Global End-to-End Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) Services

Reference ID: USSOCOM J6 COMSATCOM Date of Issue: March 2nd, 2026 Response Due Date: March 25th, 2026

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is seeking information from industry on the capabilities available to provide a comprehensive, global, end-to-end Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) solution. The purpose of this RFI is to conduct market research and identify sources capable of meeting the requirements.

This is an RFI/Sources Sought, which in addition to the current performer, the Government is seeking information to identify any potential, capable sources for the required services described herein. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.

Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI.

2.0 BACKGROUND

USSOCOM requires a robust, flexible, and resilient COMSATCOM infrastructure to support global Special Operations Forces (SOF), which includes connectivity for command-and-control (C2), intelligence dissemination, and operational support between USSOCOM, its components, and deployed units. The required solution encompasses global satellite space segment, commercial media port services, terrestrial backhaul connectivity including interconnections to Satellite as a Service (SaaS) providers, along with comprehensive operational and management support.

3.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONSE

Please provide responses to the questions below. Your response should be concise and focus on your company's existing capabilities and experience. Do not include future or hypothetical scenarios unless specifically requested. Please structure your responses to follow the numbering and sections outlined in this RFI.

4.0 CORPORATE INFORMATION

4.1. Company Details: Provide your company name, address, website, UEI, and CAGE code.

4.2. Point of Contact: Provide the name, title, phone number, and email address of a primary point of contact for this RFI.

4.3. Business Size: Indicate your business size and any socioeconomic classifications (e.g., Small Business, Veteran-Owned).

4.4. Security: What is your company's facility clearance level? Describe your experience managing contracts that require personnel with TOP SECRET/SCI clearances.

5.0 CAPABILITY AND AVAILABILITY QUESTIONS

5.1. End-to-End Solution Management

5.1.1. Describe your company's experience as a Prime Contractor managing end-to-end global COMSATCOM solutions, providing specific information on the size, scope, and complexity of the two largest contracted networks provided as a Prime Contractor. Please include the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) contact information, and the full contract numbers along with details such as the total contract value, number of active remotes/terminals, geographic area/areas of coverage, and total bandwidth managed.

5.1.2. Describe your approach to project management, configuration management, and quality assurance for a global network.

5.1.3. Do you currently have operational processes and infrastructure that allow for the activation of a new global SATCOM service within four (4) hours of notification? (Yes/No) Provide a brief example from a current or past contract.

5.2. Global Space Segment

5.2.1. Describe your existing access to global satellite capacity across various frequency bands (Ku, Ka, X, etc..) and various owner operator fleets.

5.2.2. This requirement includes (6x) 25k Legacy UHF channels; 4x covering the EUCOM, AFRICOM, and Middle East regions and an additional 2x covering the Pacific region; Describe your existing, operational capability to provide this support including periods of performance and verifiable government points of contact for contracts where you have provided Legacy UHF services.

5.2.3. Do you now or have you in the past provided service portability and flexibility, allowing for the reallocation of satellite bandwidth between different regions, satellites, and vendors to support dynamic operational needs? (Yes/No). If yes, describe how you accomplish it including actual contract examples and descriptions of when you have provided this type of support and how you accomplish this across multiple vendor fleets.

5.2.4. Describe your current capabilities and experience providing services for Airborne ISR (AISR) and Communications on the Move (COTM) platforms, include your understanding of any known capability limitations and risks associated with these services.

5.2.5. Describe your process for mitigating and identifying Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) / Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), including characterization and geo-location capabilities.

5.3. Media Port & Gateway Services

5.3.1. Do you currently have direct ownership of, or established contractual access to, a global network of media ports and satellite capacity to support worldwide operations that are connected through your terrestrial core network without the need to establish new partnerships? (Yes/No). Provide a list of the contractual partnerships you currently have that you would use to support this requirement.

5.3.2. Provide a list of the commercial media ports you currently own or have existing contractual partnerships with that you would consider for use for this requirement. List whether those media ports are satellite owner/operator agnostic (i.e., can technically and contractually support services from multiple satellite fleet operators) or are specific to one owner/operator. For each partner-owned media port that you would utilize, describe the nature and duration of your contractual relationship. Detail the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) you have in place that guarantee access, performance, and security for USG customers.

5.3.3. How do you ensure your media ports or partner facilities meet stringent physical security, power redundancy (UPS, generator), and network diversity requirements? Provide a checklist of items that would be used to determine feasibility of the selected Media Ports.

5.3.4. Describe your capability to provide geographically separated, redundant media ports for Continuity of Operations across multiple regions and provide examples of current or past support meeting this requirement.

5.3.5. Describe your "touch maintenance" support model (Tier 1 & Tier 2) at all media ports locations for supporting Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), include any partner media ports that you may use to support this effort and provide examples of current or past support meeting this requirement.

5.4. Terrestrial Backhaul Network

5.4.1. Describe the architecture of your terrestrial core network (e.g., MPLS, SD-Wan, etc.). List your major global Points of Presence (PoPs), specifically those connecting your media port infrastructure with description to include the current diversity, throughput capacity, and limitations

5.4.2. Describe any GEO/MEO/LEO SaaS interconnections you currently provide to the USG or other customers. Identify the contract and include throughputs and type of connections (i.e. VPN, ISP, direct connections, etc.)

5.4.3. How do you ensure geographic diversity and redundancy to prevent single points of failure from the media ports to the government's entry points?

5.4.4. Describe your network management and monitoring capabilities, including the tools you use for performance monitoring, fault detection, and security.

5.4.5. Provide logical network diagrams that show the current connectivity that you identified in 5.4.1 and 5.4.2.

5.5. Operations and Maintenance Support

5.5.1. Describe your company's ability to provide cleared personnel with TS/SCI for all onsite operational positions and key roles (Program Manager, Engineers, Tier 1-3 technicians, etc.) with specific SATCOM and SOF experience.

5.5.2. Describe your current 24/7/365 Network Operations Center (NOC) and helpdesk capabilities. How do you support deployed users and manage trouble tickets from initiation to resolution?

5.5.3. Does your company have current operational experience integrating satellite network monitoring data utilizing a Cross Domain Solution (CDS) or other means to transfer unclassified data to a secure network for consolidation into a ServiceNow or similar platform? (Yes/No) If yes, describe the solution and the integration platform.

5.5.4. Describe your experience and capability in providing specialized support for iDirect, ViaSat, and other TDMA/SCPC technologies.

5.5.5. Does your company currently own or lease and operate a local DCSA up to SECRET cleared facility located within 25 miles of MacDill AFB (7701 Tampa Point Blvd, MacDill AFB, FL, 33621) (Yes/No) If yes, provide full facility address and CAGE code for verification.

5.5.6. Does the facility identified in 5.5.5 currently possess geographically diverse and redundant terrestrial communication connections (e.g., dual, physically separate fiber paths) to your global core network PoPs?

5.5.7. Does the facility identified in 5.5.5 contain at least 1500 square feet of dedicated, SECRET-cleared space that is available for government personnel for COOP, training, and testing that can be activated as a 24x7 operational COOP site within 1 hours of official notification, along with an additional 500 square feet of dedicated secured space for the staging of government-furnished equipment? (Yes/No)

5.5.8. Does your company currently employ, as direct employees, a minimum of five (5) personnel who hold active DoD-adjudicated Secret or Top-Secret clearances and are permanently based at the facility identified in 5.5.5? (Yes/No)

5.6. Security

5.6.1. Describe your company's security program for protecting sensitive and classified information, including your approach to Operational Security

(OPSEC).

5.6.2. Describe your process for vetting personnel and subcontractors, especially for roles requiring access to sensitive military operational information.

5.6.3. What is your experience with the DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF) and achieving an Authority to Operate (ATO) for a managed network?

Provide examples of ATO’ed networks you currently provide at the impact level of Moderate-Moderate-High to the USG. Does any of your ATO’ed Networks provide reciprocity? If yes, provide a description of the ATO’ed network along with ATO expiration date and Authorizing Official (AO) agency.

5.6.4. Describe your existing, operational capability to provide and utilize secure communications (e.g., SIPRNET, STE/VoSIP) for all operational correspondence to include the ability to provide documents in a classified secure means during an RFP process.

5.7. Subscription Services

5.7.1. Describe and list your current capability to provide and integrate services from GEO/MEO/LEO SaaS providers. For each service that you provide, indicate if you are an authorized reseller or if the service is procured via other means. Detail the advantages of your approach in terms of service integration, security, and management.

5.7.2 Provide a list and brief description of any future technology or service you plan to implement and when those implementations are planned to be integrated.

5.8 Transition (The following questions use a notional architecture to gauge transition capability. This architecture is for RFI purposes only and does not reflect the full scale or scope of the potential requirement).

5.8.1. Have you previously served as the Prime Contractor for a transition of a global satellite and terrestrial communications network with a minimum of 500 remotes, 5 Media Ports, 10 iDirect Hubs, 500 MHz of capacity from an incumbent contractor? (Yes/No) If yes, describe the actual size and transition method.

5.8.2. Briefly outline a notional approach to meeting a 90-day transition timeline that would include a minimum of 700 remotes, 7 geographically separated Media Ports, 14 iDirect Hubs dispersed evenly across the Media

Ports, along with 1Ghz of capacity, ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

5.8.3. Acknowledge the requirement for a 90-day transition-in period. Do you foresee any significant risks to achieving full operational capability with less than 2 hours of loss of critical C2 services for the deployed units within this transition timeframe? (Yes/No), If yes please describe your mitigation plan to reduce those risks.

6.0 RESPONSE GUIDELINES

Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI/Sources Sought with a white paper.

Submissions shall not exceed fifteen (15) pages (not including drawings, schematics, maps, service level agreements, or security or cyber protection plans), single spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8.5” x 11” page size. The response should not exceed a 5 MB email limit for all items associated with the RFO response. Responses must specifically address the interested party’s ability and capabilities to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI.

Companies, large or small, who wish to respond to this RFI must send responses via email no later than March 25th, 2026, by 12:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

6.1. Industry Clarifications

The Government/USSOCOM representatives reserve the right to seek clarifications.

Any engagements would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and certification risks.

6.2. Questions and Answers

All interested parties shall submit questions through this RFI no later than March 12th, 2026, by 12:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT). No questions shall be accepted or warrant response after 12:00 P.M. EDT March 12th, 2026 and verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Answers to questions will be posted and provided for all interested parties as promptly as possible in SAM.Gov RFI posting. The Government will not reimburse companies for any costs associated with the submission of their responses.