Presolicitation
Combat Identification Automated Target Recognition Technology (CATCH)
Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force · Sol. FA237725RB004
Due in 1251 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.
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Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) has posted an Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) called CATCH for combat identification and automatic target recognition technology, at technology readiness levels 3 to 7. It is not asking for white papers or proposals yet; separate "calls" for specific topics will be issued while the ARA stays open until 14 March 2030. The total program is about $95 million, split across multiple awards.
Watch out for
- Nothing to bid on yet; two-step process. This notice only posts the umbrella ARA. Real white paper or proposal requests come later in calls, and in a two-step call only firms whose white papers are accepted are asked for a full proposal, so missing the first step shuts you out of the second.
First Step: WHITE PAPER DUE DATE AND TIME - TBD on individual calls.
- Not an open offer deadline. SAM.gov shows a response deadline of 2030-03-14, but that is when the ARA stops accepting calls, not a date to send an offer; individual calls set their own deadlines.
SUBMITTALS AT THIS TIME. THE BASIC ARA WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR CALLS
- Controlled Statement of Objectives. The actual requirements document is Controlled Unclassified Information and is released only to qualified U.S. contractors with a certified DD Form 2345, so you cannot size the work until you are certified and request it.
Qualified U.S. contractors must request a copy of the SOO
- Security clearances up to Top Secret. Awards may involve classified work (SCI, SAP/SAR), which needs cleared facilities and people that many small businesses do not have.
a. Program Security Classification: Anticipated up to a Top Secret
- Cost-reimbursement accounting system. Cost-type contracts need an accounting system DCMA considers adequate; a company without one cannot be awarded.
NOTE: Cost reimbursable contracts require successful offerors to have an accounting
- Foreign-influence disclosures for key people. Every key person must be disclosed with current and pending research support, and false statements can bring False Claims Act liability; this adds paperwork and a risk review that can decline an award.
(a) Security Risk Review. Each proposal submission will be subject to a Security
- U.S. citizens only for base and network access. Foreign-national staff (including Green Card holders) cannot get base or network access without a written waiver.
must be U.S. citizens.
- Government expects broad data rights. The Air Force expects unlimited rights in data developed at its expense and at least Government Purpose Rights for mixed funding; restricting your own software or data needs detailed assertions.
Nonconforming assertions lists will be rejected.
- Template documents with blanks. The model contract and Section K are templates (Section K carries a different solicitation number, FA8650-22-R-1004) and the DD254 is only a placeholder, so final terms will come with each call.
Placeholder DD254:
Read from the notice and 11 attachments.
- CATCH ARA Solicitation Amendment 1.pdf
- CATCH ARA Solicitation.pdf
- Attachment 5 - Statement of Objectives.pdf
- Attachment 6 - SOO Supplemental Requirements.pdf
- Attachment 3 - Solicitation DD254.pdf
- Attachment 1 - Model Contract.pdf
- Attachment 4 - Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs).pdf
- Attachment 9 - AFRL Privacy Act for Covered Individuals.pdf
- Attachment 2 - Section K.pdf
- Attachment 7 - Security Program Questionnaire.pdf
- Attachment 8 - Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Sensor exploitation from multiple warfighting domains, with focus on air, ground and surface targets
- Exploitation and fusion of multiple sensor types (active and passive) from one or several platforms
- OMS technologies and third-party software and/or mode exploration
- A packaged tool for air and ground targets with CAD models, signature predictors and combat identification features
- Realistic high-fidelity data sets (synthetic, measured, commercial) and a common feature database
- Modeling and evaluation of expected technology gains using AFSIM and custom engineering tools
- Combat identification algorithms for single-ship, multi-ship and JADC2 use that fuse multiple sensors
- Testing (bench, SIL, HWIL, flight) and maturing the capabilities toward operational readiness
- Contract type
- Mostly Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) or other cost-type contracts expected; the Air Force may instead use Other Transactions (OTs)
- Period of performance
- To be determined in each call; the ARA itself stays open for calls until 14 March 2030
- Place of performance
- Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (per SAM.gov); overseas performance and base support to be set per call
- Estimated value
- Total program about $95,000,000; multiple awards from $1,000,000 to $35,000,000 (the Air Force may exceed these amounts)
- Contract vehicle
- Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) with Calls: one-step calls ask for proposals, two-step calls ask for white papers first
- How they'll choose
- Set in each call. Two-step calls screen white papers first; full proposals then go through Peer or Scientific Review and are rated Selectable or Not Selectable, with technical merit ranked first and cost/price second. Award also depends on importance to agency programs and funding.
- Offers due
- Not set yet. The ARA is open for calls until 14 March 2030 (SAM.gov lists 2030-03-14, 5:00 PM Eastern); each call will give its own white paper or proposal due date and time
- How to submit
- To the Contracting Point of Contact (Joseph Mergler or Omar Eldadah, AFRL/RYKSR, Bldg. 45, 2130 8th St., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7541), or as the individual call says
- Page limits
- To be determined in each call (proposal and Statement of Work page limits); pages over the limit are not considered
What they'll judge offers on
- White paper review (equal importance unless a call says otherwise): (1) technical approach fits the listed Technical Areas of Interest, (2) research is of interest to the Government, (3) appropriate funding is available
- Technical Merit (first priority, criteria of equal importance): (a) understanding of the scope of the technical effort, (b) soundness of approach, including related experience and qualified technical personnel, (c) potential to advance the state of the art and meet mission needs, (d) potential to transition to future Government needs, including any restrictions on technical data or software
- Cost/Price (second priority): realism of the proposed cost
What to include when you submit
- Nothing is due now: watch SAM.gov for amendments and for the individual calls
- Late white papers or proposals are not considered, and base security delays, carrier delays and slow postal mail count as late; early submission is encouraged
- Acknowledge Amendment 0001, which adds FAR 52.222-90 (Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors) and updates FAR 52.244-6
- Proposals for contracts: complete the Section K representations and certifications and send them with the proposal
- Send a data rights assertions list (DFARS 252.227-7017) with the proposal, completed with specificity; nonconforming lists are rejected
- Security paperwork with each proposal: Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet, Security Program Questionnaire, and a signed Privacy Act Statement for each covered individual
- If the work is export controlled, include a certified DD Form 2345
- Cost/business proposal is separate from the technical proposal, has no page limit, and needs a cost breakdown by task and by contractor fiscal year
- Offerors other than small businesses must include a subcontracting plan for efforts over $700,000; small businesses are exempt
You must have
- Open to all sizes: no set-aside; NAICS 541715 with a 1,000-employee size standard
NAICS Code: The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541715 and the small business
- An accounting system the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) considers adequate, for cost-type contracts
NOTE: Cost reimbursable contracts require successful offerors to have an accounting
- Pass an Air Force Security Risk Review of all senior/key personnel and "covered individuals" (foreign influence check) before selection
(a) Security Risk Review. Each proposal submission will be subject to a Security
- Facility and personnel able to handle security classification up to Top Secret (including SCI and SAP/SAR) as set by each award; cognizant security office information must be current
a. Program Security Classification: Anticipated up to a Top Secret
- To get the Statement of Objectives you must be a qualified U.S. contractor with a certified, current DD Form 2345 (Joint Certification Program)
Qualified U.S. contractors must request a copy of the SOO
- Staff who need base or Government network access must be U.S. citizens (a Green Card does not count), unless the Contracting Officer waives it in writing
must be U.S. citizens.
- Export-controlled work needs a certified DD Form 2345 submitted with the proposal
k. If the effort is subject to Export Control, offerors must submit a Certified DD
- OFCCP pre-award clearance for awards of $10,000,000 or more unless the contractor is already on the national pre-award registry
5. Pre-Award Clearance: Pursuant to FAR 22.805, a preaward clearance must be
Not in the notice text
- The specific topics, white paper/proposal due dates and number of awards for each call (none issued yet)
- Period of performance, place of performance, deliverables, hardware and software requirements: all "to be determined" per call
- The Statement of Objectives (Controlled Unclassified Information, not provided) and the DD254 security specification (placeholder only)
- Page limits for white papers, proposals and the Statement of Work
- Whether a given call will use a FAR contract or an Other Transaction
- Key personnel positions and minimum qualifications (left blank in the supplemental requirements)
- Part of the ARA text (about 13,800 characters, including some proposal format rules), most of the model contract (about 182,000 characters) and parts of Section K were not provided
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Key facts
- Response due
- Mar 14, 2030, 9:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Jul 7, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Solicitation
- FA237725RB004
- Agency
- Dept of Defense · Dept of the Air Force
- Office
- FA2377 USAF AFMC Afrl PZL Afrl Ryks
- NAICS
- 541715
- Product/service code
- AC12
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research
- Place of performance
- Wright Patterson AFB, OH, 45433
- Contracting contact
- Kameron GrubaughKameron.Grubaugh@us.af.mil
- Versions
- 2 (amended since first posted)
What similar contracts paid
1,057 contracts at this agency under the same NAICS code, in the same state, 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$6MMiddle half: $2.4M to $12.5M
Typical per year$1.1MValue divided by years of performance
Possible incumbent's contract endsFeb 2031A similar contract in this state, ending near when this one starts
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
This program completes work primarily ranging from TRL 3 to TRL 7 in modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A), technology development, integration, test and evaluation (T&E), and transition coordination. The program will look at the follow areas: (1) Sensor exploitation from multiple warfighting domains with focus on air, ground, and surface targets, (2) Exploitation and fusion of multiple sensor modalities, including active and passive modes, from single and multiple platforms, (3) OMS technologies and third-party software and/or mode exploration
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