CDAO seeks to enter into non-FAR agreements with entities whose solutions are favorably evaluated by CDAO representatives and Subject Matter Experts. As such, assessment activities conducted in furtherance of a potential project award agreement are considered competitive in the same manner as a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) or Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), and solutions will be evaluated independently of one another primarily for technical merit. This notice serves as notification of the intent to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition under 10 U. S. Code, Section 4022b (formerly 2371b).

The CDAO will have acquisition authority in FY22 to execute procurement actions in support of various mission requirements. The CDAO is it’s a novel service model that can scale to the demand inside of the Department.  This should include baselining existing CDAO capabilities and identifying gaps, customer engagement models, prioritization approaches, internal processes required to meet demand, service offering catalogues and awareness, and metrics to monitor the offering’s performance.   CDAO will look for insights based on private sector and public sector best practices, especially where insights can illuminate pathways for success at the significant scale and complexity of an organization like the Department of Defense. 

Phase 2– Model Development and Performance Assessment.  This phase should develop a functional organizational model for integrating and delivering CDAO’s service offerings, a model for customer engagement, and a standard and integrated internal process for prioritizing and taking action on customer demands.  This phase should further propose a set of metrics to assess return on investment, continuous process improvement, and aggregate performance of CDAO’s offerings.

Round 1 – Discovery (SUBMISSION COLLECTIONS THROUGH 9 AUGUST 2022 @ 9am Eastern): Interested respondents who could potentially provide solutions that address the problem statement are encouraged to submit a brief discovery paper for review. 

Round 2 – “Tell Me More” Selection (11 AUGUST 2022): CDAO will select those respondents/submissions they feel have the highest potential to address the problem. Favorably evaluated submissions will receive an invitation to attend the Phase 3 activity.

Round 3 – “Tell Me More” Activity (ANTICIPATED DATES: 16-17 AUGUST 2022): Selected participants will be invited to one of the following activities: informal one-on-one session with a Government panel, demonstration of a solution, or more detailed written solution delivery proposal or oral pitch. The Government will determine the next best activity during Phase 2 and provide instruction related to the “Tell Me More” Activity with the Phase 3 invitation. Conversations may continue outside of the Phase 3 activity if additional information is needed to better understand solution offerings.

Phase 3 assessments are considered to be competitive and analogous to BAA or CSO submissions in that regard. “Tell Me More” guidance (to include assessment rubric and logistical instruction) will be outlined in the event invitation. If the CDAO assessment evaluation panel favorably evaluates a solution offering during Phase 3, negotiations for Phase 4 may immediately begin.

Round 4 – Award: The Government may make multiple awards based on the Phase 3 results. Successfully negotiated awards are intended to be Other Transaction Agreements under 10 U.S. Code, Section 4022 (formerly 2371). An award under 10 U. S. Code, Section 4022 may result in the further award of a follow-on production agreement without additional competition based on successful prototype completion. The Government reserves the right to award one, some, or no projects based on the assessment activities conducted.

Use of Contractor Support

Non-Government advisors may be used in the evaluation of submissions in any Assessment Eventand will have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with the Government. The Government understands that information provided in this Announcement is presented in confidence and may contain trade secret or commercial or financial information and agrees to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure to the maximum extent permitted and as required by law.  A respondent’s participation in any part of the selection process under this announcement indicates concurrence with the aforementioned use of contractor support personnel.

Follow the instructions on the registration/submission here to get started.