Commercial and Economic Research and Innovation (CERI)

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) seeks innovative commercial items, technologies, and services to support the Air Force Concepts Development and Management (SAF/CDM) Office of Commercial and Economic Analysis (OCEA) mission. The goal is to preserve U.S. Air Force and DoD persistent needs by innovating with commercial partners to address commercial and economic risks to military advantage.

The CSO focuses on two main areas:

• Portfolio Management: Analyzing global markets, identifying industrial base risk exposures, and formulating responses. This includes developing value chain frameworks, forecasting global markets, assessing regional trends, and analyzing market players. Specific technology areas of interest include Aviation, Space, Digital, Manufacturing, and Maritime.

• Strategic Initiatives: Providing innovative analyses of the global industrial base that may negatively impact the DoD and U.S. Air Force, and developing mitigation strategies. This involves analyzing macro-economics, trade, investment, and the tactics of competitor nations, as well as assessing foreign industrial policies and overseas infrastructure investment.

• The CSO is an "Open Two-Step CSO with Calls" process.

• Awards may be made under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and/or Other Transaction Authority (OTA).

• Cost sharing is not required, except potentially for Other Transaction Authority (OTA) awards.

• Step 1: White Paper Submission:

  • White Papers can be submitted anytime during the Open Period (Initiation to September 1, 2026).
  • Submissions should focus on meeting the CSO's Objectives and Focus Areas.
  • White Papers must include a Cover Page, Technical/Management section, and a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM).
  • Suggested page count for White Papers is 10-35 pages.
  • Evaluation Criteria (in order of importance): Technical/Management, and Price/Affordability (based on ROM).
  • Ratings: Highly Recommended, Selectable, or Not Selectable.

• Step 2: Invitation to Propose (ItP):

  • White Papers rated Highly Recommended or Selectable may receive an ItP.
  • The ItP will detail specific terms, conditions, proposal submission instructions, and due dates.
  • Proposals are only requested via an ItP.

• This is a full and open acquisition.

• White Papers will be considered from all interested vendors, including small businesses and non-traditional contractors.

• Foreign-owned firms must notify the Contracting POC.

• The Open Period for White Paper submission is from initiation until September 1, 2026.

• The Ordering Period for awards is from initiation until September 30, 2026.

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

• All communications should be UNCLASSIFIED unless otherwise specified.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) is issued by the Secretary of the Air Force Concepts Development and Management (SAF/CDM), Office of Commercial and Economic Analysis (OCEA) to competitively select innovative commercial items, technologies, and services. The goal is to obtain solutions or new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide technological advancements to support OCEA's mission of preserving U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD) military advantage from commercial and economic risks.

The CSO applies to three core competencies of OCEA:

• Studying global commercial market sectors to identify and mitigate economic risks to military advantage.
• Advancing strategic research and macro-economic analyses to understand drivers of commercial and economic risk.
• Maintaining information technology solutions for analyzing commercial and economic data.

Specific Focus Areas include:

• Portfolio Management: Analyzing global markets, industry value chains, market trends, and competitive strategies, with current technology interests in Aviation, Space, Digital, Manufacturing, and Maritime.

• Strategic Initiatives: Providing innovative analyses of the global industrial base to identify and mitigate risks to the DoD and U.S. Air Force, including trends in macro-economics, trade, investment, and foreign industrial policies.

• The CSO is an "Open Two-Step CSO with Calls."

• Open Period: Initiation to September 1, 2025 (for White Paper receipt).

• Ordering Period: Initiation to September 30, 2025 (for awards).

• Awards may be made under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and/or Other Transaction Authority (OTA).

• Cost sharing is not required, but may be required for OTA awards.

• Two-Step Process:

  1. White Paper Submission: Contractors submit White Papers addressing Objectives and Focus Areas. White Papers should include a Cover Page, Technical/Management section, and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM). Page count is 10-35 pages.
  2. Invitation to Propose (ItP): Highly Recommended or Selectable White Papers may lead to an ItP, which will detail specific terms, conditions, proposal submission instructions, and due dates.

• Evaluation Criteria for White Papers:

  1. Technical/Management potential.
  2. Price/Affordability (based on ROM).

• Ratings: Highly Recommended, Selectable, or Not Selectable.

• This is a full and open acquisition.

• White Papers will be considered from all interested vendors, including small businesses and non-traditional contractors.

• Foreign-owned firms are asked to notify the Contracting POC.

• All communications should be UNCLASSIFIED unless otherwise coordinated.

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

• Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) contractors (Gemini Industries, Inc. and The MITRE Corporation) may have access to submitted information.