Solicitation
Manufacturing Research and Technology Development Open Period
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force · Sol. FA2394-26-R-B004
Due in 1716 days
Track this notice by email. We'll email you if it's amended or awarded, and a week and two days before responses are due.
AI summary Beta
Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (Foundational Technologies Directorate) wants research and development that improves defense manufacturing and moves new methods onto factory and depot floors. This is a two-step process: companies send a 5-page white paper first, and only those the Air Force likes get asked for a full proposal. About $499 million is planned across multiple awards (no single award over $50 million), each lasting 12 to 40 months plus a 3-month reporting period.
Watch out for
- Two-step process; this notice is only Step 1. Only white papers are due now, a full proposal is by invitation after the Air Force reviews the white paper, and a company that is not invited may be shut out of Step 2.
Only white papers are due at this time.
- Key rules are in documents not provided. The white paper format, review criteria and data rights details sit in the parent announcement FA2394-24-R-B003 and its Industry Guide, and the Section M evaluation factors in the draft contract are blank.
See RE MAA Industry Guide Chapter 5.
- Funding not yet available. No award can be made until money is available and the Government can cancel before or after the closing date without paying your costs.
Funds are not presently available for this effort.
- Possible SECRET clearance and export-control requirements. A small business without a facility clearance or Joint Certification Program (DD 2345) approval may not be able to take part.
facility security clearance and SECRET safeguarding capability.
- Security risk review can end an award. Senior and key people must be disclosed and reviewed for foreign influence, and a risk the Government finds too high can lead to rejection of the proposal or termination of an award.
may include full or partial termination of award.
- Deadline details do not match. SAM.gov shows 4:00 PM Eastern on 2031-06-22, the solicitation says 1600 EST on 22 June 2031, and the draft contract form shows 04:30 PM on 23 Jun 2031, so confirm the cutoff with the Contracting Officer.
considered if received anytime prior to 1600 EST on 22 June
- Broad data rights. The Government wants unlimited rights in technical data and non-commercial software, which can conflict with proprietary technology.
(1) Other Than Commercial Technical Data: Unlimited Rights
- Contract form not settled. The Air Force may use a FAR contract, an other transaction, a grant or a cooperative agreement, so the terms you sign could differ a lot from the draft documents shown.
Read from the notice and 12 attachments.
- Open Period Solicitation for RE.pdf
- Attachment 1 - SOO.pdf
- Attachment 2 - SOW Supplemental Requirements.pdf
- Attachment 7 - Solicitation Language for Security Risk Review AFRLI 61-113.pdf
- Attachment 8 - SF 424 RR KeyPersonExpanded (1).pdf.crdownload.pdf
- Attachment 4 - SF298.pdf
- Attachment 11 - AFRL Privacy Act for Covered Individuals Fillable.pdf
- Attachment 6 - Draft Articles.pdf
- Attachment 10 - Security Program Questionnaire.pdf
- Attachment 9 - Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet.pdf
- Attachment 5 - Draft Contract CLINs and Clauses.pdf
- Attachment 3 AFRL ANSI_NISO Based Guide to Format Tech Reports.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Future factory technology: in-process monitoring and control, non-destructive inspection and metrology, AR/VR for maintenance, robotics and automation
- Digital enterprise: producibility tools and AI, digital supply chain tools, digital thread and digital twin for acquisition and sustainment
- Manufacturing for hypersonics: ceramics and composites, process monitoring and inspection, air-breathing structures and propulsion, air-launched rocket boosters, high-temperature electronics
- Manufacturing for emerging technologies: quantum, directed energy weapons and biomanufacturing
- Manufacturing risk reduction for AFRL Transformational Capability programs
- Reports and other deliverables set per award (hardware, software and data items to be determined)
- Contract type
- Two-step open period solicitation under a parent Multiple Authority Announcement. Awards are anticipated to be Firm Fixed Price or Cost Plus Fixed Fee contracts, but the Air Force may instead use other transactions, grants or cooperative agreements
- Period of performance
- 12 to 40 months per award, plus an anticipated 3-month draft/final reporting period
- Place of performance
- USA (per SAM.gov); the contracting office is at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
- Estimated value
- Total program estimated cost is $499 Million (about $100M per year, FY26 to FY30); maximum individual awards are not anticipated to exceed $50 Million
- Contract vehicle
- Issued under Multiple Authority Announcement FA2394-24-R-B003 (Foundational Technologies Directorate); the parent announcement and its industry guide must be read with this solicitation
- Offers due
- White papers accepted any time before 1600 EST on 22 June 2031 (SAM.gov lists 2031-06-22 4:00 PM Eastern). Full proposal due dates come only in a later Request for Proposal
- How to submit
- Email the white paper to Contracting Specialist Tristan Lyle (tristan.lyle@us.af.mil), then send a confirmation that it was sent to the Contracting Officer (Elizabeth McNutt) and the Program Manager (Andrew Soine)
- Page limits
- White paper: 5 pages
What they'll judge offers on
- White papers are reviewed using criteria in the RE MAA Industry Guide, Chapter 5 (not provided in the files)
- Full proposal criteria will be given in the formal Request for Proposal sent to selected white paper authors
What to include when you submit
- Step 1 is white papers only; the solicitation says only white papers are due at this time
- White paper content and format rules are in Chapter 4 of the RE MAA Industry Guide, which is not included in the files
- If a white paper is selected, the Request for Proposal sets the proposal due date
- With a proposal, send the security risk review package: Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet, Security Program Questionnaire, and a signed Privacy Act Statement for each covered individual
- If export control applies, send a copy of your approved DD Form 2345 with the proposal
- Interested offerors may tell the Contracting Officer they can meet the need with a commercial item within 15 days of the notice
You must have
- Open to all business sizes (no set-aside); small businesses are encouraged. The draft contract lists NAICS 541715 with a 1,500 employee size standard
This is an unrestricted Open Period Solicitation.
- Registration and certification with the Defense Logistics Agency (Joint Certification Program) is required to take part, with a legitimate business purpose; export-controlled work may require a certified DD Form 2345
contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Agency
- Work may require a SECRET facility clearance and SECRET safeguarding capability, and your security office information must be current with DCSA
facility security clearance and SECRET safeguarding capability.
- Cost-reimbursement awards require an accounting system adequate for tracking contract costs
Cost reimbursement contracts require
- Foreign-owned firms must notify the Contracting Officer before deciding to respond, and restrictions may keep them out
Notice to Foreign-Owned Firms: Such firms are asked to immediately notify the Contracting
- Employees who need access to Air Force bases, AFRL facilities or government networks must be U.S. citizens unless a written waiver is granted (from the draft SOW supplement)
must be U.S. citizens.
- Pass a security risk review of senior and key personnel, with forms submitted at proposal time
Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet (See Appendix 3) AND;
Not in the notice text
- White paper content and format instructions (RE MAA Industry Guide, Chapter 4)
- White paper and proposal review criteria (RE MAA Industry Guide, Chapter 5) and the blank Section M in the draft contract
- Full text of the parent announcement FA2394-24-R-B003 and its amendments
- Details of data rights beyond the summary (Industry Guide, paragraph 3)
- Whether cost sharing applies (stated only as to be determined per solicitation)
- Full text of the middle sections of the Statement of Objectives, draft agreement articles and draft contract clauses, which were cut off in the files provided
- Attachment 8 (SF 424 Key Person form) did not load, so its contents are unknown
- Specific deliverables per award (to be determined)
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Key facts
- Response due
- Jun 22, 2031, 8:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Jun 24, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Solicitation
- FA2394-26-R-B004
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force
- Office
- FA2394 USAF AFMC Afrl PZL Afrl RXKM
- NAICS
- 541715
- Product/service code
- AC13
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research
- Contracting contact
- Mr. Tristan Lyletristan.lyle@us.af.mil
- Versions
- 3 (amended since first posted)
What similar contracts paid
1,020 contracts at this agency for the same NAICS and product/service codes had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 25% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Typical contract$5MMiddle half: $1.9M to $16.1M
Typical per year$1.4MValue divided by years of performance
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Air Force Research Laboratory, Foundational Technologies Directorate (AFRL/RE) is seeking manufacturing technology research and development focused on strengthening defense manufacturing capabilities through the discovery of new manufacturing capabilities and efficiencies, and transitioning capability to the factory or depot floor. Descriptors of manufacturing technology interests are presented in the attachments in the context of manufacturing research and technology development approaches and their applicability to the Air Force high impact technology domains.
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