Sources Sought
Marine Corps Cyberspace Environment (MCCE) Operational Support Services (OSS) and Enterprise Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration
Department of Defense · Department of the Navy
AI summarySources sought (a Request for Information, or RFI): the Marine Corps Systems Command is asking industry how it would supply large-scale IT operational support staff, plus AI tools, for the Marine Corps Cyberspace Environment at Quantico, Virginia. It is market research only, not a solicitation. Responses are due November 3, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern, by email. More in the summary
Market research, not a bid. Replying is free and tells Department of the Navy who could do this work. Send a short reply to the contracting contact; no price is needed. See the contact
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 22, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 16, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 22, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. This summary may miss requirements: 3 of 7 attachments weren't read (Attachment 2- Industry QA Matrix_V1 M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 01.xlsx, Attachment 2- Industry QA Matrix_V1 M67854-26-I-4208.xlsx and 1 more). Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
Sources sought (a Request for Information, or RFI): the Marine Corps Systems Command is asking industry how it would supply large-scale IT operational support staff, plus AI tools, for the Marine Corps Cyberspace Environment at Quantico, Virginia. It is market research only, not a solicitation. Responses are due November 3, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern, by email.
How to submit: Email to Deborah O. Pickeral, Deborah.Pickeral@usmc.mil, with subject line M67854-26-I-4208 MCCE OSS RFI Response-[Vendor Name]. No phone inquiries.. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (8)
- Serious: Very large scale. The environment has about 170,000 Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) users and 25,000 Secret Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) users, growing to 250,000 and 35,000, and past performance is compared to that size.
- Worth checking: Market research only, no contract offered. This RFI is not a solicitation and does not promise one; responding earns no award, though not responding does not bar a firm from a later bid.
- Worth checking: Cleared, certified staff from day one. Contractors get no grace period for staff certifications, and the work needs cleared personnel working inside secure Impact Level 5 and 6 networks.
Show all 8Show fewer
- Worth checking: No new software paid for by the Government. Any AI or automation tools must be funded by the contractor or use the Government's existing tools, so tool costs fall on the bidder.
- Worth checking: Contractor headcount and cost expected to fall. The Government wants the contractor footprint and program cost to shrink over the contract, which cuts a labor-based vendor's revenue.
- Minor: Response due date moved twice. Amendment 03 moves the response due date to November 3, 2026, 1:00 PM from October 19, 2026, 1:00 PM; Amendment 02 had moved it from October 5, 2026, 1:00 PM.
- Minor: Heavy response format. The reply is a 5-page narrative plus a matrix of 51 questions at up to 300 words per cell.
- Minor: Questions and answers still to come. Answers to industry questions will be released in Amendment 04, so requirements or instructions may be clarified further.
Read from the notice and 4 attachments. 3 of 7 not read. Show which files.
- RFI M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 03.docx (read)
- RFI M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 02.docx (read)
- RFI M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 01.docx (read)
- RFI M67854-26-I-4208.docx (read)
- Attachment 2- Industry QA Matrix_V1 M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 01.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Attachment 2- Industry QA Matrix_V1 M67854-26-I-4208.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
- Attachment 1 - Vendor Comment Matrix_M67854-26-I-4208.xlsx: not read (the AI doesn't read this file type yet): open it on SAM.gov
Full summary
What they want
- Cleared, certified IT staff for the Enterprise Service Desk, end user support, datacenter and network operations, cyberspace defense and engineering (Objective 1, the core requirement)
- Services run to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework inside the Government's existing IT service management platform (Objective 2)
- AI and automation used by the contractor's staff to cut routine manual work and, over time, the contractor headcount and cost (Objective 3, exploratory)
- Industry views on pricing, contract type, performance measures, transition from the current provider and small business roles, answered across Areas A to G (51 questions)
- A non-binding rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimate over a 5-year ordering period
- Ideas for ordering by hours of service or service outcomes instead of labor categories (added by Amendment 03)
- Contract type
- Not decided. The RFI asks industry to recommend a type, such as labor hour with incentives, firm-fixed-price (FFP) or a hybrid.
- Period of performance
- Not set. The ROM estimate covers a 5-year ordering period, and the Government is considering base period(s) first and optional AI integration in later option periods.
- Place of performance
- Quantico, VA, USA
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- No award. Responses are market research; the Government will use them to finalize the acquisition approach and select the most capable partner(s).
- Offers due
- November 3, 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 16, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Email to Deborah O. Pickeral, Deborah.Pickeral@usmc.mil, with subject line M67854-26-I-4208 MCCE OSS RFI Response-[Vendor Name]. No phone inquiries.
- Page limits
- Capabilities Narrative: 5 pages (PDF). Optional Supplementary Materials: 15 pages (PDF), separate. Vendor Comment Matrix: no page limit, 300 words per cell.
What they'll judge offers on
- Area A: Company Overview and Past Performance
- Area B: AI Capabilities, Commercial Model and Intellectual Property
- Area C: AI Technical Architecture and Security
- Area D: Staffing, Performance Metrics and Incentives
- Area E: Transition, Continuity of Operations and Unplanned Contingencies
- Area F: DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) Compliance and Talent Supply Chain
- Area G: Contracting Structure and Alternative Acquisition Strategies
What to include when you submit
- Include a cover page with the notice number M67854-26-I-4208, project name, company name, address, CAGE code and UEI, point of contact, and business size and socioeconomic status.
- Send Section I, the Capabilities Narrative covering company overview, past performance and general strategy, as a PDF.
- Send Section II, Attachment 1 (Vendor Comment Matrix), in native Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format, answering the 51 questions in Areas A through G.
- Give two (2) past performance references for similar large-scale IT support services, with case studies and quantified results.
- Include a non-binding ROM estimate split into Labor, Implementation and Integration, Platform Licensing/Subscription, Variable/Consumption Costs, and Operations and Maintenance across 5 years.
- Put tooling costs of contractor-owned proprietary tools inside the Labor rates; mark the Platform Licensing and Variable/Consumption lines $0 if your solution creates no Government-incurred cost.
- Format: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial, 1-inch margins, PDF.
- Mark all proprietary information.
After award, you must have
- For the future work: contract personnel must hold all required DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) certifications from the first billable hour, and the staff must be cleared. From RFI M67854-26-I-4208 Amendment 03.docx:
Contracted support personnel must be fully, foundationally qualified (holding all required DCWF certifications) on day one.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. The RFI calls this the planned follow-on to Marine Corps operational and labor support now performed under a task order on the Navy Service Management, Integration, and Transport (SMIT) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. No sources-sought response counts or Government estimate are given.
Not in the notice text
- Answers to industry questions are in final review and will come in Amendment 04, which is not yet posted in these documents.
- The Vendor Comment Matrix and the Industry QA Matrix spreadsheets are attached but not read; the 51 questions are listed in the RFI itself.
- Contract type, contract value, set-aside and the number of awards are not decided or stated.
- The RFI does not state the clearance level required for personnel.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside. Any business can reply: this is market research, and no bid is being taken yet.
- To respond, send a short reply to the contracting contact near the top of this page. No price is needed.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 16, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Office
- Commander, Quantico, VA
- Product/service code
- DA01 · IT and Telecom – Business Application/Application Development Support Services (labor)
- Business type
- IT, software & telecom (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541513)
- Versions
6 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 22, 2026 · Amendment 0005Due Nov 3, 2026
- Oct 16, 2026 · Amendment 0004 (this version)Due Nov 3, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 23, 2026 · Amendment 0003Due Oct 19, 2026
- Sep 23, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Oct 19, 2026 (changed)
- Sep 14, 2026 · Amendment 0001Due Oct 5, 2026
- Sep 11, 2026 · Sources SoughtDue Oct 5, 2026
- 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
Terms on this notice: Sources sought notice
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Amendment 03 is attached to revise the response due date from 19 October 2026 at 1:00 P.M. to 03 November 2026 at 1:00 P.M. Questions and answers are in final review and will be released in Amendment 04. Please see below for Market Research Clarifications. Market Research Clarification Statements: 1. Clarification on Primary Scope and Contractor-Provided Tooling: The Government reiterates that the primary requirement of this effort is the provision of skilled, professional IT touch-labor services (Objective 1). Any proposed AI/automation tooling must be presented as an embedded component of the service delivery model, consistent with the constraints in Section 3.2 of the RFI, designed to augment the workforce and improve efficiency. 2. Additional Request for Information on Service-Based Ordering Models: In addition to the areas outlined in the original RFI, the Government is seeking industry feedback on recommended ordering approaches for service-based delivery models. Respondents are encouraged to describe frameworks where the Government could procure "hours of service" or service outcomes rather than individual labor categories. Descriptions should include associated tooling considerations, structural elements that support efficient ordering, and methods for performance tracking. 3. Clarification on Submission Formatting: To resolve confusion identified in industry questions, respondents are instructed to adhere to the following: The "Capabilities Narrative" is limited to five (5) pages (PDF). Any optional "Supplementary Materials" are separate and limited to fifteen (15) pages (PDF). The "Vendor Comment Matrix" must be submitted in its native Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format, and the 300-word limit per cell is in effect. 4. Clarification on ROM Pricing and Software Licensing: To resolve the conflict identified between RFI Section 3.2 and Area B, respondents are instructed that this is a services acquisition. Any costs associated with contractor-provided proprietary tooling (licensing, subscriptions, etc.) are expected to be included within the fully burdened labor rates of the "Labor" ROM component. The "Platform Licensing/Subscription" and "Variable/Consumption Costs" line items should be used only for estimating potential Government-incurred costs on Government-owned platforms (e.g., ServiceNow credits, Power Platform licensing). If a vendor's solution does not generate such costs, those line items should be marked as $0. Amendment 02 is attached to revise the response due date from 5 October 2026 at 1:00 P.M. to 19 October 2026 at 1:00 P.M. Questions are in the process of being answered. No additional questions will be accepted at this time. Amendment 01 is attached to revise the release date and the response due date. Thank you! The Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), Portfolio Acquisition Executive Mission Systems (PAE MS), is conducting market research to identify capable, innovative commercial partners to deliver comprehensive, enterprise-scale Information Technology (IT) Operational Support Services (OSS). While providing qualified, certified personnel remains the primary focus, the Government is simultaneously exploring the integration of commercial AI and automation technologies as a critical capability for our selected partner(s) to drive operational efficiencies. Consolidating professional services represents a strategic opportunity to optimize workflows and lower manual touch-labor costs over time by equipping the contractor workforce with advanced automation tools.
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