Amendment #3: Common Very Low Frequency Receiver (VLF) Increment 2 (CVRi2) Modernization

SOL #: FA8735-26-R-B001Solicitation

Overview

Buyer

DEPT OF DEFENSE

Dept Of The Air Force

FA8735 NUCLEAR NTW DIV AFNWC PZHN

HANSCOM AFB, MA, 01731-1801, United States

Place of Performance

Hanscom AFB, MA

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical (541715)

PSC

Radio And Television Communication Equipment, Airborne (5821)

Set Aside

No set aside specified

Original Source

https://sam.gov/opp/aeb3bedcab7a426caf4e17c6e28d5360/view

Timeline

Posted

Apr 13, 2026

Last Updated

May 28, 2026

Submission Deadline

Jul 8, 2026, 4:00 PM

Qualification Details

Fit reasons

NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.

Risks

Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.

Next steps

Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.

Quick Summary

Amendment #3 has been released for the Common Very Low Frequency Receiver (VLF) Increment 2 (CVRi2) Modernization Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR). This solicitation from the Department of the Air Force seeks proposals for the design and rapid development of a production-ready, advanced VLF receiver system. The objective is to modernize all legacy VLF NC3 airborne and ground-based systems and equip future NC3 platforms. Proposals are due by July 8, 2026, at Noon Eastern Time.

Scope of Work

The AFNWC/NC3's VLF Enterprise Program Office (EPO) is soliciting industry proposals for a "common" advanced VLF capability. This includes secure Beyond Line of Site communications for Emergency Action Messages across all conflict levels. The new receiver system must be Crypto Modernization-2 (CM2) compliant, New Waveform capable, NSA certified, and Open Mission Systems (OMS) capable. The program aims for the rapid development of a fully functional VLF receiver and its required ancillary support equipment.

Contract & Timeline

Type: Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR) under Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) 16.507.
Eligibility: Strictly limited to AFLCMC/XA IDIQ Category 2 contract awardees.
Award Intent: One or two Delivery Orders (DOs) based on best-value determination and funding availability.
Proposal Due: July 8, 2026, at Noon Eastern Time.
Published Date: May 28, 2026 (Amendment #3).

Key Updates

Amendment #3 (May 28, 2026): Incorporated formal responses to Industry Q&A, updated the Bidder's Library (Appendix 3) with unclassified documents, corrected SOW deficiencies (MIL-STD), and added clause RFO 52.222-90 to the Model Contract.
Amendment #2 (May 19, 2026): Extended the proposal deadline to July 8, 2026, and made unclassified Bidder's Library documents available for download.
Amendment #1 (May 4, 2026): Incorporated supplemental language into Section 3.4.1 (Volume 1 Technical – Engineering) and Section 3.4.2 (Volume 1 Technical - Logistics).

Additional Notes

The solicitation package contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and access is restricted to Offerors certified by the Joint Certification Program (JCP). Offerors were required to provide their CAGE Code and identify classified information handling locations by April 20, 2026. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation without obligation to reimburse offerors.