Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) for GroundBreaker 1 Demonstration

Closed Special Notice Posted

Solicitation number
RFW-DOTAC-ARMY-2026-002
Agency
Responses due
Set-aside
No set-aside

Opportunity facts

Place of performance
United States
Points of contact

Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

The Department of the Army Materiel Command Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal issued a Request for Whitepapers (RFW) for complete Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) systems to support the GroundBreaker 1 demonstration exercise at Camp Grafton, North Dakota, in mid-October 2026, with whitepaper submissions due September 4, 2026. Eligibility is strictly limited to current, approved members of the DoW Drone OTA Consortium across three competition pools: Pool 1 (Unrestricted/Full & Open), Pool 2 (Small Business), and Pool 3 (Non-Traditional Defense Contractors). Prospective vendors must hold an acknowledged Vendor Application, fully executed Consortium Vendor Agreement, active SAM.gov registration with UEI, active WAWF registration, valid DD Form 2345, and NIST SP 800-171 compliance. Non-consortium members cannot submit and must apply separately to DMConsortium@army.mil to establish eligibility.

The Government seeks UGV systems capable of performing mission profiles including reconnaissance and surveillance, tactical logistics, explosive ordnance disposal, search and rescue, force protection, casualty evacuation, and multi-domain support operations. Minimum required capabilities include autonomous obstacle avoidance navigation, all-terrain mobility with specified range and endurance, and open-system, hardware-agnostic software architectures compatible with ROS-Military and DoW networks. Phase I whitepapers are limited to five pages and must include detailed technical concept descriptions, delivery schedules with month-by-month production capacity, and rough order of magnitude cost estimates. Selected vendors advance to Phase II for live demonstrations at GroundBreaker 1, with Phase III full proposals issued on a selective basis. Evaluation uses a 100-point weighted scale: Technical Merit & Architecture (40 points), Delivery & Demonstration Readiness (35 points), Cost & Affordability (15 points), and Demonstrated History & Past Performance (10 points), with a recommended Phase II threshold of 75 points. Submissions go to DMConsortium@army.mil with the solicitation number RFW-DOTAC-ARMY-2026-002 in the subject line.

Notice text

SPECIAL NOTICE

DoW Drone OTA Consortium

W58RGZ-26-2-SN01


RFW-DOTAC-ARMY-2026-002
Request for Whitepapers (RFW) – Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) for GroundBreaker 1 Demonstration

1. Synopsis & Purpose

To accelerate the expansion of the Ground Domain, the Department of War (DoW) will host a Joint Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) demonstration exercise titled “GroundBreaker 1” at Camp Grafton, North Dakota, in mid-October 2026. Supported by Government teams across the Office of the Secretary of War (OSW) and military services, this event is open to all qualified UGV vendors.

This effort seeks complete UGV systems to enable employment by Warfighters in both tactical and non-tactical environments. Selected vendors will support physical operational assessments, iterative technology enhancements, and direct integration with DoW systems. This solicitation leverages the agile DoW Drone OTA Consortium framework to bypass traditional, lengthy acquisition cycles, ensuring that these advanced technologies reach the warfighter at the speed of relevance.

2. Eligibility & Security Mandates (Consortium Members Only)

CRITICAL RESTRICTION: This opportunity is strictly limited to current, approved members of the DoW Drone OTA Consortium. Submissions are open to Pool 1 (Unrestricted / Full & Open), Pool 2 (Small Business), and Pool 3 (Non-Traditional Defense Contractors).

To be eligible for evaluation and potential subsequent award under the UGVs for GroundBreaker 1 Demonstration, prospective vendors must have already established Consortium membership, including:

  • An acknowledged Vendor Application.
  • A fully executed and signed Consortium Vendor Agreement (CVA).
  • An active SAM.gov registration, Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number, and active WAWF registration.

Note: If you are not currently a member of the DoW Drone OTA Consortium, you may not submit a response. Interested vendors must first apply by submitting an application to DMConsortium@army.mil.

3. Security & Compliance Mandates

All participating Consortium members must ensure strict compliance with federal regulations throughout the submission and performance periods:

  • Proper protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in accordance with NIST SP 800-171.
  • Adherence to the Arms Export Control Act, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and Export Administration Regulation (EAR).

4. Accessing the Solicitation & Evaluation Criteria

The complete details, instructions, and grading standards for this opportunity are provided in the attachments accompanying this Special Notice:

  • Attachment 1 UGV RFW 21AUG26
  • Attachment 2: UGV RFW Weighted Evaluation Criteria 18AUG26

Consortium members must review both attachments in detail before preparing their submissions. Submissions must be sent directly to DMConsortium@army.mil in accordance with the timelines specified in Attachment 1.

Files

File Type Posted
SPECIAL NOTICE_RFW UGV_21AUG26 .docx DOCX document
UGV_RFW_ Weighted_Evaluation_Criteria_21AUG26.docx DOCX document
UGV_RFW_21AUG26.docx DOCX document

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