Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Engineering and Technical Support (RETS) Presolicitation Notice

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for providing Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Engineering and Technical Support (RETS) services. The objective is to provide a full spectrum of professional technical and engineering support for the Office of the Under Secretary of War, Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) priorities and other associated Department of War (DoW)-sponsored mission requirements.

The contractor shall provide non-personal services, including personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, and supervision, to perform RDT&E engineering and technical support. Services will cover multiple mission and technology areas, including:

• Multi-domain operational environments (air, land, maritime, space, and cyberspace)
• Cyber and information warfare (including C5ISRT and counter C5ISRT)
• Emerging technologies (AI, quantum computing, autonomous systems, directed energy, EW)
• Cybersecurity and counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD)
• Human performance and biomedical technologies
• Climate resilience and operational sustainability

The work is organized into eight task areas:

• Task Area 1: Mission Engineering, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, and Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E)
• Task Area 2: Prototyping, Experimentation, Demonstration, and Scaling
• Task Area 3: Modeling and Simulation (M&S)
• Task Area 4: Strategic Operational Analysis and Technology Assessment
• Task Area 5: S&T Research and Assessment
• Task Area 6: Data Management & Analysis
• Task Area 7: Technology Protection
• Task Area 8: Ad Hoc Surge Support

Performance standards and associated metrics will be detailed in the PWS Performance Requirements Summary. The contractor must develop and maintain a Quality Control Program (QCP) to ensure services meet contract requirements. The Government will evaluate performance based on a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP).

• Period of Performance: Five (5) year ordering period.

• Place of Performance: Contractor's facility and Government facilities, including the Pentagon, Washington D.C., and other locations within the National Capital Region (NCR) and Continental United States (CONUS), as well as international locations. Specific places of performance will be identified at the Task Order (TO) level.

• Contract Type: Multiple award IDIQ with Firm Fixed Priced (FFP), Cost Reimbursement (CR), Labor Hour (LH), and Time and Materials (T&M) TOs.

• Telework: Determined by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) on a case-by-case basis, with no additional cost or detrimental impact to performance.

• Security: Top Secret (TS) Facility Clearance required. Specific personnel clearance requirements will be identified at the TO level. Compliance with DoD security regulations, including DD Form 254, is mandatory.

• Personnel: Contractor personnel must meet qualifications specified at the TO level. Common Access Cards (CACs) are required. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and conflict of interest (COI) forms are mandatory.

• Travel: Contractor may be required to travel; expenses are reimbursable per Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) and FAR. Pre-approval is required. Local travel within a 50-mile radius of the NCR is not reimbursable.

• Government Furnished Items/Services: The Government will provide services, facilities, utilities, equipment, materials, property, and information as specified in Section 3 of the PWS.

• Contractor Furnished Items/Responsibilities: The Contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities, and services not provided by the Government, including meeting security clearance requirements.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for Prototyping and Experiments (P&E) Technical and Engineering Support for the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)), specifically for the Assistant Secretary of War for Mission Capabilities (ASW(MC)). The primary goal is to facilitate multi-component/multiclassification level Joint experimentation to accelerate innovation and modernization efforts, thereby maintaining U.S. technological superiority and competing with peer/near-peer adversaries.

The contractor shall provide comprehensive technical and engineering support for the OUSW(R&E) P&E mission. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Mission Engineering, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, and Developmental Test and Evaluation.
• Prototyping, Experimentation, Demonstration, and Scaling.
• Modeling and Simulation.
• Strategic Operational Analysis and Technology Assessment.
• Science and Technology (S&T) Research and Assessment.
• Data Management & Analysis.
• Technology Protection.
• Ad Hoc Surge Support. The support will focus on areas such as Offensive/Defensive Cyber, C5ISRT, AI/ML, and Multidomain Collaborative Autonomy to address Joint Operational Problems (JOPs) and support Multi-Service and Combatant Command (CCMD) priorities.

Performance will be monitored through a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). Key performance objectives include:

• PRS #1: Workforce availability with minimal disturbances and necessary security clearances within 30 calendar days of award, with minimal disruption for subsequent vacancies.

• PRS #2: Consistent generation of quality and timely products, with reports submitted at least one week prior to decision meetings, and no more than one customer complaint per report.

• PRS #3: Consistent generation of quality and timely analysis of technology, policy, and warfighter initiatives, with reports submitted at least one week prior to suspense, and no more than one customer complaint per report.

• Period of Performance: One (1) Base Period of 12 months, with four (4) 12-month option periods.

• Place of Performance: Contractor's facility and Government facilities, including the Pentagon, Washington D.C., other National Capital Region locations, other CONUS locations, and international locations.

• Contract Type: Hybrid contract including Labor Hours (LH) and Time and Materials (T&M) CLINs.

• Security: Personnel require access to classified information up to TOP Secret (TS)/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), including SI/TK/G/HCS, KLM-R, SAP/SAR, and ACCM. A TOP SECRET facility clearance is required.

• Personnel: Contractor employees are considered non-personal services and will be controlled and supervised by contractor management.

• Subcontracting: Encouraged, with full responsibility for performance and cost reporting.

• Travel: Contractor travel may be required, with prior approval and reimbursement according to Joint Travel Regulation (JTR).

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document is a solicitation for Research, Engineering, and Technical Support (RETS). The government is procuring these services to support various research, development, test, and evaluation activities.

• The core requirement is for Research, Engineering, and Technical Support (RETS).

• Specific tasks include providing Research, Engineering, and Technical Support Services in accordance with an IDIQ Performance Work Statement (PWS).

• Travel costs associated with the support are also to be provided.

• Other direct costs, including supplies, are to be provided in accordance with the IDIQ PWS.

• This is an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

• The period of performance for each line item is from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2031.

• The contract has a minimum quantity/amount of $3,000.00 and a maximum quantity/amount of $1,400,000,000.00.

• The NAICS code is 541715 with a size standard of 1000 employees.

• The offer due date is May 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM.

• Evaluation will be based on Technical, Past Performance, and Price. Technical and Past Performance are equally and significantly more important than Price.

• This acquisition is set aside for Small Business.

• The document includes numerous FAR and DFARS clauses related to contract administration, payment, data rights, security, and other requirements.

• Non-government advisors (PACE, LLC and Farmer Consulting, LLC) were used in the preparation of this solicitation.