Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

Quick Summary

The General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Acquisition Service (FAS), Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) Defense Capability Accelerator (CapX) has issued an advance notice regarding its intent to utilize Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) procedures throughout Fiscal Year 2026. These CSOs will seek innovative, commercial solutions to address specific mission and operational challenges for interagency partners within the Department of War (DoW), including Military Departments, 4th Estate entities, and Combatant Commands.

Disclaimer: This is not a solicitation, and no white papers or proposals are being requested at this time. Specific CSO solicitations will be released separately as funding becomes available. The period for these CSOs extends through December 31, 2026.

CSO Authority & Pilot Program Benefits

CSO procedures are authorized by Section 880 of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as amended by Section 7227 of the FY23 NDAA, and are subject to limitations outlined in the General Services Acquisition Manual (GSAM) Part 571 and the associated CSO Guide.

This pilot program, developed by GSA, operates outside normal Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) requirements to engage both traditional and non-traditional Government contractors, including start-up companies. Benefits include:

• Streamlined solicitations requiring minimal corporate and technical information.
• Fast-track vendor selection timelines.
• Simplified contract administration procedures and requirements.
• Preference for the vendor retaining core intellectual property.

Anticipated Topic Areas

GSA anticipates issuing CSO announcements focused on the following general topic areas. This list is not exhaustive, and other CSOs may be issued:

• Integrated Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Automation Ecosystems: Solutions for secure, scalable data and AI ecosystems to support national security missions, including federated data engineering, metadata-driven interoperability, generative AI, predictive analytics, and automation technologies.
• Autonomous and Uncrewed Systems Innovation: Development of commercial platforms, sensors, autonomy stacks, and control architectures for uncrewed systems (UXS) across various domains, emphasizing contested-environment resilience and modular integration.
• GEOINT AI, Analytics, and Geospatial Tradecraft Modernization: Enhancing geospatial intelligence through automation, data fusion, AI/ML application to spatial data, and modernization of analytic workflows.
• Resilient Positioning, Communication, and Spectrum Operations: Technologies to preserve secure communication, navigation assurance, and electromagnetic maneuverability in degraded or denied environments.
• Adaptive Sustainment and Distributed Logistics: Innovative logistics and sustainment technologies for contested or disrupted environments, focusing on resilience, agility, and operational continuity.
• Advanced Munitions Enabling Technologies: Enabling technologies for advanced munitions systems (excluding direct weapon purchase), such as materials, power systems, sensing, and secure networking.
• Cyber Operations, Resilience, and Identity Analytics: Commercial solutions to enhance cyber defense, resilience, and situational awareness, including AI-enabled threat detection, Zero Trust architectures, and identity intelligence.
• Other Innovative Capabilities: Commercial and dual-use technologies demonstrating novel approaches aligned with national security missions, emphasizing agility, resilience, or speed-to-decision.

Next Steps

Future CSO notices will detail specific problem statements, solution objectives, and submission requirements. Interested parties are encouraged to complete the CSO Industry Interest Survey (link provided in the original notice). For questions, contact Assale Pawi (assale.pawi@gsa.gov) or Ashley Delinay-Patton (ashley.delinay-patton@gsa.gov).