The Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is issuing a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) pursuant to DFARS Subpart 212.70. Under a CSO, the ERDC may competitively award proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), to acquire innovative commercial products, technologies, or services based on a review of solutions by scientific, technological, or other subject matter expert peers within the ERDC. “Innovative,” for CSO purposes, means any new technology, process, or method, including research and development (R&D), or any new application of an existing technology, process, or method. Under this CSO, all products, technologies, and services shall be treated as commercial items; products, technologies, and services do not have to be “commercially available” to be submitted in response to this solicitation. If the solution meets the requirements of the regulation, the solution is treated as commercial whereby the Contracting Officer will utilize commercial procedures to develop and execute the resultant award. The DoW High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) is seeking innovative solutions to establish a new high-performance computing (HPC) system acquisition and support services model that leverages industry best practices to transform how the HPCMP procures, operates, and maintains its newest HPC systems for 2027. The HPC systems being considered are a combination of compute-intensive architectures and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) platforms operating in either unclassified or classified (secret and above-secret) environments. The systems would be geographically distributed at up to three of the five HPCMP DoW Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs). Since the systems will reside on-premises in the DSRCs, the services model must also conform to DoW and local Service policies, especially regarding security (physical, personnel, and cyber). To navigate the current market conditions and meet mission objectives, a new strategy is needed to design, manufacture, deliver, install, operate and maintain one or more HPC systems at one to three different HPC centers. The anticipated systems will be a combination of compute-intensive architectures (mostly CPU-based) and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) platforms (mostly GPU-based) operating in either unclassified or classified (secret and above-secret) environments. Go to https://www.erdcwerx.org/innovative-technology-insertion-of-advanced-hpc-systems/ for all of the CSO details and submission requirements. All solutions must be submitted through the ERDCWERX platform. The ERDC may award a FAR-based contract or an Other Transaction under this announcement. All resultant FAR-based contracts will be firm-fixed price. All items, technologies, and services (including research and development) procured via this CSO are treated as commercial. Applicants from universities and/or non-profit organizations should be aware that commercial clauses will be integrated into the award and should coordinate proposals with associated legal counsel prior to submission.
