Cost Estimating Modeling Data Analytics and Research (CEMDAR) RFI

The Department of the Air Force Headquarters District Washington issued a Special Notice announcing an industry day for the Cost Estimating Modeling Data Analytics and Research (CEMDAR) program. This virtual event, hosted by the Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) Contracting Directorate in collaboration with the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA), took place on March 26, 2026, from 12 pm to 4 pm Eastern Daylight Time via Microsoft Teams. The Special Notice served as market research to identify potential contractors and allow vendors to engage directly with the AFCAA program management team regarding an anticipated contract. Interested vendors were required to email their interest by March 20, 2026, at 5 pm EDT, with all qualified respondents receiving Microsoft Teams invitations by close of business on March 24, 2026. The opportunity is classified under NAICS 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) and PSC B506 (Special Studies/Analysis—Data).

The CEMDAR contract requires contractors to develop enterprise datasets, methods, and analytical tools supporting cost estimators across the Department of the Air Force through eight primary tasks, including data pipeline automation, cost and schedule analysis, predictive modeling, and database maintenance. Key staffing requirements include a Program Manager with five or more years of comparable experience, a Chief Cost Data Scientist with eight or more years in data science and five or more years in cost estimating, Expert Cost Estimators with 15 or more years of experience, and Data Scientists at various levels, all requiring a minimum SECRET security clearance. The contractor must maintain 85 percent minimum staffing levels, achieve less than 5 percent employee turnover, and fill vacancies within 14 business days, with 95 percent on-time deliverable completion as a performance threshold. All personnel must sign non-disclosure agreements with AFCAA, Office of Secretary of Defense CAPE, and original equipment manufacturers, and the contractor must submit a Plan of Action and Milestones within 20 business days of contract award. Deliverables include source code, notebooks, documentation, and datasets provided to AFCAA's cloud platforms, with all labor hours reported through the Contractor Manpower Reporting Application.