Notice ID: 1e1135d1d9d74b26a435ea0f27069559Sources Sought
RFI - Deployable Tactical Communications
Archived on March 12, 2026. Original response deadline: . Full description on SAM.gov.
Description
1. Description: The Air Combat Command (ACC) Acquisition Management and Integration Center (AMIC) is seeking information from qualified vendors regarding innovative and readily deployable tactical communications solutions to support expeditionary operations in contested, forward-deployed environments.
1.1: This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and all information provided is subject to change. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment to issue one in the future. This RFI is primarily to conduct Market Research which will enable the USAF to determine the availability of commercial capabilities and to identify and evaluate market practices.
1.2: This RFI does not obligate the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever, and all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be incurred solely at the respondent’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if issued. The Government will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this RFI.
1.3: The primary focus for this RFI is on technologies that can readily demonstrate:
- Communication Infrastructure: Hardware and software for establishing multi-path transport networks (SATCOM, LOS radio, 5G/LTE, HF/UHF).
- Networking Capabilities: Capabilities for routing, switching, edge computing, application-level QoS, and managing network traffic in dynamic environments.
- Security Solutions: Zero Trust architectures, encryption, authentication, access control, cyber resiliency, and secure cross-domain data sharing; centralized management and health monitoring of communications equipment fleet is desired.
- Classified Solutions: Mobile solution leveraging Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) framework to provide secure SIPRNET access. The goal is to create a system more user-friendly and administratively efficient than the current NG WINDAR-S solution, while adhering to the architecture defined in the NSA's Mobile Access Capability Package (MACP).
- Antenna Systems: Deployable antenna systems that utilize low probability of intercept/detection (LPI/LPD) techniques.
- Power Solutions: Reliable, portable, and efficient power solutions (SWaP-optimized, battery, generator-compatible).
- Integration Services: Capabilities for integrating with a government-provided network backbone and existing military systems.
2. Requested Information: Interested parties should respond with a maximum of 10 pages, including any diagrams or images, detailing a solution or solutions that show:
- Rapid Deployability: Easily and quickly deployable by a small team, achieving “wheels down to comms up” within minutes.
- Resilience and Reliability: Resilient to jamming and interference, with capabilities for autonomous failover and contested spectrum operations.
- Security: Provide robust security features, such as Zero Trust security principles, cyber resiliency, segmentation, and automated recovery.
- Interoperability: Interoperable with existing USAF infrastructure and demonstrate cross-domain data sharing capabilities.
- Scalability: Scalable to support varying numbers of users and operational demands.
- Low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP): Minimize SWaP to facilitate deployment and mobility.
- Ease of Use: User-friendly and require minimal training and operator intervention.
- System Maturity: Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or above.
3. Submission Instructions: Responses should be submitted via email, using subject line “RFI Submission - Deployable Tactical Comms – Company Name” to both:
Christine Banks at christine.banks.5@us.af.mil
Nicole Black at aimee.black@us.af.mil
Submissions are due no later than February 25, 2026 at 1500 Eastern. Please ensure both POCs are copied on all communications.
4. Summary: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY to identify sources that can provide innovative and readily deployable tactical communications solutions to support expeditionary operations in contested, forward-deployed environments. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.
Overview
Agency:
Department of WarDepartment of the Air Force
Office:AIR COMBAT COMMAND.AMIC.FA4890 HQ ACC AMIC
Posted:February 6, 2026
NAICS:541715: Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
Last Updated:Aug 21, 2026
PSC:Not specified
Set-Aside:Not specified
Type:Sources Sought
Place of Performance:Hampton, Virginia
Award Overview
Possible prior contracts
Sign in to see possible prior contracts for this requirement (matched by agency, NAICS and place of performance; not confirmed).
Contacts
Contracting Officer
Primary Contact
Christine Banks
Secondary Contact
Nicole Black
Documents
No documents available.
Lifecycle
Solicitation:
FA489026TacticalComms- Market Research
Pre-solicitation or formal solicitation typically follows within 30–180 days. (estimate)
- 2×Market ResearchCurrentJan 27, 2026
RFI - Deployable Tactical Communications
Similar Opportunities
Title | Phase | Agency | NAICS | Set Aside | Posted | Deadline | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UPDATE 31 August 2023 - Extend open period to 31 March 2027 UPDATE 21 April 2026 - Added Topics 019-021; administrative changes throughout UPDATE 4 March 2026 - Removed Topic 016; Added Topics 017 and 018; updated POC information in Secion 3.2 UPDATE 2 September 2025 - extend open period by one year UPDATE 22 May 2025 - Removed Topics 014 and 015 UPDATE 13 March 2025 - Added Topic 016 This Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs), issued in accordance with DFARS 212.70, is a competitive solicitation seeking proposals for innovative, commercial technologies and services that accelerate attainment of capabilities to meet ACC’s mission. ACC HQ intends to obtain innovative solutions or potential new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technology advancements. Solutions may include existing technologies or procedures, not currently in use by the United States Air Force (USAF), that would enhance or streamline USAF mission capabilities. "Innovative", as defined in DFARS 212.70, means any technology, process, application, or method, including research and development, which is new as of the date of proposal submission. This CSO seeks the best commercial approaches to meet various technology objectives of ACC. All items, technologies, and services acquired using this CSO will be treated as commercial items. The Government encourages white-paper proposals that span a wide spectrum of possible technical and business solutions in response to the specific technology topics listed. Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of FAR Part 12 contracts or other transactions (OT) as codified in 10 U.S.C. § 4022. Industry responses will be carefully reviewed and prioritized, with funding sought by ACC HQ to pursue innovative and optimal solutions. The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal; and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this CSO. All awards are subject to the availability of funds. Questions regarding this CSO must be emailed to ACCAMIC.AMIC.CSO@us.af.mil, with a copy to aimee.black@us.af.mil. Emails should be formatted as FA4890-CSO-0001-24 Topic # (AMIC-001, 002, etc.) Company Name. | Solicitation | 541715 | No Set-Aside | 08/31/2026 | 03/31/2027 | 0, VA | |
THIS IS A DRAFT SOLICITATION (Please Register for Industry Day) Industry Day will be Monday, June 29th, 11:00-12:00 EST. Thre registration link is https://bahmeet.webex.com/weblink/register/r1491d8205dfd726ffd2133d058adf1cd or you can find the link in the links section below. Please complete the Feedback Form at the attached link https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/i6Ckyeh5xk or in the links section below. 1.0 REQUIREMENT Department of Defense (DoD) installations largely rely on off-site energy providers to support land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace-based national security missions. This dependence creates unacceptable risks, because grid outages caused by maintenance issues, extreme weather, and attacks by determined adversaries may impact our national security missions. To ensure mission continuity even during a grid outage, congress has mandated that DoD achieve by 2030 at least 99.9% energy resilience year-round (i.e., no more than 8.76 hours of downtime annually) for all of its critical missions at all DoD installations (See 10 U.S.C. § 2920). The Department of the Air Force (DAF) alone has identified nearly 4,000 resilience gaps at its installations worldwide that need rapid and cost-effective mitigation. Meeting this challenge requires DAF to access innovative energy resilience technologies, deploy commercial off-the-shelf technologies, and implement new business models at an enterprise-wide scale with commercial speed. Concerned that DoD and the military services are unable to access or deploy these technologies and business models at the scale, speed, and cost-effectiveness required to meet its energy resilience challenges, Congress has encouraged DoD to leverage its authority pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 4022, to partner with a third-party consortium dedicated to military installation resilience and energy innovation.1 10 U.S.C. § 4022 authorizes DoD to conduct prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing DoD’s mission effectiveness. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) is an alternative to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)‐based acquisitions that 1) enables innovative, non-traditional defense contractors to engage with DoD, 2) identifies and realize teaming opportunities among entities to promote integrated research and prototyping efficiencies, 3) improves the timeline from solicitation to award for DoD prototypes, 4) and reduces the cost and improves integration of energy resilience prototypes. Because energy innovation is rapidly occurring in the private sector and around the world, establishing a public-private partnership with streamlined processes will help DAF access this innovation to strengthen the energy resilience of its installations. 1.1 Consortium Management Organization (CMO) DAF is issuing this competitive RFP to select a CMO with whom to establish the Defense Energy Consortium (DECo), a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership where the members of the consortium will be responsible for fully financing potential projects using private capital to increase the energy resilience and mission assurance of DAF installations worldwide. Unlike other consortia previously authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 4022, DECo will not guarantee any appropriated funding for either the CMO nor obligated funds for future prototype projects awarded through the CMO. The CMO’s members will include financiers, small businesses, non-traditional defense contractors, and an administrative team that will manage the operations of the consortium. Once DAF negotiates and executes the Base OTA Agreement, or Consortium Management Agreement (CMA), DAF will competitively issue, down select, and award prototype agreements to the CMO as the entity authorized to represent the consortium member or team that proposed the prototype project. 10 U.S.C. § 4022 allows the entire cost of the prototype to be fully financed by the performers using third-party capital, provided DoD provides some form of consideration, such as access to DAF property and facilities.2 DoD has formed 30-plus consortia that leverage 10 U.S.C.§ 4022, but they rely on public financing through congressional appropriations instead of leveraging billions in readily available private capital. Because DECo will rely on private financing, DECo’s programmatic, legal, and fiduciary roles and responsibilities will be materially different from the standard DoD OTA consortium business model and will require DAF and the down selected CMO to iterate, deliberate, and negotiate novel business processes and terms and conditions for a CMA to establish DECo. Following selection of the CMO by DAF, the CMO will work with DAF at its own expense and financial risk to conduct the necessary due diligence to establish the unique features of DECo and to negotiate the CMA. DAF expects that these due diligence activities will occur over an extended period of time and may include the following: Obtaining Funding Commitments: DECo’s business model of relying solely on private financing instead of public funds will require a pool of investors. Following the selection of the CMO and prior to executing the CMA, the CMO will likely need to work with financial experts and fund managers to raise capital by attracting additional financiers to DECo. The CMO’s financial experts will be responsible for complying with all relevant legal requirements for managing investor funds. Ideally, the CMO’s financial experts will also have the capacity and expertise to engage with the investment authorities in the nations that host DAF installations (i.e., Germany, Greenland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) and be able to guarantee that no improper investments are being made by prohibited countries or from questionable sources. Building DECo’s Membership: The CMO will need to build DECo’s membership to include a broad array of energy-related stakeholders. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to, small businesses, traditional defense contractors, original equipment manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, national laboratories, academia, energy service companies (ESCOs), utilities, utility associations and research organizations, and professional services companies. The CMO will need to ensure that it will not unnecessarily exclude or burden innovative companies and non-traditional defense contractors from becoming members. Negotiating the DECo CMA: The unique nature of DECo’s reliance on private financing combined with its focus on installation energy prototypes will require DAF and the CMO to negotiate novel terms and conditions for a CMA to govern the consortium. For instance, the CMO and its members under the terms of the CMA will need to adhere to federal, state, and utility laws, regulations, and procedures, including transmission interconnection requirements, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures, and federal real estate leasing laws to build onsite energy resilient generation. Similar considerations will need to be addressed for DAF installations overseas. Any solution proposed will require DECo and its members and financiers to use one or more federal laws and regulations for structuring the long-term, third-party financed, power purchase agreements and energy services contracts (See Attachment 1). This will require DECo to have in-house expertise and experience with negotiating and executing energy commodity and energy services contracts with DoD. The novel CMA terms and conditions may also include the following – indemnifying DAF against all costs incurred while executing a prototype project if DAF decides not to award a follow-on production contract; transparency and reporting requirements detailing the CMO’s financial due diligence of its investors and members; processes for calculating and disclosing reasonable Returns on Investment (ROIs) on a portfolio of prototype projects, and continuing education requirements for DECo’s members and financiers to maintain proficiency on DoD’s specialized energy procurement laws. After DAF executes the CMA to establish DECo, DAF will issue a portfolio of prototype solicitations to DECo. | Pre-Solicitation | 541715 | No Set-Aside | 06/18/2026 | Open | Arlington, VA | |
THIS IS A DRAFT SOLICITATION There will be a virtual industry day in the coming weeks. This notice will be updated with the industry day date, time, and information as soon as it is available. Please complete the Feedback Form at the attached link https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/i6Ckyeh5xk or in the links section below. 1.0 REQUIREMENT Department of Defense (DoD) installations largely rely on off-site energy providers to support land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace-based national security missions. This dependence creates unacceptable risks, because grid outages caused by maintenance issues, extreme weather, and attacks by determined adversaries may impact our national security missions. To ensure mission continuity even during a grid outage, congress has mandated that DoD achieve by 2030 at least 99.9% energy resilience year-round (i.e., no more than 8.76 hours of downtime annually) for all of its critical missions at all DoD installations (See 10 U.S.C. § 2920). The Department of the Air Force (DAF) alone has identified nearly 4,000 resilience gaps at its installations worldwide that need rapid and cost-effective mitigation. Meeting this challenge requires DAF to access innovative energy resilience technologies, deploy commercial off-the-shelf technologies, and implement new business models at an enterprise-wide scale with commercial speed. Concerned that DoD and the military services are unable to access or deploy these technologies and business models at the scale, speed, and cost-effectiveness required to meet its energy resilience challenges, Congress has encouraged DoD to leverage its authority pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 4022, to partner with a third-party consortium dedicated to military installation resilience and energy innovation.1 10 U.S.C. § 4022 authorizes DoD to conduct prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing DoD’s mission effectiveness. Other Transaction Authority (OTA) is an alternative to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)‐based acquisitions that 1) enables innovative, non-traditional defense contractors to engage with DoD, 2) identifies and realize teaming opportunities among entities to promote integrated research and prototyping efficiencies, 3) improves the timeline from solicitation to award for DoD prototypes, 4) and reduces the cost and improves integration of energy resilience prototypes. Because energy innovation is rapidly occurring in the private sector and around the world, establishing a public-private partnership with streamlined processes will help DAF access this innovation to strengthen the energy resilience of its installations. 1.1 Consortium Management Organization (CMO) DAF is issuing this competitive RFP to select a CMO with whom to establish the Defense Energy Consortium (DECo), a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership where the members of the consortium will be responsible for fully financing potential projects using private capital to increase the energy resilience and mission assurance of DAF installations worldwide. Unlike other consortia previously authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 4022, DECo will not guarantee any appropriated funding for either the CMO nor obligated funds for future prototype projects awarded through the CMO. The CMO’s members will include financiers, small businesses, non-traditional defense contractors, and an administrative team that will manage the operations of the consortium. Once DAF negotiates and executes the Base OTA Agreement, or Consortium Management Agreement (CMA), DAF will competitively issue, down select, and award prototype agreements to the CMO as the entity authorized to represent the consortium member or team that proposed the prototype project. 10 U.S.C. § 4022 allows the entire cost of the prototype to be fully financed by the performers using third-party capital, provided DoD provides some form of consideration, such as access to DAF property and facilities.2 DoD has formed 30-plus consortia that leverage 10 U.S.C.§ 4022, but they rely on public financing through congressional appropriations instead of leveraging billions in readily available private capital. Because DECo will rely on private financing, DECo’s programmatic, legal, and fiduciary roles and responsibilities will be materially different from the standard DoD OTA consortium business model and will require DAF and the down selected CMO to iterate, deliberate, and negotiate novel business processes and terms and conditions for a CMA to establish DECo. Following selection of the CMO by DAF, the CMO will work with DAF at its own expense and financial risk to conduct the necessary due diligence to establish the unique features of DECo and to negotiate the CMA. DAF expects that these due diligence activities will occur over an extended period of time and may include the following: Obtaining Funding Commitments: DECo’s business model of relying solely on private financing instead of public funds will require a pool of investors. Following the selection of the CMO and prior to executing the CMA, the CMO will likely need to work with financial experts and fund managers to raise capital by attracting additional financiers to DECo. The CMO’s financial experts will be responsible for complying with all relevant legal requirements for managing investor funds. Ideally, the CMO’s financial experts will also have the capacity and expertise to engage with the investment authorities in the nations that host DAF installations (i.e., Germany, Greenland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) and be able to guarantee that no improper investments are being made by prohibited countries or from questionable sources. Building DECo’s Membership: The CMO will need to build DECo’s membership to include a broad array of energy-related stakeholders. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to, small businesses, traditional defense contractors, original equipment manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, national laboratories, academia, energy service companies (ESCOs), utilities, utility associations and research organizations, and professional services companies. The CMO will need to ensure that it will not unnecessarily exclude or burden innovative companies and non-traditional defense contractors from becoming members. Negotiating the DECo CMA: The unique nature of DECo’s reliance on private financing combined with its focus on installation energy prototypes will require DAF and the CMO to negotiate novel terms and conditions for a CMA to govern the consortium. For instance, the CMO and its members under the terms of the CMA will need to adhere to federal, state, and utility laws, regulations, and procedures, including transmission interconnection requirements, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures, and federal real estate leasing laws to build onsite energy resilient generation. Similar considerations will need to be addressed for DAF installations overseas. Any solution proposed will require DECo and its members and financiers to use one or more federal laws and regulations for structuring the long-term, third-party financed, power purchase agreements and energy services contracts (See Attachment 1). This will require DECo to have in-house expertise and experience with negotiating and executing energy commodity and energy services contracts with DoD. The novel CMA terms and conditions may also include the following – indemnifying DAF against all costs incurred while executing a prototype project if DAF decides not to award a follow-on production contract; transparency and reporting requirements detailing the CMO’s financial due diligence of its investors and members; processes for calculating and disclosing reasonable Returns on Investment (ROIs) on a portfolio of prototype projects, and continuing education requirements for DECo’s members and financiers to maintain proficiency on DoD’s specialized energy procurement laws. After DAF executes the CMA to establish DECo, DAF will issue a portfolio of prototype solicitations to DECo. | Pre-Solicitation | 541715 | No Set-Aside | 06/17/2026 | Open | Arlington, VA | |
Amendment 1 - Discrepancies in due dates were corrected in P. 27 of the BAA document, Section D. Submission Instructions : Executive summaries and proposal abstracts should be submitted on or before 12:00 AM Eastern Time, 3 February 2027. Full proposals must be submitted on or before 12:00 AM Eastern Time, 3 March 2027. Opportunity Description - The Space Development Agency (SDA) is soliciting executive summaries, proposal abstracts, and proposals for novel architecture concepts, systems, technologies, and capabilities that enable leap-ahead improvements for future Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) tranches, capability layers, or, enable new capability layers to address other emerging or evolving warfighter needs. NOTE - Although not required, SDA strongly encourages submitting an executive summary in advance of a full proposal to ensure interest and potential funding availability. SDA releases an updated Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) on an annual basis. Because SDA strives to always maintain an active BAA with similar focus areas, proposers are discouraged from submitting uninvited full proposals shortly before the BAA proposal due date simply to meet the submission deadline. They should consider instead submitting an executive summary to the subsequent BAA. | Solicitation | 541715 | No Set-Aside | 03/13/2026 | 03/03/2027 | - | |
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is soliciting executive summaries, proposal abstracts, and proposals for novel architecture concepts, systems, technologies, and capabilities that enable leap-ahead improvements for future Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) tranches, capability layers, or, enable new capability layers to address other emerging or evolving warfighter needs. NOTE - Although not required, SDA strongly encourages submitting an executive summary in advance of a full proposal to ensure interest and potential funding availability. SDA releases an updated Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) on an annual basis. Because SDA strives to always maintain an active BAA with similar focus areas, proposers are discouraged from submitting uninvited full proposals shortly before the BAA proposal due date simply to meet the submission deadline. They should consider instead submitting an executive summary to the subsequent BAA. | Solicitation | 541715 | No Set-Aside | 03/04/2026 | 03/03/2027 | - |
Additional Details
Solicitation Number
FA489026TacticalComms
Archive Date
Mar 12, 2026
Office Address
HAMPTON, VA, 23666