FIGHT TONIGHT
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 Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command (AFRL - Rome Research Site) has issued Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8750-22-S-7001, "Fight Tonight," seeking innovative research to revolutionize air operations planning. The program aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven planning with interactive gaming to significantly reduce the Air Tasking Order (ATO) planning cycle. The BAA is open until November 30, 2026.
Scope of Work
This BAA focuses on rapid prototyping of technical solutions to urgent Air Force needs, primarily through two major focus areas:
- Technical Area 1 (TA1): Interactive Plan Refinement
- Technical Area 2 (TA2): Plan Gaming and Outcome Analysis The objective is to enable human-guided AI to generate and explore numerous potential courses of action within a gaming environment, providing insights into future battlespaces.
Contract & Timeline
- Type: Open, 2-Step BAA (with partial Closed-Staggered, 2-Step for TA1/TA2).
- Total Estimated Funding: Approximately $99M.
- Individual Awards: Normally range from $3M to $40M, not exceeding 30 months for Phase I. Phase II awards are also anticipated.
- Award Instruments: Procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or Other Transactions (OT), with potential for follow-on production.
- Key Dates:
- Phase II White Papers Due: December 16, 2024
- Phase II Proposals Due (by invitation): January 23, 2025
- BAA Closes: November 30, 2026
- Note: The Government is no longer accepting white papers for TA1 and TA2 Phase I. For other technical areas, offerors should await future amendments.
Evaluation
Evaluation criteria include Scientific and Technical Merit, Related Experience, Openness/Maturity of Solution, and Reasonableness/Realism of Costs. For assistance instruments, new criteria related to Gold Standard Science (GSS) (per Executive Order 14303) apply, requiring proposals to demonstrate GSS success, commit to GSS policies, produce demonstrable results, and align with the President's policy priorities. Proposals promoting racial discrimination, denying the sex binary, facilitating illegal immigration, or compromising public safety/anti-American values are prohibited.
Submission Requirements
Initial submissions are white papers; formal proposals are by invitation only. Offerors must submit specific information for key personnel (SF 424, Security Program Questionnaire) and a certification regarding funding sources. The BAA is closed to foreign participation (ownership and nationals), with exceptions for fundamental research. A 15% indirect cost cap may apply to assistance awards for Institutions of Higher Education. Offerors must also consider Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA) Orders.
Additional Notes
An Industry Day is anticipated, with details to be published on SAM.gov. Dialogue with government representatives is encouraged.
- Technical Contact: David Shoukr (david.shoukr.1@us.af.mil, 315-330-2100)
- Contracting Contact: Amber Buckley (amber.buckley@us.af.mil, 315-330-3605)