Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG)Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network (CPE C2IN) Commercial Solution Opening (CSO) Call for Solutions (CfS) for PdM WESS

Capability Program Executive Command and Control Information Network (CPE C2IN) Commercial Solution Opening (CSO) Call for Solutions (CfS) for Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) Commercial Digital Intermediate Frequency Subsystem (DIFS) under the Army Open Solicitation (AOS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Project Office/Customer Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) Contracting Activity Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) CSO Number Army Open Solicitation (AOS) - W9128Z-25-S-A002 Call for Solution Title Commercial Digital Intermediate Frequency Subsystem (DIFS) under the Army Open Solicitation (AOS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Contracting Points of Contact Contracting Officer: Licinda Peters Email: licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil Contract Specialist: Keith Magaw Email: keith.a.magaw.civ@army.mil Questions Due Date/Time 05 November 2026 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) Solution Brief Due Date/Time 10 December 2026 at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) Submit Solution Brief Via Sam.gov and AOS Controlled by U.S. Army Controlled by: PdM WESS CUI Category: Operations Security (OPSEC) Limited Dissemination Control: FEDCON POC: licinda.m.peters.civ@army.mil SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS) is seeking solutions for a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Digital Intermediate Frequency (IF) system to satisfy the requirements for Increment 1 of this modernization effort. The current legacy analog infrastructure limits scalability, resilience, and interoperability. Under this Call for Solutions, the selected vendor will deliver, integrate, install, and acceptance-test a flexible, open-standard, modular Digital IF solution across up to twenty (20) worldwide satellite communications (SATCOM) teleport sites. Increment 1 will establish a fully operational baseline designed to support subsequent capability upgrades and integrations in future fiscal years. SECTION 2 – REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION PROBLEM STATEMENT Area of Interest: Modular Digital Intermediate Frequency Solutions for Next-Generation SATCOM Teleports Background & Operational Context Current Department of War (DoW) satellite communications (SATCOM) ground infrastructure relies heavily on legacy L-Band Intermediate Frequency (IF) distribution systems. These analog-hardware-bound architectures limit flexibility, inhibit rapid tech insertion, and create single points of failure across global teleport infrastructures. To counter emerging near-peer threats in dynamic operational environments, the warfighter requires highly resilient, agile, and rapidly scalable SATCOM. The Problem The legacy L-Band architecture fails to offer the ability to dynamically route or transport Radio Frequency (RF) signals over DoW Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This lack of flexibility inhibits the resilience of geostationary earth orbit (GEO) SATCOM operations. To transition to a modern, flexible, software-defined ground segment, the DoW requires an open-standard Digital IF architecture. However, before committing to a full-scale global deployment, the DoW must validate the operation, interoperability, security, and performance of these modular commercial solutions in a rigorous representative environment. Technical Objective & Scope The DoW seeks a commercial solution for an Increment 1 Digital IF capability set built on a flexible, open standard (e.g., Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability compliant), modular architecture. The selected solution will undergo standard site acceptance testing and operational verification to confirm compliance with contract performance requirements and site compatibility. Upon successful acceptance, this operational configuration will serve as the standardized baseline for deployment and installation across up to twenty (20) worldwide SATCOM teleport sites. Mission Impact Successful validation and deployment of this flexible open-standard Digital IF architecture will directly enhance warfighter lethality and survivability by delivering a highly resilient, agile, and survivable GEO-SATCOM capability which rapidly adapts to contested/congested environments. SCOPE AND TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES The scope of this effort is to acquire, integrate, test, and field a commercially available or commercial-derivative Digital IF suite, and to operationalize it within existing DoW Teleports. The subsystem shall demonstrate the core capability to digitize analog L-band satellite signals, transport them over a high-speed digital network, and convert them back to analog signals, while handling native digital IF traffic from modems. The subsystem shall leverage mature commercial solutions with an emphasis on automation, reliability, and adherence to open standards, for example, the IEEE-ISTO Std 4900-2021 (DIFI) standard. The offeror shall propose a commercial solution that achieves the following high-level technical objectives, aligned with the core characteristics of the DoW modernization framework: Objective 1: Interoperable Digital IF Conversion (Modular & Open): The DIFS shall convert legacy analog L-band aggregate signals (950 MHz - 2.050 GHz) into standards-compliant Digital IF packet streams and vice versa. This includes both transmit (analog-to-digital) and receive (digital-to-analog) paths, conforming to the DIFI standard to prevent vendor lock-in. Objective 2: Advanced Digital Signal Processing (Adaptable): The commercial subsystem shall combine multiple, disparate Digital IF streams into a single aggregate (combined) stream for uplink and channelize a single aggregate (combined) downlink stream into multiple, individual Digital IF streams for processing. Objective 3: High-Performance Digital Transport (Scalable): The subsystem shall utilize a non-blocking, high-speed digital switch fabric to route Digital IF streams between all subsystem components and external interfaces (e.g., Digital Modems, Global Agile Integrated Transport (GAIT) connections, Wide Area Network (WAN) transport etc. The fabric shall support standard network scaling, redundancy, and high-throughput operations (up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet). The switch fabric shall provide a means for rapid reconfiguration of packet forwarding by the Automated Management and Control Function without the use of Layer 3 routing protocols. The switch fabric shall use deterministic multicast routing based on the incoming port without requiring strict multicast tables. Objective 4: Automated Management and Control (Empowered): The subsystem shall feature a software-based management suite. This software shall automate the establishment, termination, and monitoring of communication paths based on satellite access parameters, manage automatic protection switching for redundant components, and support automated rerouting of critical traffic to alternate facilities. Objective 5: Integrated Test and Diagnostics: The DIFS shall incorporate built-in test capabilities to generate, capture, and analyze Digital IF streams to allow for rapid troubleshooting, performance verification (e.g., Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) & spectral purity), and subsystem health monitoring with minimal operational burden and with on-site test equipment. Objective 6: Resilient and Maintainable Design (Resilient): The commercial solution shall be designed for high availability Ai ? 0.9998) a long service life (15 years), and rapid maintainability (MTTR ? 30 minutes), using standard line-replaceable items (LRIs). Objective 7: Secure and Compliant Architecture (Secure): The subsystem design shall be capable of achieving a Risk Management Framework (RMF) authorization for a security categorization of (Confidentiality, Moderate), (Integrity, Moderate), (Availability, Moderate). Objective 8: Achieve Military Compliance and Certification Readiness: The delivered commercial units and data packages shall be verified to meet the requirements of a strategic military environment. The subsystem performance shall adhere to applicable military standards, including SATCOM interoperability (MIL-STD-188-164C), electromagnetic interference (MIL-STD-461G), and environmental engineering (MIL-STD-810H). All testing, data, and documentation produced shall support Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) terminal certification. Objective 9: Global Integration and Installation Support (Fieldable): The commercial solution provider shall provide the engineering services, site-specific technical expertise, and field support necessary to install, integrate, and configure the DIFS baseline across up to twenty (20) or more globally dispersed DoW Teleports, ensuring seamless interoperability with host facility infrastructure and legacy analog/digital interfaces. The Government will consider commercial solution approaches and vendors that fall along a spectrum of technological maturity, from capabilities that may require some further development to those that are fully commercialized and currently fielded. Deliverables The primary deliverable is a Full-Scale Engineering Development (FSED) DIFS (First Article) that successfully meets the objectives in Section 3.0, followed by optional production units. Associated deliverables include: Technical Data Package (TDP): A comprehensive TDP including interface specifications, commercial subsystem design documents, and standard test procedures. Electronic Technical Manual (ETM): A manual sufficient for trained technicians to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the subsystem. New Equipment Training (NET): Training materials and courseware required to train operators and maintainers on the subsystem. Test Reports: First Article Testing (FAT) reports suitable for use as evidence for WGS certification. Logistics Demonstration: A verification demonstration of maintainability requirements (e.g., MTTR) performed by the offeror using the provided ETM, tools, and recommended spare parts. Integration Support: Technical support for system integration and government-led field verification. Risk Management Framework: Artifacts suitable for verification that the security architecture and included security controls are adequate for the security categorization. Programmatic Objectives & Commercial Acquisition Strategy This acquisition is conducted under the Army Open Solutions (AOS) to identify and procure mature, commercially available technologies using Other Procurement, Army (OPA) funds. The Government's objective is to verify a c, followed by the immediate execution of priced contract options for the procurement, installation, and sustainment of production-ready subsystems at up to twenty (20) or more DoW Teleports and strategic gateway sites worldwide. Program Schedule and Milestones The offeror shall propose a streamlined schedule based on commercial product availability and rapid verification milestones: Commercial Solution Technical Demonstration Physical Configuration Audit (PCA) / Baseline Review First Article Delivery First Article Testing (FAT) & Verification Logistics & Performance Demonstration Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and Teleport Integration SECTION 3 – SUBMISSION AND SELECTION Selection of awardee is planned to be conducted using a three (3) step approach: Step 1 – Request for Solution Briefs, Step 2 – Pitch Session and/or Vendor Technical Demonstration (PS/VTD) and Step 3 – Proposal Submission. A multi-disciplined working group of technical experts will evaluate the solution Briefs on their own technical merit and not against other solutions. Solution Briefs, and Pitches and/or Demos will be evaluated based on adherence to the following submission and evaluation criteria. STEP: 1 – REQUEST FOR SOLUTION BRIEFS Parties with innovative solutions interested in being considered for this Digital IF solution shall submit a Solution Brief for review, prior to submission of a formal proposal. Solution Briefs that do not meet the requirements in this Call will no