Call for Solution - AI-Enabled Software Development Coding Capabilities

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This "Call for Solutions" (CFS) is issued by the Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG), Digital Capabilities Contracting Center of Excellence (DC30E) to identify commercially available AI-enabled software development coding tools and platforms. The Department of War (DoW) seeks to equip its software developers with tools that match or exceed commercial sector capabilities, enabling faster, higher-quality software delivery for national defense missions. The goal is to achieve parity with industry standards in developer productivity, code quality, and speed of delivery.

Solutions must provide AI-enabled coding assistance through at least one of the following modalities:

• IDE-Based Coding Assistance: Tools integrating into existing code editors (e.g., code completion, inline chat, code review).
• CLI-Based Agentic Coding: Tools operating in the terminal for autonomous coding tasks (e.g., generation, testing, debugging, refactoring).

Required Attributes:

• Development Environment Integration: Support for IDEs and/or CLI.
• Security and Compliance: Deployable in DoW Impact Level 5 (IL5) environments; capable of achieving FedRAMP High authorization and DISA IL5 Provisional Authorization (PA).
• Enterprise Deployment at Scale: Capable of supporting tens of thousands of users across diverse environments (desktop, virtual desktop, web-based).
• Platform Compatibility: Support for common Department developer operating systems.
• Data Handling: Customer source code must not be used for model training or retained unnecessarily.
• Usage Metrics and Reporting: Ability to measure and report on AI coding tool adoption and usage.
• Enterprise Administration: Centralized administration capabilities (e.g., SSO, user provisioning, policy controls).
• Commercial Maturity: Must be commercially available and in active use by enterprise customers.

Desired Attributes: Include model flexibility, AI attribution/traceability, flexible deployment architecture, responsive software/model update cadence, integration with existing infrastructure, open-source or auditable architecture, and training/adoption support.

• The Government intends to award Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contracts under FAR Part 12 procedures.

• The Government also reserves the right to award Other Transaction(s) (OT) for Prototype Projects.

• This Call for Solution will utilize Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) procedures.

• Submission Deadline for Solution Brief: 6 March 2026 at 1400 Eastern Standard Time (EST).

• Submission Process: A multi-phase approach including Solution Brief, Pitch (optional), and Solution Proposal.

• Evaluation Criteria (Phase 1 - Solution Brief): Technical Merit (primary), Schedule, and Viability.

• Offerors must possess a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and be registered in SAM.gov.

• Offerors must accurately represent their small business size and status.

• Offerors must be determined responsible and disclose any Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI).

• Offerors are advised to monitor SAM.gov for amendments or updates.

• The Government reserves the right to cancel this Call.

• The Government has no obligation to reimburse offerors for any costs incurred.

• Non-Government advisors may be used; companies must provide signed NDAs.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains questions submitted by potential offerors and the Government's responses regarding the "CDAO_26-01 AI Coding Capabilities" Call for Solutions.

• Deployment Scope: Offerors should estimate based on a potential user base of tens of thousands to upwards of 100,000 users for enterprise deployment.
• Authorization: Solutions must meet FedRAMP High and DISA IL5 PA requirements. If a solution is self-hosted within an IL5-authorized infrastructure, the FedRAMP High requirement may be satisfied by the customer's infrastructure authorization, but this must be clearly described.
• Evaluation Criteria: The Government will evaluate proposals based on the criteria outlined in Section 7.1 of the Call for Solutions and will not provide further details on its evaluation methodology.
• Model Serving Endpoints: The Government will not provide a prescriptive list of authorized model serving endpoints; offerors should articulate their solution's preferred endpoints.
• Attachment 1 (Affirmation of Business Status): This can be included in the main PDF submission or as a separate PDF. An editable version of the template is not provided; offerors can add a text box or an additional page to complete the "explanation" field.
• ROM/Pricing: Rough Orders of Magnitude (ROM) should be detailed enough to support solution feasibility and achievability, with assumptions clearly annotated. The Government does not require specific labor categories/rates and hours by role for the ROM.
• Funding Constraints: No specific funding constraints are provided at this time.
• Open-Source vs. Commercial: Offerors are not directed to limit proposals to open-source-only solutions; commercial models, tools, or licensing costs must be clearly articulated.
• Phased Approach: The Government anticipates a phased delivery approach, potentially including web-based solutions, IDE integrations, and AI-powered workflows.
• Award Instrument: The Government may award FAR Part 12 contracts or Other Transactions (OT) for prototype projects, with the selection depending on the solution's maturity and applicable authorities.
• User Population for ROM: Offerors should develop their ROM based on reasonable assumptions and clearly annotate them, as the Government will not prescribe standardized user populations.
• Air-Gapped Environments: Air-gapped deployment is a desired attribute, not a required one for initial deployment. Offerors should describe their capabilities.
• Data Handling: Permissible data retention for analytics will be addressed during data rights and IP negotiations.
• Prototype Phase: The ROM should delineate costs for prototype phases if a phased approach is proposed.
• User Segmentation: The Government will not provide a projected distribution of user roles; offerors should describe how their solution serves different user profiles.
• Legacy Systems: No specific legacy languages or proprietary DoD frameworks are prioritized.
• IOC Timeline: Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is expected within 90 days of award.
• VDI Support: Solutions must support common VDI platforms, and offerors should describe compatibility and any constraints regarding extension installation or terminal access.

These clarifications provide essential details for offerors to refine their proposals, particularly regarding scope, technical requirements, submission formats, and cost estimations. They address ambiguities in the original solicitation and guide offerors on how to best present their solutions.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This "Call for Solutions" seeks commercially available AI-enabled software development coding tools and platforms that can be deployed at an enterprise scale across the Department of War (DoW). The goal is to equip the DoW's software developers with tools that match or exceed commercial sector capabilities, enabling faster, higher-quality software delivery for national defense missions. The Department is looking for solutions that are commercially mature, represent the current state of the art, and can be delivered rapidly.

Solutions should address one or both of the following modalities:

• IDE-Based Coding Assistance: AI-powered tools integrating into existing code editors (e.g., code completion, generation, inline chat, code review).
• CLI-Based Agentic Coding: AI-powered tools operating in the terminal for autonomous, multi-step coding tasks (e.g., generation, testing, debugging, refactoring).

Required Attributes:

• Development Environment Integration: Must support IDE-based and/or CLI-based tools.
• Security and Compliance: Deployable in environments authorized at DoW Impact Level 5 (IL5); must hold or be capable of achieving FedRAMP High authorization and DISA IL5 Provisional Authorization (PA).
• Enterprise Deployment at Scale: Capable of deployment to tens of thousands of users across diverse environments (desktop, virtual desktop, web-based).
• Platform Compatibility: Support for common developer operating systems.
• Data Handling: Customer source code and data must not be used for model training or retained beyond immediate processing.
• Usage Metrics and Reporting: Provide administrators with tools to measure adoption and usage.
• Enterprise Administration: Support centralized administration (SSO, user provisioning, policy controls).
• Commercial Maturity: Must be commercially available and in active use by enterprise customers.

Desired Attributes: Include model flexibility, AI attribution/traceability, flexible deployment architecture, responsive update cadence, integration with existing infrastructure, open-source or auditable architecture, and training/adoption support.

• The Government intends to award Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contracts under FAR Part 12.

• Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype Projects is also a possibility.

• The Government reserves the right to award to all, some, or none of the companies submitting proposals.

• Submission Deadline for Solution Brief: 6 March 2026 at 1400 EST.

• Submission Process: A multi-phase approach including Solution Brief, Pitch (optional), and Solution Proposal.

• Evaluation Criteria (Phase 1 - Solution Brief): Technical Merit (primary), Schedule, and Viability.

• Not explicitly stated as a set-aside, but requires registration in SAM.gov and a Unique Entity ID (UEI).

• Vendors must advise the Contracting Office if they intend to submit a Solution Brief via the Microsoft Forms link found in the SAM.gov posting.

• Late submissions will not be evaluated.

• The Government reserves the right to cancel this Call.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, Appendix A, is the "Affirmation of Business Status Certification (ABSC)". It requires significant participating entities to complete a table and provide a signature to represent their certification. It also requires the Prime Offeror [or Sole Offeror] to provide an explanation on how they are satisfying requirements under 10 USC 4022(b)(d) regarding appropriate use of authority for prototype projects.

• Entity Information: Legal Entity Name, Industry Size Standard for NAICS, SAM UEI No., CAGE Code, Tax Identification No., Active SAM Registration status, Address, POC Name/Title, and POC Phone/e-mail.
• Business Status Representation: Entities must select one of the following:
  • A Nontraditional Defense Contractor (NDC)
  • A Nonprofit Research Institution (NRI)
  • A Traditional Defense Contractor
• Prime Offeror Explanation: The Prime Offeror must select one of three options regarding participation in a prototype project:
  • At least one NDC or NRI is participating to a significant extent.
  • All significant participants (other than the Federal Government) are small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors.
  • At least one-third of the total cost of the prototype project is paid by non-Federal Government sources.
• Explanation Details: If the NDC/NRI option is selected, specific factors supporting "significant extent" must be addressed, along with the total estimated cost and percentage of NDC/NRI contribution.

This form is critical for all entities participating in the opportunity, especially the Prime Offeror. It requires bidders to formally declare their business status and, for prototype projects, to justify their approach concerning nontraditional defense contractors, small businesses, or cost-sharing. The detailed explanation section for prototype projects is particularly important for demonstrating compliance with specific statutory requirements.