Category: Upcoming

Family of small Unmanned Ground Systems (FosUGS) Assessment Event (AE)

04-07 December 2023

Submit NLT 20 October 2023 11:59 PM ET

 

Purpose
SOFWERX, in collaboration with SOF Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (SOF AT&L) Program Executive Office Tactical Information Systems (PEO-TIS), will host an Assessment Event (AE) to identify production model solutions for general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot systems.

Background
PEO-TIS is seeking information on a specific technology area to gain knowledge of, explore, and identify available capabilities for potential inclusion in the Family of small Unmanned Ground Systems (FosUGS) AE. Technology desired by USSOCOM is an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) general-purpose multi-role/multi-mission robot system in the weight range of 10-40 pounds that has some level of autonomous behaviors or capabilities which reduce operator workload and can operate in all-weather conditions within rural/urban environments. The system must have an integrated electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) full motion video (FMV) capability for day and night ISR operations and be payload agnostic to support additional payloads.

Objective
This assessment solicits white papers to describe the current capabilities of off-the-shelf robot systems in the 10-40 pound weight range. Systems will be reviewed by USSOCOM stakeholders and Subject Matter Expert’s (SME’s) to identify solutions for future participation in the FosUGS indoor presentation/outdoor demonstration that will occur at SOFWERX to provide a pathway to ultimately conduct tests on selected systems for specific cyber, safety, and performance requirements.

Why You Should Participate
USSOCOM seeks to enter into non-FAR or FAR-based agreements with Industry, Academic, and National Lab partners whose solutions are favorably evaluated by SOF AT&L PEO-TIS Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). As such, the follow-on Assessment Event (AE) is considered competitive and solutions will be evaluated independently of one another primarily for technical merit. This serves dually as notification of the intent to research the feasibility of an agreement under 10 U.S. Code, Section 4022 and/or Section 4022(f), and as notice of pre-solicitation activities IAW FAR 5.204.

Event Timeline
Phase 1 – 26 September 2023 to 20 October 2023 Submissions to the Demonstration Days Open: Interested respondents who could potentially provide solutions that meet the needs of USSOCOM are encouraged to submit their capability for USSOCOM review. To submit your technology for potential Phase 3 attendance, please review the presentation/demonstration criteria and follow the submission instructions near the bottom of this webpage.

Phase 1a – 05 October 2023 Q&A Telecon: Interested offerors may participate in a virtual Q&A session to better understand the Government Stakeholder’s specific technology objectives. The telecon will take place on 05 October from 11:00 AM –12:00 PM ET. Click Here to RSVP (NLT 04 October) 

Phase 2 – 23 October 2023 to 07 November 2023 Downselect: From the white paper submissions, USSOCOM will downselect those respondents/submissions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated submissions will receive an invitation to attend the Demonstrations Days on/around 08 November.

Phase 3 – 04 December 2023 to 07 December 2023 Demonstration Days: During the event, selected participants will be allotted a four-hour, one-on-one session with the USSOCOM evaluation panel to pitch, demonstrate, and/or discuss their solutions. The solution will be presented by the participant indoors and then demonstrated outdoors using contractor provided equipment and operators at SOFWERX. The forum will include a Q&A portion and discussions may continue outside of the event. Solution brief presentation and demonstration guidelines will be outlined in the event invitation and solutions will be assessed according to the criteria in the link provided below. USSOCOM will downselect systems they feel have the highest potential to demonstrate favorable safe, suitable, and effective results within the technical evaluation. 

This event will be held in person at SOFWERX.  

Phase 3a – 11 December 2023 SOCOM SME Follow-On Telecon: Some participants may need to attend a one-on-one virtual Q&A session with SOCOM SMEs to follow up on pending RFIs that develop from the Demonstration Days to better understand their system(s). Each session will be 30 minutes and will take place on/around 11 December from 1:00 PM–4:00 PM ET. Date/time subject to change based upon agency need.

Phase 4 – 11 December 2023 to 20 December 2023 Downselect: From the presentations/demonstrations, USSOCOM will downselect those solutions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated solutions will receive an invitation to proceed to the Technical Evaluation (TE) on/around 21 December.

Phase 5 – 08 January 2024 to 04 March 2024 Technical Evaluation (TE): For the Technical Evaluation, selected participants will be required to sign a Vendor Loan Agreement (VLA) for three (3) fully functional devices and associated items NLT 02 January. Participants must also provide necessary technical information to support USSOCOM’s safety review process NLT 05 January. Additionally, on/around 08 January to 11 January, participants must train USSOCOM testers and SMEs on the use of their device(s) to support technical evaluation of their device(s). Training will be limited to four hours per device and must include proper use of the device and troubleshooting. Participants will be expected to train the USSOCOM evaluators and SMEs to the point where the evaluators and SMEs can confirm expected levels of performance. USSOCOM Evaluators will conduct a technical evaluation of the participants’ devices to ensure they perform to the standards and levels as presented and may be asked to provide reach back support during technical evaluations. Proceeding to the next portion is based solely upon best agency need and requirements. If the SOCOM OT&E team favorably evaluates a solution, negotiations for Phase 8 may immediately begin.

Phase 6 – 04 March 2024 to 19 March 2024 Downselect: From the TE, USSOCOM will downselect those solutions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated solutions will receive an invitation to proceed to the Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) on/around 20 March.

Phase 7 – 15 April 2024 to 26 April 2024 Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E): USSOCOM evaluators and SMEs conduct the OT&E with the participation of SOF operational personnel. Selected participants will be expected to train the USSOCOM evaluators and SMEs to the point where the evaluators and SMEs can confirm expected levels of performance. Participants will be asked to conduct the four hours of in-person training for their devices during the first week but will not participate in the actual operator-driven events conducted jointly by USSOCOM and their test agency. Two (2) additional devices will be provided by the participant through a VLA (total of five (5) devices) for the OT&E. If the SOCOM OT&E team favorably evaluates a solution, negotiations for Phase 8 may immediately begin.

Phase 7a – NLT 03 May 2024 Device Return: All equipment returned by USSOCOM to the participants at the participants’ expense.

Please Note: Timeline dates/times subject to change based upon agency need.

Phase 8 – Path Forward: Successfully negotiated awards may fall under any combination of these categories:

NOTE: Awardees may need to be compliant with NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in Non-Federal Systems and Organizations

How You Can Participate
Government, Industry, Academia, National Labs, and Non-Traditional Attendees

  1. RSVP to the 04 October Q&A Telecon: Click Here to RSVP (NLT 03 October) 
  2. Review Presentation/Demonstration Criteria: Click Here to Review
  3. Download the White Paper Template: Click Here to Download
  4. Complete the Submission Form: Click Here to Submit (NLT 20 October)

Questions?  
For event-related questions, please contact Lindsay Horst, lindsay.horst@sofwerx.org

Air-launched Loiter Munition (ALM) Collaboration Event (CE)

02 November 2023

Request to Attend NLT 12 October 2023 11:59 PM ET

 

Purpose 
SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM Program Executive Office – Fixed Wing (PEO-FW), Stand-Off Precision Guided Munitions (SOPGM) Program, will host a series of events to demonstrate and integrate Air-launched Loiter Munition (ALM) capabilities. These engagements with Industry, Academia, and Government Labs, will help USSOCOM identify potential material solutions and investigate trade-space. USSOCOM intends to survey industry for mature, non-developmental, technology that may support rapid fielding of this capability.

Background/Synopsis
The SOPGM Program Office currently supports Special Operations Forces (SOF) aircrews with short range munitions that are employed directly to known targets, visually identified by the shooter aircraft before launch, and utilize Global Positioning System (GPS) or Semi-Active Laser (SAL) for terminal guidance. The dependencies for this employment method will place SOF Operators at an unacceptable risk during engagements in highly contested areas. New solutions are required to provide identification, tracking, and engagement of moving or mobile targets in a time compressed environment. SOF aircraft must be prepared to efficiently engage moving targets on the time scale it would face during any potential conflict with a well-resourced peer or near-peer adversary attempting an act of aggression. Traditional airborne moving target intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors currently employed by SOF will be inadequate for such a scenario due to deficiencies in survivability, speed, range, or sensor performance. Considering these capability gaps, USSOCOM is looking for ALMs to decrease the engagement time from minutes to seconds, improve targeting solutions, and increase the survivability of SOF.

Objective
1) Explore potential ALM solutions with Industry, Academia, and Labs based upon an understanding of current SOCOM use cases and operational landscapes for future conflicts. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere have demonstrated mature ground-launched loiter munition capabilities. This, combined with the emergence of Air Launched Effects (ALE), should provide a shorter path to viable and mature ALMs.

2) Investigate the trade-space, to include:

a) Endurance, Range, Cruise and Max Airspeeds
b) Payload Capacity
c) Sensors/Seekers, Semi-Active Laser (SAL), Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Radio Frequency (RF), Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), Automatic Target Detection (ATD)
d) Command and Control (C2) Data-Link, Telemetry, Transponder, Flight Termination System
e) Counter Detection
f) Warhead and Fusing
g) Employment from various SOCOM aircraft (ex: AC-130J, MQ-9, MQ-1, MH-60, and others)
h) Aircraft Integration standards such as MIL-STD-1760/1553, Universal Armament Interface (UAI), Battle Management System (BMS), Common Launch Tube (CLT), and 14-inch lug racks.

3) Future proof the system for technology upgrades, with considerations for Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), Weapons Open Systems Architecture (WOSA), and Weapons Government Reference Architecture (GRA), as well as producibility concerns.

4) Identify Risks, Issues, and Opportunities.

Why You Should Participate
USSOCOM seeks to enter into non-FAR or FAR-based agreements with Industry, Academic, and National Lab partners whose solutions are favorably evaluated by PEO-FW, AFSOC, and USASOC Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). As such, the follow-on Assessment Event (AE) is considered competitive and solutions will be evaluated independently of one another primarily for technical merit. This serves dually as notification of the intent to research the feasibility of an agreement under 10 U.S. Code, Section 4022 and/or Section 4022(f), and as notice of pre-solicitation activities IAW FAR 5.204.

Event Timeline
Phase 1 – 02 November 2023 Collaboration Event (CE): SOFWERX will host the Collaboration Event (CE) with Industry, Academic, and Laboratory partners focused on AFSOC and USASOC needs for Air-launched Loiter Munition (ALM) needs. During this event, Warfighters will interact with potential solution offerors and further communicate operational needs and desirements. Participation in this event is not mandatory, however, it is designed to provide insights to ensure potential offerors understand the problem set(s) fully and to increase the likelihood of matching their technologies with Warfighter needs. This CE is also an opportunity for attendees to meet and form partnerships that may provide a more comprehensive solution. If you do not wish to participate in the CE, you are free to submit your technology on/around 05 December for the AE. Request to attend the CE below, NLT 12 October.

Tentative Agenda
All times listed are in ET
8:00 – 8:20: Participants arrive at SOFWERX
8:20 – 8:25: SOFWERX Welcome
8:25 – 8:45: Stakeholder Overview & Problem Set
8:45 – 9:45: Current Limitations Breakout
9:45 – 10:00: Break
10:00 – 11:00: Ways to Overcome Limitations Breakout
11:00 – 12:00: Lunch (on your own)
12:00 – 2:30: Problem Statement Development
2:30 – 2:45: Break
2:45 – 3:45: Problem Statement Briefs
3:45 – 4:30: Voting
4:30 – 5:00: Path Forward

Note: Agenda is subject to change

This event will be held in person at SOFWERX.

Phase 2 – 05 December 2023 to 05 January Submissions to the Assessment Event (AE) Open: Interested respondents who could potentially provide solutions that meet the needs of USSOCOM are encouraged to submit their capability for USSOCOM review. To submit your technology for potential Phase 4 attendance, please review the assessment criteria and follow the submission instructions that will be near the bottom of this webpage on/around 05 December.

Phase 2a – 11 December 2023 Q&A Telecon: Interested offerors may participate in a virtual Q&A session to better understand the PM’s specific technology objectives. The telecon will take place on 11 December 2023 2:00-3:00 PM ET. RSVP form will be available on/around 05 December. 

Phase 3 – 08 January 2023 to 18 January 2023 Downselect: USSOCOM will downselect those respondents/submissions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated submissions will receive an invitation to attend the AE on/around 19 January.

Phase 4 – 06 February 2024 to 08 February 2024 Assessment Event (AE): During the AE, selected participants will be allotted a one-on-one session with the USSOCOM evaluation panel to pitch, demonstrate, and/or discuss their solutions. The forum will include a Q&A portion and discussions may continue outside of the event. Solution brief presentation guidelines will be outlined in the event invitation and solutions will be assessed according to the criteria in the link provided below. If the USSOCOM evaluation panel favorably evaluates a solution brief, negotiations for Phase 5 may immediately begin.

Note: The event details are subject to change.
This event will be held in person at SOFWERX.

Phase 5 – Path Forward: Successfully negotiated awards may fall under any combination of these categories:

NOTE: Awardees may need to be compliant with NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in Non-Federal Systems and Organizations

How You Can Participate
Government, Industry, Academia, National Labs, and Non-Traditional Attendees

  1. Request to attend the 02 November Collaboration Event: Click Here to Request to Attend (NLT 12 October)
  2. Review Assessment Criteria: Will be Posted on/around 05 December
  3. Download the White Paper Template: Will be Posted on/around 05 December
  4. Complete the Submission Form: Will be Posted on/around 05 December

Questions?  
For event-related questions, please contact Bridget Stauffer, bridget.stauffer@sofwerx.org

PEO-SW Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV)

 Collaboration Event (CE)

07 November 2023
Request to Attend Closed

 

Purpose
SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM PEO-SOF Warrior (PEO-SW), Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV), specifically the Non-Standard Commercial Vehicles (NSCV) Program, is hosting a series of events, to engage with Industry, Academia, and Government labs, and identify potential solutions for integrating portable and adaptive technologies, including but not limited to Information Technology (IT) and Communications (Comms) kits. Over time, competing and emerging requirements have driven IT and Comms kits to increase in complexity and cost at the trade-off of Special Operations Forces (SOF) mission flexibility, driving the need to develop an updated strategy and identify new, novel solutions.

Background/Synopsis
The FOSOV Program Office has historically added SOF capability to include C4ISR through Systems Engineering and Integration to the vehicle design. In many cases, the vehicles are intended to have the same capability for fielding and deployment. As radios, amplifiers and other technologies have evolved over the years, limiting factors and trade-space have made it difficult to adapt mission capability in the field. FOSOV must deploy Tiger Teams to Areas of Responsibility (AOR), where SOF has freedom of movement, to upgrade technology in Ground Mobility Platforms. In future conflicts, FOSOV will need the ability to deploy new technology insertion packages in semi-permissive or contested environments. FOSOV desires the ability for program engineers to innovate and for operators to deploy and adapt solutions in the field through new deployment strategies and configuration control mechanisms and seeks interface control strategies and/or material solutions that enable technology updates in contested or denied areas of operation. In the future, FOSOV expects SOF will use indigenous vehicles rather than vehicles manufactured in the US and the portability of technology packages/kits between vehicle classes and types will be critical to mission success.

Objective
The objective of this event is to explore potential solutions with Industry, Academia, and Labs based upon an understanding of current FOSOV use cases and operational landscapes for future conflicts. FOSOV will discuss the challenges of deploying solutions to inherently congested/denied areas of responsibility to ensure full understanding of the limitations and explore new and innovative solutions to rapidly integrate and deploy technology across all of FOSOV Ground Mobility Platforms.

Why You Should Participate
USSOCOM seeks to enter into non-FAR or FAR-based agreements with Industry, Academic, and National Lab partners whose solutions are favorably evaluated by PEO-SW Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). As such, the follow-on Assessment Event (AE) is considered competitive and solutions will be evaluated independently of one another primarily for technical merit. This serves dually as notification of the intent to research the feasibility of an agreement under 10 U.S. Code, Section 4022 and/or Section 4022(f), and as notice of pre-solicitation activities IAW FAR 5.204.

Event Timeline
Phase 1 – 18 July 2023 Government Only Collaboration Event (CE): SOFWERX will host the Collaboration Event (CE) with Government stakeholders focused on FOSOV needs. During this event, Government stakeholders will identify and prioritize requirements and desirements for the FOSOV needs and will also identify current limitations with existing tools and ideate ways to fill capability gaps. Problem statement(s) will be developed to frame FOSOV needs. Outcomes from the Government Only Collaboration Event will shape the Industry, Academia, and Laboratory Collaboration Event on/around 30 August. 

Tentative Agenda
All times listed are in ET
8:00 – 8:20: Participants arrive at SOFWERX
8:20 – 8:25: SOFWERX Welcome
8:25 – 9:30: Stakeholder Overview & Problem Set
9:30 – 9:45: Break
9:45 – 10:25: Current Limitations Breakout
10:25 – 11:25: Ways to Overcome Limitations Breakout
11:30 – 12:30: Lunch (on your own)
12:30 – 2:30: Problem Statement Development
2:30 – 2:45: Break
2:45 – 3:45: Problem Statement Briefs
3:45 – 4:30: Voting 
4:30 – 5:00: Path Forward

Note: Agenda is subject to change

Phase 2 – 07 November 2023 Collaboration Event (CE): SOFWERX will host a Collaboration Event (CE) with Industry, Academic, and Laboratory partners focused on FOSOV needs. During this event, Warfighters will interact with potential solution offerors and further communicate operational needs and desirements. Participation in this event is not mandatory, however, it is designed to provide insights to ensure potential offerors understand the problem set(s) fully and to increase the likelihood of matching their technologies with Warfighter needs. This CE is also an opportunity for attendees to meet and form partnerships that may provide a more comprehensive solution. If you do not wish to participate in the CE, you are free to submit your technology on/around date TBD for the AE. 

Tentative Agenda
All times listed are in ET
9:00-9:30: Attendees Check-In
9:45-9:50: SOFWERX Welcome Remarks  
9:50-10:00: Stakeholder Remarks
10:00-10:15: Break  
10:15-12:00: Problem Statement Round Robin  
12:00-1:30: Lunch (On Your Own)  
1:30-2:00: Large Group Q&A 
2:00-2:30: Networking
2:30-2:45: Technologies, Techniques, and POCs Submissions
2:45-3:00: Wrap-Up and Follow-On Event Schedules/Q&A
3:00: Optional SOFWERX 101 & Tour 

Note: Agenda is subject to change
This event will be held in-person at SOFWERX.

Phase 3 – 21 November 2023 to 27 December 2023 Submissions to the Assessment Event (AE) Open: Interested respondents who could potentially provide solutions that meet the needs of USSOCOM are encouraged to submit their capability for USSOCOM review. To submit your technology for potential Phase 5 attendance, please review the assessment criteria and follow the submission instructions that will be near the bottom of this webpage on/around 21 November.

Phase 3a – 06 December 2023 Q&A Telecon: Interested offerors may participate in a virtual Q&A session to better understand the PM’s specific technology objectives. The telecon will take place on 06 December from 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET. RSVP form will be available on/around 07 December. 

Phase 4 – 28 December 2023 to 12 January 2024 Downselect: USSOCOM will downselect those respondents/submissions they feel have the highest potential to satisfy their technology needs. Favorably evaluated submissions will receive an invitation to attend the AE on/around 13 January.

Phase 5 – 06 February 2024 to 08 February 2024 Assessment Event (AE): During the AE, selected participants will be allotted a one-on-one session with the USSOCOM evaluation panel to pitch, demonstrate, and/or discuss their solutions. The forum will include a Q&A portion and discussions may continue outside of the event. Solution brief presentation guidelines will be outlined in the event invitation and solutions will be assessed according to the criteria in the link provided below. If the USSOCOM evaluation panel favorably evaluates a solution brief, negotiations for Phase 6 may immediately begin.

This event will be held in person at SOFWERX. 

Phase 6 – Path Forward: Successfully negotiated awards may fall under any combination of these categories:

NOTE: Awardees may need to be compliant with NIST SP 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in Non-Federal Systems and Organizations

How You Can Participate
Government, Industry, Academia, National Labs, and Non-Traditional Attendees

  1. Review Assessment Criteria: Will be Posted at a later date
  2. Download the White Paper Template: Will be Posted at a later date 
  3. Complete the Submission Form: Will be Posted at a later date

Questions?  
For event-related questions, please contact Bridget Stauffer, bridget.stauffer@sofwerx.org

Science and Technology

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 23.4 Release 4

Submit NLT 05 October 2023 12:00PM ET (Noon)

 

Overview
The purpose of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is to strengthen the role of innovative Small Business Concerns (SBCs) in federally-funded research or research and development (R/R&D). The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program stimulates a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative SBCs and non-profit Research Institutions. By providing awards to SBCs for cooperative R/R&D efforts with Research Institutions, the SBIR and STTR programs assist the U.S. small business and research communities by supporting the commercialization of innovative technologies. The SBIR/STTR programs employ a phased process:

Phase I: Phase I involves a solicitation of contract proposals or grant applications to conduct feasibility-related experimental or theoretical R/R&D related to described agency requirements. These requirements, as defined by agency topics contained in a solicitation, may be general or narrow in scope, depending on the needs of the agency. The object of this phase is to determine the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of the proposed effort and the quality of performance of the SBC with a relatively small agency investment before consideration of further Federal support in Phase II.

Phase II: The object of Phase II is to continue the R/R&D effort from the completed Phase I.

Direct to Phase II: Department of Defense may issue a Phase II SBIR award to an SBC that did not receive a Phase I SBIR or STTR award for that R/R&D. Direct to Phase II involves a solicitation of contract proposals or grant applications and the SBC’s proposal must demonstrate the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of the ideas that appear to have commercial potential.

Phase III: The objective of Phase III, where appropriate, is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I/II R/R&D activities. The SBIR/STTR programs do not fund Phase III.

SBIR Process Timeline
22 Aug 2023: Topics issued for pre-release
06 Sep 2023: USSOCOM begins accepting proposals via DSIP
21 Sep 2023: DSIP Topics Q&A closes to new questions at 12:00 PM ET
05 Oct 2023: Deadline for receipt of proposals no later than 12:00 PM ET

Special Areas of Interest
PHASE I:
SOCOM234-004: Out-of-Band GNSS Tracker
SOCOM234-005: Slim Form Cargo Loader/Unloader

How You Can Participate
Industry and Non-Traditional Attendees 

  1. Review Topic Instructions: Click Here to Review
  2. Review Supporting Documents: Click Here to View (See SBIR Program dropdown list)
  3. Review the Q&A Telecon Transcript for Topic SOCOM234-004: Out-of-Band GNSS Tracker: Click Here to View
  4. Review the Q&A Telecon Transcript: Will be posted at a later date
  5. Submit your proposal: Click here to Submit

Questions?
For questions on the special area of interest, please email sbir@socom.mil
For questions about the SBIR/STTR program, please visit events.sofwerx.org/dcode