Cornerstone Initiative Request (CIR) CS-24-1801 Strengthening America's Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base

U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command – Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC), Rock Island, IL, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy via its Innovation Capability and Modernization Program (10 U.S.C. § 4817), in conjunction with Army Contracting Command – Rock Island (ACC-RI), manages the Cornerstone Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022. Cornerstone was architected to create a broad-based, flexible and enduring public-private consortium focused on strategic strengthening of the U.S. Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and provide a strong complement to the mandates in Presidential Executive Order 13806.

ACC-RI, on behalf of DEVCOM CBC and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) intends to issue a competitive Cornerstone Initiative Request (CIR) for Strengthening America’s Manufacturing (SAM) and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) on or after 7 August 2024. The CIR for SAM DIB is restricted to Cornerstone consortium members.

The purpose of the CIR is to establish a Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored strategic and long-standing, multi-year (5 year maximum) mechanism to solicit white papers addressing critical sectors, SAM DIB. The CIR will solicit enhanced whitepapers for one or more fixed-price or expenditure-based OTA with incremental payments made upon completion of specific milestones. The Government reserves the right to award OTA(s) to the best interest of the Government, to include re-competing the requirement if needed. Period of Performance will vary by project/agreement. Awarded SAM DIB resiliency and supply chain assurance initiatives will focus on prototype projects, capabilities, and capacities supporting a broad range of requirements aimed at delivering decisive advantages to our Warfighters. A non-competitive follow-on production Other Transaction (OT) may be awarded following a successful prototype.

The objective of this effort is to seek prototype projects addressing the following priority sector areas: Workforce, Microelectronics, Energy Storage and Batteries, Kinetic Capabilities, Casing and Forgings, Critical Minerals, and Manufacturing Capabilities.

Any OT awarded as a result of this initiative will incorporate revised Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment dated August 2020 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation (DFARS) Clause 252.232-7006 Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) Payment Instructions.

The CIR for SAM DIB will be communicated to the Cornerstone consortium and companies with pending applications via email. Entities are required to have begun the membership process for their proposal to be reviewed. Entities must be members of the Cornerstone consortium, with a signed Cornerstone Consortium Management Agreement, to be awarded this OTA task. Contractors may obtain Cornerstone registration information by inquiring at: usarmy.ria.ccdc-cbc.mbx.cornerstone-ota@army.mil

Interested parties should stay alert for any changes that may be published to this sam.gov posting. Please email all questions and responses to the following mailbox: usarmy.ria.ccdc-cbc.mbx.cornerstone-ota@army.mil

This Special Notice is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a CIR or an obligation on behalf of the U.S. Government. Issuance of this Special Notice is not a guarantee of a future CIR or an award and is not a commitment of any kind by the Government.