Northstar Network. Communication services consist of digital voice, video, and data provided to suitably equipped aircraft users with coverage throughout the Continental United States.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is seeking qualified contractors to provide digital voice, video, and data communication services for the Northstar Network, which delivers Ultra-High Frequency/Line of Sight (UHF/LOS) communications to suitably equipped aircraft users throughout the Continental United States. The network comprises 21 Ground Entry Points (GEPs) controlled by two geographically separated Special Government Operation Centers (SGOCs) located at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and Waldorf, Maryland. Key contract requirements include maintaining 99% system availability for all requested missions, providing minimum data rates of 768 kilobits per second within 500 kilohertz channels, delivering 6 megabits per second network bandwidth, ensuring full-duplex digital communications, and providing 24/7/365 on-call maintenance support with two-hour response times for preventive and unscheduled maintenance. All personnel must possess at least a Secret-level security clearance, with key personnel requiring interim or final Top Secret clearances and access to classified information including SIPRNet and COMSEC. The contractor must obtain a Top Secret Facility Clearance and comply with extensive cybersecurity standards including CMMC Level 3 requirements. Responses to this pre-solicitation notice are due by 4:00 PM Central Standard Time on March 13, 2026, submitted to Kelly Smith-Marston at kelly.j.smith-marston.civ@mail.mil, and must be limited to five pages addressing the three required capabilities.

This pre-solicitation notice does not employ any set-aside designations, though DISA has indicated interest in considering small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) certified firms, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and woman-owned small businesses. The incumbent contractor is AT&T, a large business, operating under contract HC1013-21-C-0006 with a period of performance from July 2021 through June 2026, which was awarded via sole source. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the pre-solicitation materials. The anticipated contract period consists of a one-year base period with two one-year option periods, commencing approximately July 2026, for a potential three-year total performance timeline. The procurement falls under NAICS code 517111 (Wired Telecommunications Carriers) with a 1,500-employee size standard. Eligible contractors may respond utilizing prime contract vehicles such as ENCORE III, SETI, NASA SEWP V, GSA OASIS, ALLIANT II, VETS II, STARS III, or MAS.