Department of War Enterprise Agreements Request for Information (RFI) Direct to Software Publisher versus Value Added Reseller

The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC PAC), operating under the Program Executive Office (PEO) Digital Enterprise Services (DES) Enterprise Agreement Services (EAS), is conducting market research to evaluate commercial software products and services procurement approaches. The Department of the Navy is seeking feedback from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Software Publishers (SPs), and authorized software resellers regarding enterprise agreements, specifically comparing direct-to-OEM/SP models against value-added reseller arrangements. This market research initiative supports business decisions for both the Department of Navy's Enterprise Software Licensing (ESL) program and the Department of Defense's (now referred to as Department of War) Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) procurement efforts. The primary objective is to gather industry input on customary commercial practices and explore the comparative advantages of different procurement methodologies. Interested parties must submit responses by April 13, 2026, with the submission instructions recently amended on March 25, 2026 to allow email submission in addition to other methods. An Amendment 1 to the RFI, posted on March 25, 2026, includes government responses to previously submitted industry questions and updated submission procedures.

This is a pre-solicitation notice with no set-aside designation, meaning all eligible vendors regardless of business size or status may respond. No specific incumbent contractors or current award holders are identified in this market research RFI. The notice does not specify an anticipated award value or budget range, as this is a research and information-gathering phase rather than a formal solicitation with contract awards. No specific quantity of software licenses, user seats, or defined service timeline is indicated at this preliminary stage. The scope encompasses commercial software across multiple product categories and service models, with the research designed to inform future Department of War and Department of Navy software licensing procurement strategies. Qualified respondents should be prepared to address enterprise licensing models, pricing structures, support services, and implementation approaches relevant to large-scale government software deployments.