Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network (CPE C2IN) Commercial Solution Opening (CSO) Call for Solutions (CfS) for Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) Commercial Digital Intermediate Frequency Subsystem (DIFS) under the Army Open Solicitation (AOS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Project Office/Customer Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) Contracting Activity Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) CSO Number Army Open Solicitation (AOS) - W9128Z-25-S-A002 Call for Solution Title Commercial Digital Intermediate Frequency Subsystem (DIFS) under the Army Open Solicitation (AOS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Contracting Points of Contact Contracting Officer: Licinda Peters Email: licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil Contract Specialist: Keith Magaw Email: keith.a.magaw.civ@army.mil Questions Due Date/Time 05 November 2026 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) Solution Brief Due Date/Time 10 December 2026 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) Submit Solution Brief Via Sam.gov and AOS Controlled by U.S. Army Controlled by: PdM WESS CUI Category: Operations Security (OPSEC) Limited Dissemination Control: FEDCON POC: licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) is seeking solutions for a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Digital Intermediate Frequency (IF) system to satisfy the requirements for Increment 1 of this modernization effort. The current legacy analog infrastructure limits scalability, resilience, and interoperability. Under this Call for Solutions, the selected vendor will deliver, integrate, install, and acceptance-test a flexible, open-standard, modular Digital IF solution across up to twenty (20) worldwide satellite communications (SATCOM) teleport sites. Increment 1 will establish a fully operational baseline designed to support subsequent capability upgrades and integrations in future fiscal years. SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION PROBLEM STATEMENT Area of Interest: Modular Digital Intermediate Frequency Solutions for Next-Generation SATCOM Teleports Background & Operational Context Current Department of War (DoW) satellite communications (SATCOM) ground infrastructure relies heavily on legacy L-Band Intermediate Frequency (IF) distribution systems. These analog-hardware-bound architectures limit flexibility, inhibit rapid tech insertion, and create single points of failure across global teleport infrastructures. To counter emerging near-peer threats in dynamic operational environments, the warfighter requires highly resilient, agile, and rapidly scalable SATCOM. The Problem The legacy L-Band architecture fails to offer the ability to dynamically route or transport Radio Frequency (RF) signals over DoW Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This lack of flexibility inhibits the resilience of geostationary earth orbit (GEO) SATCOM operations. To transition to a modern, flexible, software-defined ground segment, the DoW requires an open-standard Digital IF architecture. However, before committing to a full-scale global deployment, the DoW must validate the operation, interoperability, security, and performance of these modular commercial solutions in a rigorous representative environment. Technical Objective & Scope The DoW seeks a commercial solution for an Increment 1 Digital IF capability set built on a flexible, open standard (e.g., Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability compliant), modular architecture. The selected solution will undergo standard site acceptance testing and operational verification to confirm compliance with contract performance requirements and site compatibility. Upon successful acceptance, this operational configuration will serve as the standardized baseline for deployment and installation across up to twenty (20) worldwide SATCOM teleport sites. Mission Impact Successful validation and deployment of this flexible open-standard Digital IF architecture will directly enhance warfighter lethality and survivability by delivering a highly resilient, agile, and survivable GEO-SATCOM capability which rapidly adapts to contested/congested environments. SCOPE AND TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES The scope of this effort is to acquire, integrate, test, and field a commercially available or commercial-derivative Digital IF suite, and to operationalize it within existing DoW Teleports. The subsystem shall demonstrate the core capability to digitize analog L-band satellite signals, transport them over a high-speed digital network, and convert them back to analog signals, while handling native digital IF traffic from modems. The subsystem shall leverage mature commercial solutions with an emphasis on automation, reliability, and adherence to open standards, for example, the IEEE-ISTO Std 4900-2021 (DIFI) standard. The offeror shall propose a commercial solution that achieves the following high-level technical objectives, aligned with the core characteristics of the DoW modernization framework: Objective 1: Interoperable Digital IF Conversion (Modular & Open): The DIFS shall convert legacy analog L-band aggregate signals (950 MHz - 2.050 GHz) into standards-compliant Digital IF packet streams and vice versa. This includes both transmit (analog-to-digital) and receive (digital-to-analog) paths, conforming to the DIFI standard to prevent vendor lock-in. Objective 2: Advanced Digital Signal Processing (Adaptable): The commercial subsystem shall combine multiple, disparate Digital IF streams into a single aggregate (combined) stream for uplink and channelize a single aggregate (combined) downlink stream into multiple, individual Digital IF streams for processing. Objective 3: High-Performance Digital Transport (Scalable): The subsystem shall utilize a non-blocking, high-speed digital switch fabric to route Digital IF streams between all subsystem components and external interfaces (e.g., Digital Modems, Global Agile Integrated Transport (GAIT) connections, Wide Area Network (WAN) transport etc. The fabric shall support standard network scaling, redundancy, and high-throughput operations (up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet). The switch fabric shall provide a means for rapid reconfiguration of packet forwarding by the Automated Management and Control Function without the use of Layer 3 routing protocols. The switch fabric shall use deterministic multicast routing based on the incoming port without requiring strict multicast tables. Objective 4: Automated Management and Control (Empowered): The subsystem shall feature a software-based management suite. This software shall automate the establishment, termination, and monitoring of communication paths based on satellite access parameters, manage automatic protection switching for redundant components, and support automated rerouting of critical traffic to alternate facilities. Objective 5: Integrated Test and Diagnostics: The DIFS shall incorporate built-in test capabilities to generate, capture, and analyze Digital IF streams to allow for rapid troubleshooting, performance verification (e.g., Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) & spectral purity), and subsystem health monitoring with minimal operational burden and with on-site test equipment. Objective 6: Resilient and Maintainable Design (Resilient): The commercial solution shall be designed for high availability Ai ≥ 0.9998) a long service life (15 years), and rapid maintainability (MTTR ≤ 30 minutes), using standard line-replaceable items (LRIs). Objective 7: Secure and Compliant Architecture (Secure): The subsystem design shall be capable of achieving a Risk Management Framework (RMF) authorization for a security categorization of (Confidentiality, Moderate), (Integrity, Moderate), (Availability, Moderate). Objective 8: Achieve Military Compliance and Certification Readiness: The delivered commercial units and data packages shall be verified to meet the requirements of a strategic military environment. The subsystem performance shall adhere to applicable military standards, including SATCOM interoperability (MIL-STD-188-164C), electromagnetic interference (MIL-STD-461G), and environmental engineering (MIL-STD-810H). All testing, data, and documentation produced shall support Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) terminal certification. Objective 9 : Global Integration and Installation Support (Fieldable): The commercial solution provider shall provide the engineering services, site-specific technical expertise, and field support necessary to install, integrate, and configure the DIFS baseline across up to twenty (20) or more globally dispersed DoW Teleports, ensuring seamless interoperability with host facility infrastructure and legacy analog/digital interfaces. The Government will consider commercial solution approaches and vendors that fall along a spectrum of technological maturity, from capabilities that may require some further development to those that are fully commercialized and currently fielded. Deliverables The primary deliverable is a Full-Scale Engineering Development (FSED) DIFS (First Article) that successfully meets the objectives in Section 3.0, followed by optional production units. Associated deliverables include: Technical Data Package (TDP): A comprehensive TDP including interface specifications, commercial subsystem design documents, and standard test procedures. Electronic Technical Manual (ETM): A manual sufficient for trained technicians to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the subsystem. New Equipment Training (NET): Training materials and courseware required to train operators and maintainers on the subsystem. Test Reports: First Article Testing (FAT) reports suitable for use as evidence for WGS certification. Logistics Demonstration: A verification demonstration of maintainability requirements (e.g., MTTR) performed by the offeror using the provided ETM, tools, and recommended spare parts. Integration Support: Technical support for system integration and government-led field verification. Risk Management Framework: Artifacts suitable for verification that the security architecture and included security controls are adequate for the security categorization. Programmatic Objectives & Commercial Acquisition Strategy This acquisition is conducted under the Army Open Solutions (AOS) to identify and procure mature, commercially available technologies using Other Procurement, Army (OPA) funds. The Government's objective is to verify a c, followed by the immediate execution of priced contract options for the procurement, installation, and sustainment of production-ready subsystems at up to twenty (20) or more DoW Teleports and strategic gateway sites worldwide. Program Schedule and Milestones The offeror shall propose a streamlined schedule based on commercial product availability and rapid verification milestones: Commercial Solution Technical Demonstration Physical Configuration Audit (PCA) / Baseline Review First Article Delivery First Article Testing (FAT) & Verification Logistics & Performance Demonstration Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and Teleport Integration SECTION 3 – SUBMISSION AND SELECTION Selection of awardee is planned to be conducted using a three (3) step approach: Step 1 – Request for Solution Briefs, Step 2 – Pitch Session and/or Vendor Technical Demonstration (PS/VTD) and Step 3 – Proposal Submission. A multi-disciplined working group of technical experts will evaluate the solution Briefs on their own technical merit and not against other solutions. Solution Briefs, and Pitches and/or Demos will be evaluated based on adherence to the following submission and evaluation criteria. STEP: 1 – REQUEST FOR SOLUTION BRIEFS Parties with innovative solutions interested in being considered for this Digital IF solution shall submit a Solution Brief for review, prior to submission of a formal proposal. Solution Briefs that do not meet the requirements in this Call will not be considered. At the Government’s discretion, fully mature solutions, partial solutions, or solutions that are not commercially ready may either be awarded an Other Transaction (OT) to further mature the solution or retained in a library for three (3) months to be considered for contract or OT award at a later time. Not all fully matured solutions will be awarded a contract, nor will all partially mature or solutions that are not commercially available be given an OT award. The commercial solutions described in the solution Brief must clearly articulate relevancy to the technical objectives described in this Call, with a specific focus on delivering commercial capabilities to achieve objectives. No information submitted by an interested party in response to this Call will be returned. Submission of Solution Briefs shall adhere to the following general guidelines: Minimum of five (5) pages with a maximum of ten (10) pages or slides, not including the Coversheet, title page, or table of contents Times New Roman - not smaller than 12-point font type, although smaller font types may be used for figures, tables, and charts All Solution Briefs must be written in English Multiple Solution Briefs may be submitted for multiple solutions from the same Vendor A vendor’s standardized digital capability profile document will not be evaluated; Solution Briefs /White Papers must be submitted The Solution Brief shall address the following requirements/information: Capability Description: A detailed description of the product(s) or service(s) offered. Explain how the solution addresses the Objectives. Include technical specifications, performance data, and evidence of the solution's maturity or Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Company Experience and Past Performance: Provide a summary of the company’s experience in developing, producing, and sustaining DIFS-related capabilities for Department of Defense or other relevant customers. Production and Sustainment Approach: Describe the company's ability to scale production to meet potential demand, a proposed timeline required to scale to production, the number of units currently available for shipment, the current production rate, the number of units available for delivery per month if scaled, and its approach to providing training, field service support, long-term sustainment, and supply chain risk management. Pricing Structure: Provide a notional pricing structure for the proposed capabilities. This should include pricing for single units and an explanation of available discounts for range-based quantity purchases (e.g., 1-10 units, 11-50 units, 51+ units). Pricing for yearly sustainment and service agreements should also be addressed. Global Integration and Installation Approach : Describe the company’s experience and approach for managing, deploying, and physically installing the proposed subsystem across up to 20 globally dispersed teleport sites. This must include plans for site surveys, site-specific engineering, local integration support, and coordination of on-site acceptance testing. OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION Use of a diagram(s) or figure(s) to depict the essence of the proposed solution is strongly encouraged. A Solution Brief submitted in response to a government solicitation (like a Call for Solutions or Commercial Solutions Opening) acts as a high-level pitch, but it is also a pre-contractual framework. A solution is meaningless without a timeline. Telling the government what you can build must be accompanied by how long it will take. If the solicitation specifies a 1.5-month maximum, including your proposed Period of Performance (PoP) proves to the evaluators that your technical approach is realistic and can actually be completed within strict constraints. Time directly dictates cost. A 45-day PoP implies a highly concentrated burst of work. Including the PoP explains your pricing; a $100,000 solution, for example, delivered over 1.5 months implies a very different team structure and urgency than the same cost spread over a year. For Solution Briefs, Pitches and/or Demos, and Proposals containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, the vendor shall label any information they want protected as confidential. SOLUTION BRIEF DUE DATE/TIME Questions are due 05 November 2026 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) via email to Mr. Eric Belle, Project Management Specialist at eric.k.belle.civ@army.mil, Mr. Keith Magaw, Contract Specialist at keith.a.magaw.civ@army.mil, and Licinda M Peters, Contracting Officer at licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil. Respondents who submit questions in response to the CfS, are requested to use “ACC-APG Digital IF CfS_ Questions Template_Attch 0001.” The completed question template should be attached to the email as an Excel document. This Call will remain open for no more than forty-five (45) days from the original posting. The due date for solution-Briefs submitted in response to this Call is no later than 10 December 2026. Solution Briefs received after the due date and time will not be considered for selection. SUBMISSION METHOD (UNCLASSFIED ONLY) In addition to soliciting SAM.Gov, the Digital IF effort utilizes AOS for the posting of Calls. Please submit your solution responses for the above requested information in PDF or Microsoft Word format no later than (NLT) Noon EST on 10 December 2026 to Mr. Eric Belle, Project Management Specialist at eric.k.belle.civ@army.mil, Mr. Keith Magaw, Contract Specialist at keith.a.magaw.civ@army.mil, and Licinda M Peters, Contracting Officer at licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil. SOLUTION BRIEF EVALUATION CRITERIA (listed in priority order) Technical Understanding – Does the proposed solution demonstrate that the Vendor understands the Technical Objectives in section 2.2 and the Requirements/Information in section 3.1 of the Call for Solution? Does the Vendor clearly articulate how its technical solution meets the Technical Objectives and Requirements? Does the technical solution meet requirements in this Call? Capability Description & Technical Alignment – Does the proposed solution align with the Objectives? Interoperable Digital IF Conversion (Modular & Open) . Does the proposed solution convert legacy analog L-band aggregate signals (950 MHz - 2.050 GHz) into standards-compliant Digital IF packet streams and vice versa? Does it work during both transmit (analog-to-digital) and receive (digital-to-analog)? Does the proposed conform to the DIFI standard? Does the proposed solution prevent vendor lock in? Advanced Digital Signal Processing (Adaptable) . Does the proposed solution combine multiple, disparate Digital IF streams into a single aggregate stream for uplink? Does the proposed solution channelize a single aggregate downlink stream into multiple, individual Digital IF streams for processing? High-Performance Digital Transport (Scalable) . Does the proposed solution utilize a non-blocking, high-speed digital switch fabric to route Digital IF streams between all subsystem components and external interfaces (e.g., Digital Modems, GAIT connections, WAN Transport etc.)? Does the proposed solution ensure that the DIF backbone switching fabric supports standard network scaling, redundancy, and high-throughput operations (up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet)? Does the proposed solution employ a DIFI backbone switch fabric that provides a means for rapid reconfiguration of packet forwarding by the Automated Management and Control function without the use of Layer 3 routing protocols? Does the proposed solution employ a DIFI backbone switch fabric that uses deterministic multicast routing based on the incoming port without requiring strict multicast tables? Automated Management and Control (Empowered) . Does the proposed solution feature a software-based management suite? Does the proposed solution automate the establishment, termination, and monitoring of communication paths based on satellite access parameters? Does the proposed solution manage automatic protection switching for redundant components? Does the proposed solution support automated rerouting of critical traffic to alternate facilities? Integrated Test and Diagnostics. Does the proposed solution incorporate built-in test capabilities to generate, capture, and analyze Digital IF streams? Does the proposed solution allow for rapid troubleshooting, performance verification (e.g., EVM, spectral purity), and subsystem health monitoring without extensive external test equipment? Resilient and Maintainable Design (Resilient). Is the proposed solution designed for high availability Ai ≥ 0.9998)? Is it designed for a long service life (15 years)? Does it enable rapid maintainability (MTTR ≤ 30 minutes), using standard LRIs? Secure and Compliant Architecture (Secure): Is the proposed solution capable of achieving and maintaining the latest Risk Management Framework (RMF) authorization for a security categorization of (Confidentiality, Moderate), (Integrity, Moderate), (Availability, Moderate)? Will other proprietary knowledge, configuration or licenses inhibit the government from selecting a different contractor for future support if desired for the whole life cycle of the system? Are there foreseeable end-of-life/support/availability dates for any of the hardware, software or licenses within the system? Achieve Military Compliance and Certification Readiness. Does the proposed solution enable commercial units and data packages to be verified to meet the requirements of a strategic military environment? Does the subsystem performance adhere to applicable military standards, including SATCOM interoperability (MIL-STD-188-164C), electromagnetic interference (MIL-STD-461G), and environmental engineering (MIL-STD-810H)? Does the testing, data, and documentation produced support Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) terminal certification? Global Integration and Installation. Does the proposed solution demonstrate a viable, low-risk approach to physical installation and system integration at up to 20 globally dispersed Teleport sites? Does the vendor possess the logistical, engineering, and field support capabilities required to achieve site acceptance and support operational readiness? Potential for Future Success – Does the proposed solution demonstrate that the Vendor has potential for success and a roadmap for sustaining and producing systems? Technical Readiness and Performance Potential: Does the proposed solution demonstrate the potential to meet specified performance metrics and address the Army needs? Is the underlying technology sound, scalable, and defensible? Are there plans for rigorous testing and validation? Product Viability and Market Fit: Does the proposed solution demonstrate a clear understanding of the Army operational requirements, a compelling value proposition, and evidence of military utility? Operational Readiness: Does the proposed solution outline a clear and realistic roadmap for achieving operational readiness, including any planned or completed testing, pilot programs, previous fieldings, and previous or current work with other Government Entities with its proposed technology? Integration Potential and Adaptability: Does the proposed solution demonstrate the potential to integrate smoothly with existing systems? Is the architecture flexible and adaptable to future needs? Team Expertise and Capability: Does the team possess the necessary skills and experience to execute the business plan and achieve projected milestones? Are roles clearly defined, and responsibilities assigned appropriately? Production Capacity: Does the solution address the availability of current units and a plan to scale production to meet potential Government demand. Sustainment and Training: Does the solution have a viable plan and long-term sustainment strategy, including field service support (FSRs) and training pipelines. Impact of Data Rights Asserted – Do any proposed data rights assertions limit or restrict the viability of the solution? Alternatively, does the Vendor mitigate performance and continuity risk through other means (e.g. escrow, Modular Open Systems Approach)? Does the Vendor discuss the Government’s Right to Repair? Does the Vendor include/offer warranties? Rough Order of Magnitude (unit pricing) – Is the ROM price provided realistic for the work to be performed and reflect a clear understanding of the requirements? Does the proposed solution address the risks associated with the cost of scaled procurement (quantity discounts) and long-term sustainment/licensing costs. Notice to offerors: The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used during evaluations. Any AI tools utilized by the Government will be employed in a manner consistent with applicable regulations that govern the protection of proprietary and source selection sensitive information. No proposal data will be transmitted to or processed by external, non-Government systems without appropriate safeguards and authorizations in place. Based on the results of the Step 1 evaluation, a Vendor will either receive a non-selection letter from the Contracting Officer providing a short summary of why the solution-brief was not selected, a notice of inclusion into the library, or an invitation to continue to the next step. Since CPE C2IN only requests minimal information from a Vendor at this initial stage (and not a full proposal), we generally will not provide significant feedback beyond the letter. STEP 2: PITCH SESSION/VENDOR TECHNICAL DEMONSTRATION (PS/VTD) The pitch session will allow selected companies from Step 1 to provide detailed information on their proposed solution. In-person pitch sessions will be held in an unclassified setting at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. If selected for an in-person pitch session (limited to 90 minutes with an additional 30-minute question and answer segment), each vendor will also conduct a VTD on the same day as the pitch session (limited to 1 hour to showcase subsystem capabilities. Vendors selected for a VTD will be given detailed testing information and requirements closer to the date of testing. The purpose of the VTD is to validate the information provided during the in-person vendor pitch session and give Army stakeholders an opportunity to witness the vendor subsystems’ capability performance within a controlled laboratory environment. The Government may bypass Step 2 and move a Vendor(s) into Step 3, based on the information provided in the Step 1 Brief. 3.4 STEP 3: PROPOSAL The Government will engage in collaborative discussions regarding the statement of work (SOW) with a Vendor who is invited to Step 3. During this process, the Government team and the Vendor team can discuss requirements, exchange ideas, share drafts of the proposal and SOW, and collaborate until a mutually beneficial SOW is agreed upon. Upon completion of discussions/collaboration, the Government may issue a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to the Vendor selected. The RFP will have specific guidelines. Chiefly, Vendors must submit a technical volume, an updated SOW (if required), and a detailed price breakdown as it relates to the SOW. USE OF NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS Vendors are advised that data included in solution-briefs and technical/cost proposals submitted to the Government in response to this CSO Call may be released to support contractors or Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) personnel for review and analysis. Any such personnel will serve in an advisory capacity only to the Government evaluators and will provide the CPE C2IN with independent review and analysis of technical matters and on accomplishment of objectives, tasks, and deliverables as proposed or required. All Government and non-government participants in the review process are required to execute government nondisclosure agreements and personal/organizational statements of financial interest, as appropriate. By submission, Vendors agree that their material may be reviewed by support contractors. SECTION 4 – AWARDS ANTICIPATED TYPE OF AWARDS The Government intends to award one FAR Part 12 commercial contract as a result of this Call for Solutions. The Government may also award an Other Transaction Authority (OTA(s)) as a result of a Vendor(s) submission(s). ANTICIPATED TIMELINE OF AWARD The selection of a Vendor for an award will be based on the relevance of their proposed solutions to meet the Government’s requirements, the maturity of their offerings, and their demonstrated ability to produce and sustain their capabilities. New and updated white papers will be accepted for the entire period the CSO Call is open. The estimated award timeline is first quarter of 2027.
