SCIF Space OT

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides answers to vendor questions regarding the "SCIF as a Service" opportunity, clarifying submission deadlines and procedures.

• White Paper Submission Date Extension: The Government has extended the White Paper submission deadline to Friday, May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
• Refining Submissions: Submitting a refined White Paper prior to the due date is acceptable.
• Response Requirements: There are no changes to response requirements, such as page limits, due to the extension.
• Late Submissions: Submissions after May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM will be considered late and may not be accepted or considered for award.
• Previously Submitted Papers: If a White Paper was submitted before the extension was known, it is considered accepted within the allowable timeframe if submitted by the new May 1, 2026 deadline. However, companies must explicitly state if they wish to proceed with a currently submitted proposal; the Government will not assume intent.
• Submission Method: Using an email address not associated with the SAM.gov account for White Paper submission is not an issue.

The primary impact is the extension of the White Paper submission deadline to May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM. All other submission rules and requirements remain unchanged, except for the explicit need for companies to confirm their intent if they have already submitted a proposal.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the "SCIF as a Service" opportunity, clarifying submission deadlines and procedures.

• White Paper Submission Extension: The Government has extended the White Paper submission deadline to Friday, May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
• Refining Submissions: Submitting a refined White Paper before the due date is acceptable.
• Response Requirements: No changes to response requirements, such as page limits, are associated with the extension.
• Late Submissions: Submissions after May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM will be considered late and may not be accepted or considered for award.
• Intent to Proceed: For a previously submitted White Paper to be considered within the new timeframe, companies must explicitly state their intent to proceed with their current submission. The Government will not assume intent.

The primary impact is the extension of the White Paper submission deadline. Bidders should ensure their submissions adhere to the new date and time. No other RFP updates are indicated by this Q&A document.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks responsible sources capable of providing, operating, and maintaining Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space to support companies performing classified national security missions. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) anticipates awarding one or more Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements, with a total value not to exceed $2M for all prototype awards. The objective is to address the barrier-to-entry for non-traditional defense contractors (NTDCs) who lack access to accredited SCIF space.

• Demonstrate the establishment or provision of accredited SCIF space, including buildout and accreditation support.

• Propose an operational concept for access controls, secure classified IT/connectivity, security management, badging, visitor control, and facility administration.

• Offer commercially sustainable models with tenant-appropriate pricing, scalable across multiple sites.

• Support single-tenant and multi-tenant occupancy models with tenant separation.

• Provide tenant onboarding processes and a repeatable playbook.

• Define IT/connectivity concepts, including Respondent-provided vs. Government-furnished services.

• Address scalability for multi-site expansion across CONUS.

• Demonstrate commercial sustainability and long-term operations.

• Address facility clearance status and FOCI risk mitigation.

• Anticipated award type: Fixed-price Prototype OT agreements with milestone-based payments.

• Total value for all prototype awards: Not to exceed $2M.

• Potential for follow-on production OT awards or procurement contracts without further competition if prototype is successful.

• Phase 1 Submission: Unclassified White Papers due by 4:00 PM on 1 May 2026.

• Submission Method: Electronically to contracts@odni.gov. Email subject line: "SCIF OT – Phase 1 White Paper - [Company Name]".

• Technical White Paper Length: Not to exceed seven (7) pages.

• Evaluation Factors (Phase 1): Equal importance given to overall technical merit/feasibility, benefit to the IC, and related experience.

• Phase 1 Notification: Updated to 22 May 2026.

• Award eligibility requires meeting at least one qualifying condition for Prototype OT agreements (e.g., one-third project work by NTDC, exclusivity of NTDC participants, or at least one-half project costs funded by non-Federal sources).

• Encourages participation by NTDCs, small businesses, consortia, and public-private partnerships.

• Sponsor will not award OT agreements to entities with Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) concerns.

• The solicitation is for commercially provided SCIF space.

• Version 1.2 of the solicitation was posted on April 17, 2026.

• Program contact: John Hennessy, Intelligence Community Procurement Executive.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks responsible sources capable of providing, operating, and maintaining Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space to support companies performing work on classified national security missions. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) anticipates awarding one or more Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements, with a total value not to exceed $2M for all Prototype OT awards under this effort. The goal is to address the barrier-to-entry for non-traditional defense contractors (NTDCs) who lack access to accredited SCIF space for classified work.

• Provide accredited SCIF space, including buildout if necessary, and accreditation support.

• Demonstrate an operational concept for access controls, secure classified IT/connectivity, security management, badging, visitor control, and facility administration.

• Support multi- or single-tenant occupancy models with tenant separation.

• Provide tenant onboarding processes and a repeatable playbook.

• Define IT/connectivity concepts, including Respondent-provided vs. Government-furnished services.

• Offer scalability for multi-site expansion across CONUS.

• Propose commercial sustainability models with tenant-appropriate pricing.

• Address facility clearance status and FOCI risk mitigation.

• Anticipated award of fixed-price Prototype OT agreements with milestone-based payments.

• Potential for follow-on production OT awards or procurement contracts without further competition if prototype is successful.

• Phase 1 White Paper Submission:

  • Due Date: 4:00 PM on 24 April 2026
  • Submission Method: Electronically to contracts@odni.gov
  • Email Subject Line: "SCIF OT – Phase 1 White Paper - [Company Name]"
  • Content: Company overview, facility clearance status, SCIF experience, business model, accreditation pathway, operational/security approach, proposed site(s), risks, scalability, IT/connectivity, commercial arrangements, and FOCI mitigation.

• Phase 1 Evaluation Factors (Equal Importance):

  • Overall technical merit/feasibility
  • Benefit to the IC
  • Related experience

• Award eligibility requires meeting at least one qualifying condition for OT agreements (e.g., significant work by NTDCs, exclusivity of NTDCs, or significant non-Federal funding).

• Encourages participation by NTDCs, small businesses, consortia, and public-private partnerships.

• Entities presenting Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) concerns will not be awarded OT agreements.

• Version 1.2 of this solicitation was posted on April 17, 2026.

• Key dates have been updated, including Phase 1 submission deadline (April 24, 2026) and Phase 1 notification of Phase 2 selection/non-selection (May 22, 2026).

• Program Contact: John Hennessy, Intelligence Community Procurement Executive.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides clarification and answers to vendor questions regarding the "SCIF as a Service" opportunity.

• White Paper Submission Date Extension: The Government has agreed to extend the White Paper submission deadline to Friday, May 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM.

• The White Paper submission date has been officially extended.

• Phase 2's submission selection/non-selection notification date has also been updated, though the specific new date is not detailed in this Q&A document.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks commercially viable solutions for providing, operating, and maintaining Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space to support companies performing work on classified national security missions. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) anticipates awarding one or more Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements under 10 U.S.C § 4022. The total value of all awarded agreements is not expected to exceed $2 million.

• Demonstrate the establishment or provision of accredited SCIF space, including buildout, accreditation support, and compliance with IC and Department of War standards.

• Propose an operational concept covering access controls, secure classified IT/connectivity, security management, badging, visitor control, and facility administration.

• Solutions should be commercially sustainable and scalable.

• Prototype projects may involve standing up or modifying a SCIF, demonstrating onboarding of at least two simultaneous tenants, and validating governance and security processes.

• Desired capabilities include SCIF availability and accreditation, multi-tenant operations, tenant onboarding and security operations, IT/connectivity concepts, scalability for multi-site expansion, commercial sustainability, and clearance/compliance management.

• The anticipated award structure is fixed-price Prototype OT agreements with milestone-based payments.

• Award eligibility requires meeting specific conditions related to non-traditional defense contractors or funding sources.

• Follow-on production OT awards or procurement contracts may be issued without further competition if prototype projects are successful.

• Phase 1 Submission: Unclassified White Papers are due by 4:00 PM on April 24, 2026, submitted electronically to contracts@odni.gov. The email subject line should be "SCIF OT – Phase 1 White Paper – [Company Name]".

• White Paper Content: Limited to seven pages, including company overview, legal entity information, facility clearance status, SCIF experience, business model, accreditation pathway, operational/security management approach, proposed site(s), risks, scalability concept, and FOCI information.

• Phase 1 Evaluation Factors: Submissions will be evaluated on overall technical merit/feasibility, benefit to the IC, and related experience.

• The Sponsor encourages participation by non-traditional defense contractors (NTDCs), small businesses, consortia, and public-private partnerships.

• Awards will not be made to entities with Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) concerns.

• Version 1.1 of this solicitation was updated on April 14, 2026, primarily to update the White Paper submission date.

• Key dates include the Phase 1 submission deadline (April 24, 2026) and notification of Phase 2 selection (May 8, 2026).

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation seeks solutions for providing, operating, and maintaining Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space to support companies working on classified national security missions. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) anticipates awarding one or more Prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreements, with a total value not to exceed $2M for these prototype awards. The goal is to address the barrier-to-entry for non-traditional defense contractors (NTDCs) who lack accredited SCIF space.

• Provision of accredited SCIF space, including buildout if necessary.

• Accreditation support and compliance with IC and Department of War standards.

• Operational concept covering access controls, security management, badging, visitor control, and facility administration.

• Support for multi- or single-tenant occupancy models.

• Tenant onboarding processes and repeatable onboarding playbook.

• IT/connectivity concept, including clear delineation of provider vs. government furnished services.

• Scalability for multi-site expansion across CONUS.

• Commercial sustainability, including pricing models and long-term operations plans.

• Facility clearance status or a plan to obtain/maintain required clearances.

• The government anticipates awarding fixed-price Prototype OT agreements with milestone-based payments.

• Award eligibility requires meeting specific conditions related to NTDC involvement or cost sharing.

• Phase 1 Submission Deadline: April 17, 2026, 4:00 PM.

• Submissions must be unclassified White Papers, not exceeding seven pages, submitted electronically to contracts@odni.gov.

• Evaluation Factors: Overall technical merit/feasibility, benefit to the IC, and related experience.

• Encourages participation by NTDCs, small businesses, consortia, and public-private partnerships.

• Will not award OT agreements to entities with Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) concerns.

• Follow-on production OT awards or procurement contracts may be issued without further competition if prototype projects are successful.

• Program contact: John Hennessy, Intelligence Community Procurement Executive.