is to evaluate industry capability to perform continuous software development, applied research, testing, and maturation of this framework in accordance with the DoDI 5000.87 Software Acquisition Pathway. The scope requires the contractor to develop and mature the core software logic, integrate the software onto diverse platforms, integrate third-party vendor capabilities into the open framework, perform applied research on future autonomy behaviors, and develop ground station integration.

3. CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS: The Government seeks to identify potential primary development partners for this enterprise autonomy framework. The critical capabilities are outlined below. (T=Threshold, O=Objective)

3.1. Foundational Software Engineering & Maturation

3.1.1. The Contractor shall possess the requisite engineering scale and deep technical capability to develop, code, and maintain a complex, collaborative swarming autonomy baseline. (T)

3.1.2. The Contractor shall execute development driving towards a Modular Open

Systems Architecture (MOSA) to ensure the framework remains Government-owned and open to third-party vendor insertion. (T)

3.1.3. The Contractor must have the capability to perform applied research to mature next-generation collaborative autonomy and integrate them into the core framework.

(T)

3.2. DevSecOps & Agile Delivery

3.2.1. The Contractor shall provide and maintain a mature, secure DevSecOps environment for all software development, testing, and delivery, including a robust

Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline. (T)

3.2.2. The Contractor must have the capability to execute an "Insight over Oversight" methodology, providing the Government with continuous, real-time, access to Agile management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence), code repositories (e.g., Git), and digital models (e.g., Cameo). (T)

3.2.3. The Contractor shall have experience developing and regularly releasing

Software Development Kit (SDK) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to allow external developers to write modular capabilities for the core framework. (T)

3.3. Simulation, SIL/HIL Integration, Test, and Security

3.3.1. The Contractor must possess the capability to execute large swarm-level simulations, working with appropriate Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) / Hardware-in-the-

Loop (HIL) for integration and testing with a variety of platforms, including Group 1-

5 UAS. (T)

3.3.2. The Contractor must possess TS/SCI cleared personnel and facilities to handle unclassified and classified autonomy software and support secure development/testing.

(T)

3.3.3. The Contractor shall have experience with multi-domain software and hardware integration (air, land, maritime) and multi-UAV autonomous flight testing for demonstration and fielding. (O)

4. INSTRUCTION TO POTENTIAL RESPONDENTS: Interested parties are encouraged to submit responses that address the following:

4.1. Company Information:

Company Name, Address, CAGE Code, UEI, and POC information.

Socioeconomic Status (Large, Small, Non-Profit, Educational Institution, UARC, etc.).

4.2. Capability Narrative (Maximum 10 pages): Please provide a narrative addressing your company’s capability to meet the requirements in Section 3, specifically:

4.2.1 Autonomy Development Experience: Describe your direct experience developing, writing code for, and maturing collaborative, multi-agent swarming autonomy architectures for DoD customers.

4.2.2 Transition & Baseline Management: Describe your technical approach and demonstrated experience in taking over, maintaining, and evolving complex, pre-existing Government-owned autonomy software baselines (such as those developed by

AFRL or ONR).

4.2.3 MOSA & Third-Party Integration: Detail your approach to developing and managing a government-owned software architecture while actively integrating algorithms provided by external commercial vendors.

4.2.4 DevSecOps & Agile Management: Describe your existing DevSecOps infrastructure and your experience providing government partners with continuous access to live Agile development environments.

4.2.5 Facilities & Clearances: Describe your facilities (including SIL/HIL test labs), cleared personnel, and experience handling classified software programs up to the

TS/SCI level.

4.2.6 Software Development Kit (SDK) and Documentation: To ensure seamless integration and rapid development of custom payloads and external systems, the

Government is seeking information on the respondent's proposed Software

Development Kit and accompanying documentation. Respondents are requested to describe the proposed API structure, communication protocols, security and authentication handling, and the overall approach to lifecycle management and backward compatibility. To demonstrate usability, please provide a structural layout or example of the proposed SDK documentation, which should include a sample table of contents, a description of available developer resources, and a representative excerpt demonstrating how developers will interface with your code.

4.3. ROM Cost Estimate & Staffing Profile: Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate to execute the continuous software development, integration, and maturation effort described in Section 3 over a 5-year period of performance. In addition to the cost

ROM, respondents must provide an estimated Staffing Profile, detailing the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) and the mix of labor categories (e.g., Senior Software Engineers, DevSecOps Engineers, HWIL Test Engineers) they assess are required to successfully execute an effort of this scale and complexity. This data is for Government budgetary planning and capability assessment purposes only.

4.4. Contract Information:

4.4.1 Indicate whether your capability can be obtained under an existing Government contract vehicle.

4.4.2 State whether your firm is domestically or foreign-owned.

5. RESPONSES AND COMMUNICATIONS:

5.1. The Government may contact respondents to obtain additional information or clarification in order to fully understand a company's response. This may include discussions, site visits, demonstrations, etc. to further the Government's understanding of a proposed solution, as well as a company's understanding of the Government's requirements.

5.2. Responses shall not exceed 10 pages (including cover page). Include technical and descriptive text and photographs/illustrations to provide sufficient detail. The submitted documentation becomes the property of the United States Government and will not be returned.

5.3. Respondents shall clearly mark proprietary data with the appropriate markings. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from any unauthorized disclosure. Any material that is not marked will be considered publicly-releasable.

5.4. Government-contracted contractor support personnel may handle proprietary data submitted in response to this RFI. These support personnel will have signed the same Non-

Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as government personnel.

5.6. If you are currently providing your proposed capability on an existing government contract, please identify the contract and a government POC.

5.7. Broad industry participation for this RFI is encouraged. U.S. and non-U.S. firms are permitted to respond.

5.8. Please note that prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award

Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DOW contract. To learn more about this

SAM requirement and how to register, please visit the SAM website at:

https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM

5.9. Responses are due electronically by 12:00PM Eastern time on 14 July 2026 via email to:

Jesse Cooley

AFLCMC/WIS

Contracting Officer

Jesse.cooley@us.af.mil

Steven Woodard

AFLCMC/WISJ

Program Manager steven.woodard.4.ctr@us.af.mil https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM

5.10. This notice may be updated as additional information becomes available. Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to the

Contracting Officer identified above, with the other individuals identified above copied as a courtesy.

5.11. This is a Request for Information (RFI) only to identify potential sources for the solution. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as creating such a commitment or as an authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought.

MARISSA S GREENLEAF

Contracting Officer

AFLCMC/WISS