Deep Thoughts
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
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
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative approaches for its "Deep Thoughts" program (Solicitation DARPA-PS-26-05). This initiative seeks revolutionary advances in autonomous undersea vehicle (AUV) and pressure vessel (PV) designs to enable uncrewed access to full-ocean depths at a fraction of current AUV sizes. The program aims to compress the development cycle for disruptive, mission-relevant, full-ocean depth AUVs within 24 months. Abstracts are due May 21, 2026.
Scope of Work
DARPA is looking for proposals addressing challenges in:
- AUV and PV designs: Focusing on reducing size, cost, and improving producibility.
- Materials science: Exploring novel materials, alloys, and structural geometries.
- Manufacturing techniques: Applying advanced methods.
- Embedded AUV subsystems and payloads: Developing architectures for free-form design, structural consolidation, and multi-functionality.
- Supporting mission engineering and digital engineering capabilities: Establishing secure digital engineering ecosystems for collaborative design, CI/CD/CP, IP protection, and cross-classification analysis. Performers must consider access to production and testing capabilities for iterative design-build-test-learn cycles.
Contract Details
- Type: Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype Agreement.
- Period of Performance (PoP): Estimated 24-month duration, starting November 2026.
- Cost Sharing: May be required for OT prototype awards per 10 U.S.C. § 4022.
Submission & Evaluation
- Abstracts Due: May 21, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
- Oral Proposal Package (OPP) Due: July 20, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET (tentative, invitation only).
- Oral Presentations: Late July 2026 (tentative, invitation only).
- Abstracts and OPPs will be evaluated based on criteria detailed in the CUI Addendum.
- A formal request for the Program Solicitation CUI Addendum and Attachments is required by May 14, 2026, 4:00 PM ET.
Eligibility / Set-Aside
- Participation: Limited to U.S. citizens and U.S. organizations.
- Compliance: Proposers must comply with export control laws (ITAR, EAR) and protect sensitive/controlled data.
- Technical Areas: Technical Area 1 (TA1) involves CUI; Technical Area 2 (TA2) involves CUI and SECRET collateral information. TA2 performers must maintain facility and personnel clearances at the SECRET level.
- Submission Restriction: Proposers must submit to either TA1 or TA2, not both.
Additional Notes
Additional information, including the CUI Addendum and various attachments (templates, spreadsheets, SAMPLE OTs), is available upon request and verification of eligibility. Agency Contact: DARPA-PS-26-05@darpa.mil