Solicitation
RWP - Advanced Navigation Simulation Environment Laboratory (ANSEL)
Department of Defense · Department of the Air Force
AI summaryThe Department of the Air Force's AEDC procurement branch, for AFTC/PZIA (Arnold), asks for short whitepapers, not full proposals. The goal is one integrated Advanced Navigation Simulation Environment Laboratory (ANSEL) system that modernizes the Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) simulation lab at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. Awards use Other Transaction Authority (OTA), a flexible agreement outside standard contract rules. The response due date is November 12, 2026, 4:00 PM Central. More in the summary
AI summary Beta
The notice looks incomplete: The Statement of Objectives (SOO), which holds the Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and Key System Attributes (KSAs), is controlled (CUI) and not posted; request it by emailing your CAGE code to haley.smith.10@us.af.mil. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Department of the Air Force's AEDC procurement branch, for AFTC/PZIA (Arnold), asks for short whitepapers, not full proposals. The goal is one integrated Advanced Navigation Simulation Environment Laboratory (ANSEL) system that modernizes the Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) simulation lab at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. Awards use Other Transaction Authority (OTA), a flexible agreement outside standard contract rules. The response due date is November 12, 2026, 4:00 PM Central.
Who can bid (4)
- Meet the statutory requirements of 10 U.S.C. § 4022(d) and detail in the whitepaper how at least one of its four criteria is met
- Include a copy of a CMMC Level 2 (self) certification with the whitepaper
- Agree in writing to deliver Unlimited Data Rights to contractor-generated technical data and contractor-developed software
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- To receive the controlled Statement of Objectives, email your Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code to the point of contact and have your National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and CMMC status confirmed
Things to watch (7)
From the version posted Oct 25, 2026.
- Serious: Must qualify under 10 U.S.C. § 4022(d) to be eligible. A small business can qualify if all significant participants are small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors (firms with no recent Department of Defense cost-accounting-covered work). Others need a nontraditional partner, a one-third non-Federal cost share, or a special determination.
- Serious: Statement of Objectives is controlled and must be requested. The Statement of Objectives (SOO) is Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI: sensitive but unclassified). You must email your CAGE code, and the SOO comes through DoD SAFE only after your NIST/CMMC status is confirmed. It holds the performance targets.
- Serious: CMMC Level 2 (self) certification due with the whitepaper. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 self-certification is a copy you must attach, and CMMC and CUI duties pass to every subcontractor and partner.
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- Serious: Unlimited Data Rights required. You must agree in writing to give the Government unlimited rights to technical data and source code made under the agreement. Firms that protect their own software or designs may not be able to accept this.
- Worth checking: Addressed to AEDC Velocity Alliance Consortium performers and industry partners. The request is posted on SAM.gov and says responses to the SAM.gov posting are accepted, but it does not say whether firms outside the consortium can receive an award.
- Worth checking: Most milestones are unfunded options priced only as estimates. Firm pricing is needed only for Milestones 1, 2 and 4 (kickoff and design). The build, testing, delivery and closeout milestones are unfunded options priced as rough estimates.
- Worth checking: Demanding technical performance. The system must handle extreme motion in simulation, up to Mach 20, 50g acceleration and 200 g/s jerk, with phase-coherent RF channels. Firms need proven hardware and RF experience.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- RWP_ANSEL_SAM.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Design, procure, fabricate, integrate, test and deliver one (1) integrated ANSEL system
- Build a hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulation setup that feeds multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (mGNSS) signals, alternative radio frequency (RF) signals and simulated inertial data at the same time
- Simulate the RF environment seen by multi-element Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) systems, with direct RF injection into antenna electronics units and GNSS receivers
- Provide a verification and validation (V&V) and cyber resiliency test suite
- Hold a Requirements Review, Preliminary Design Review and Critical Design Review; build everything into modular 19-inch test racks with casters
- Install and check out the system in the secure Navigation Test and Evaluation Laboratory (NavTEL) at Holloman AFB, including RF path and phase coherence checks
- Run Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, Functional and Physical Configuration Audits, including automated phase calibration of the RF matrix path
- Provide vendor training and project closeout documents
- Contract type
- Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype agreement under 10 U.S.C. § 4022; Milestones 1, 2 and 4 are firm fixed price (FFP), Milestones 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are unfunded options priced as rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimates
- Place of performance
- Holloman AFB, NM, USA (as SAM.gov gives it); factory acceptance testing at the vendor's facility
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- Contract vehicle
- Request is addressed to AEDC Velocity Alliance Consortium performers and industry partners
- How they'll choose
- Three-step whitepaper evaluation: compliance check, then technical capability, then cost, schedule and rough order of magnitude assessment. The notice gives no weighting.
- Offers due
- November 12, 2026, 4:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Eastern)
- Page limits
- Whitepaper: 15 pages, excluding pricing and schedule sheets
What they'll judge offers on
- Technical capability: (a) multi-sensor HWIL simulation capability, (b) deterministic V&V and 6-DoF (six degrees of freedom) trajectory engineering, (c) RF phase calibration and signal integrity
- Cost, schedule and ROM: firm fixed price and schedule for Milestones 1, 2 and 4 judged fair, reasonable and realistic; ROM cost and schedule for the other milestones judged for financial feasibility and programmatic risk
What to include when you submit
- Send the whitepaper in both Microsoft Word (.docx) and Adobe PDF (.pdf) formats
- Show your core technical competence in three areas: multi-sensor HWIL simulation, deterministic V&V and 6-DoF trajectory engineering, and RF phase calibration and signal integrity. No prototype designs are requested
- State compliance with the Intellectual Property Rights article in part 3 of the AEDC Velocity Consortium Request for Whitepaper, and confirm in writing that you will deliver Unlimited Data Rights to technical data and software made under the agreement
- Explain how you meet at least one of the four criteria in 10 U.S.C. § 4022(d): a nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent; all significant participants are small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors; one-third of cost paid from non-Federal funds; or a senior procurement executive determination
- Price: give a firm fixed price and a detailed schedule for Milestones 1, 2 and 4; give a ROM cost estimate and estimated schedule for Milestones 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8. You may propose a different milestone structure
- Cybersecurity: describe how you will manage and secure Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and state that CMMC and CUI protection flow down to all subcontractors and partners, with the prime responsible for compliance
- Include a copy of your Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 (self) certification with the whitepaper
- You may recommend a different North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and Product Service Code (PSC) for consideration
Not in the notice text
- The Statement of Objectives (SOO), which holds the Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) and Key System Attributes (KSAs), is controlled (CUI) and not posted; request it by emailing your CAGE code to haley.smith.10@us.af.mil
- Where or how to send the whitepaper is not stated; the RWP names Haley Smith at haley.smith.10@us.af.mil as the Government point of contact
- Whether firms outside the AEDC Velocity Alliance Consortium can receive an award is not stated
- The agreement's length, milestone dates and the estimated value are not given
- The text of the consortium's Intellectual Property Rights and Cybersecurity (CUI and CMMC) articles is referenced but not provided
- Access rules for the secure NavTEL facility at Holloman AFB are not stated
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside, but the notice names requirements you must meet before you can bid:
- The notice mentions CMMC, the Defense Department's cybersecurity certification. Check the level it asks for.
- How and where to submit is in the notice text and its attachments on SAM.gov.
- Architect-engineer services tied to buildings or construction are usually bought under the Brooks Act: the agency ranks firms on qualifications from an SF 330 first, then negotiates a price with the top firm. How A/E contracts work.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 25, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- FA9101 Aedc PKP Procrmnt BR, Arnold AFB, TN
- Product/service code
- AC33 · National Defense R&D Services; Defense-Related Activities; Experimental Development
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541330)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
REQUEST FOR WHITEPAPERS (RWP) To: AEDC Velocity Alliance Consortium Performers and Industry Partners via SAM.gov Project Title: Advanced Navigation Simulation Environment Laboratory (ANSEL) Contracting Organization: AFTC/PZIA (Arnold) Applicable NAICS Code: 541330, Engineering Services Applicable PSC Code: AC33 - R&D- Defense System: Subsystem Acquisition Authority: 10 U.S.C. § 4022 Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Offerors may recommend alternative NAICS and PSC for consideration. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE The primary objective of the Advanced Navigation Simulation Environment Laboratory (ANSEL) acquisition effort is to obtain comprehensive engineering, technical, and integration support to modernize the Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) simulation capabilities within the Holloman AFB PNT Simulation Laboratory. This effort replaces obsolete equipment and outdated software within the Navigation Test and Evaluation Laboratory (NavTEL) to establish a state-of-the-art testing environment. See attached RWP letter for details. NOTE: The Statement of Objectives (SOO) for this effort is marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). To request access to the SOO, please email your CAGE to haley.smith.10@us.af.mil. Once NIST/CMMC status is confirmed, the docuement will be sent via DoD SAFE.
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