Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

Quick Summary

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) has issued a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), N00164-25-S-C001, to rapidly acquire innovative commercial solutions. This general solicitation seeks technologies, processes, or methods that are new or new applications of existing ones, focusing on Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions, and Electromagnetic Warfare. The CSO is open until July 3, 2028, with specific Areas of Interest (AOIs) posted separately.

Purpose & Scope

NSWC Crane's mission is to deliver innovative solutions and readiness to Warfighters. This CSO, authorized by 10 U.S.C. 3458, aims to streamline the incorporation of advanced technology by partnering with private industry. It targets solutions that address capability gaps or provide technological advancements relevant to the Department of Defense. All acquired products and services will be treated as commercial and awarded on a fixed-price basis.

Focus Areas

• Expeditionary Warfare: Seeking autonomous solutions with a focus on payload and sensor integration to enhance detection, tracking, identification, decision-making, maneuver, and kinetic/non-kinetic engagement capabilities for multi-domain, uncrewed, and counter-crewed systems, particularly for the Indo-Pacific region.
• Strategic Missions: Focused on Fleet Readiness, Modernization, and Hypersonics, including full life cycle management for hardware, ordnance, and power systems, and modernization of the nuclear enterprise.
• Electromagnetic Warfare: Concentrated on non-kinetic expertise and electromagnetic spectrum dominance, supporting multi-domain integrated solutions through multispectral capabilities, technology development, rapid prototyping, production, and sustainment.

Process & Evaluation

The CSO employs a three-phased competitive process:

1. Phase 1: Solution Briefs: Respondents submit briefs (up to 5 pages or 15 slides) in response to individual AOIs. Evaluation criteria include innovation, relevance to the AOI, technical merit, and feasibility.
2. Phase 2: Pitch Session: Selected entities are invited to provide in-person or virtual pitches to demonstrate their solution's technical and business viability, including estimated price/schedule (Rough Order of Magnitude - ROM) and anticipated data rights.
3. Phase 3: Proposal: Entities whose Solution Brief and Pitch are deemed meritorious are invited to submit a full written proposal, including technical and price/cost/schedule sections.

Contract Details

Awards will be fixed-price and may utilize FAR-based contracts, Purchase Orders, Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), and/or Bailment Agreements. OTAs are authorized under 10 U.S.C. 4022 for prototype projects. Successful prototype projects may lead to follow-on production contracts or agreements without further competition.

Eligibility & Submission

To be eligible for a prototype OTA, at least one of the following must be met: significant participation by a non-traditional defense contractor or non-profit research institution; all significant participants are small businesses or non-traditional defense contractors; or at least one-third of the prototype project cost is from non-Federal sources. Entities must have a DUNS and CAGE Code registered in SAM.gov to receive an award. Submissions must be electronic.

Key Dates & Contacts

The overall CSO is open until July 3, 2028. Specific Areas of Interest (AOIs) will be published separately on SAM.gov and the NSWC Crane website, each with its own submission deadlines. Primary Contact: Bradly McLaughlin (bradly.k.mclaughlin.civ@us.navy.mil).