Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Office-wide BAA
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) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is soliciting proposals for its Office-wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This BAA seeks innovative basic or applied research concepts that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems for national security applications, explicitly excluding evolutionary improvements. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until June 2, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.
Scope of Work
DARPA DSO aims to identify and spearhead next-generation scientific discovery to create strategic surprise advantages for the Department of Defense (DoD). Proposals should investigate innovative research approaches, potentially aligning with one or more technical thrust areas:
- Materials, Manufacturing, and Structures: Breaking performance/efficiency tension for critical parts, production, energetics, superconductors, and propulsion.
- Sensing, Measuring, and Affecting: Overcoming barriers in sensing, measurement, and control for operational improvements.
- Math, Computation, and Processing: Enabling quantum computing, reimagining classical computing, and developing new forms of computing.
- Complex, Dynamic, and Intelligent Systems: Creating new scientific capabilities for evolving and adaptive systems, including AI ecosystems.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Solicitation (Broad Agency Announcement)
- Award Instruments: Multiple award instruments may be used, including Cooperative Agreements, Procurement Contracts, Other Transactions for Research, and Other Transactions for Prototype. Some may have cost-sharing requirements.
- Response Date: Rolling basis until June 2, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET for Executive Summaries, Abstracts, and Full Proposals.
- Question Submittal Closing Date: May 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM ET.
- Published Date: September 16, 2025 (Amendment 1).
Eligibility & Set-Aside
All responsible sources, including U.S. and non-U.S. entities, may submit proposals. While there is no specific set-aside, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, and Minority Institutions are encouraged to submit. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), and Government Entities are not eligible.
Submission & Evaluation
Proposers are strongly encouraged to submit an executive summary or abstract first to gauge interest. All submissions must be via the Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT), except Cooperative Agreements which use Grants.gov. Evaluation criteria, in descending order of importance, are: Overall Scientific and Technical Merit, Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission, and Cost and Schedule Realism.
Key Attachments & Amendments
Amendment 1, posted September 16, 2025, updated several attachments, including the mandatory Attachment G (DARPA Cost Proposal Spreadsheet Amendment 1), which must be used by all primes and subcontractors. It also introduced Attachment P (Model Cooperative Agreement) and updated model Other Transaction agreements (Attachments M and N). An Accelerated Award Option is available for efforts not exceeding $2,000,000, requiring agreement to prescribed terms for a commitment to award within 30 days of selection notification. Proposers must adhere to specific instructions for technical (Attachment E) and cost (Attachment F) volumes, and for classified submissions (Attachment H).