REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: NEXT-GENERATION COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS IN DEFENDED ENCLAVES (NCODE)

** Update 07 March 2025 **

The CSO for “Protecting Army Modernization and Supply Chains” and the first Area of Interest for "NCODE Automation" have been posted to sam.gov. Solution briefs for A01- NCODE Automation are due on 24 March 2025.

Sam.gov topic # W918Z25SA001

Link- https://sam.gov/opp/5c5177c95786480888453297080747ab/view 

** Update 08 January 2025 **

This notice has been updated to include Answers to additional Questions received to date. 

** Update 23 December 2024 **

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback to the NCODE RFI to date. As a result of some of the initial responses, we are extending the timeline for submission to 10 January 2025 and have revised the content of Appendix 2- Questions for Service- Solution Providers and the Pilot Increment Cost Estimate Table.

Given the changes made, if you have submitted a response to Part 1 Service/Solution Provider – Contract Strategy Feedback and/or Part 2- Pilot Increment Cost Estimate Table, please review the changes and submit a revised response by the 10 January 2025 deadline. 

** Update 20 December 2024 **

This notice has been updated to include Answers to Questions received to date. Please note that the team is working through questions as they come in and will follow up with additional updates to this document when possible. 

******************************

Request for Information (RFI)

Next-generation Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves (NCODE)

12 December 2024

What the Army is working to accomplish:

Next-generation Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves (NCODE) is an Army initiative to help small businesses (SB)s improve Defense Industrial Base (DIB) cybersecurity. NCODE will provide a secure and defended, cloud-based environment with basic productivity (e.g. e-mail, storage, word/data processing), advanced business operations support, software development, and digital engineering. This environment will help SBs implement NIST SP 800-171 security controls as part of emerging contractual requirements. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Data, Engineering, Software), DASA(DES), is leading the transition of NCODE from an initial proof or concept to a two-year, agile Pilot.

The purpose of the agile Pilot is to refine the NCODE concept, through competitive partnerships with both Small Business Users and potential Service/Solution Providers to:

• Demonstrate and assess the feasibility, effectiveness, and cybersecurity of the concept at increasing scale.
• Identify and refine additional SB needs and integrate services/solutions to address them into the environment at various pilot increments.
• Identify and understand relevant approaches to providing services/solutions in this space.
• Collaborate with service/solution providers to optimize competition within contracting approaches.
• Refine potential Army requirements to transition NCODE to a potential enduring program.

How you can help: 

The Army seeks your input on proposed contract strategies and technical considerations that should be considered both for the Service/Solution Providers and the Small Business Users.  “Appendix 1- Threshold Requirements for NCODE Pilot” provides an operational use case and technical requirements to bound the Pilot for this RFI.

The Army is requesting the following response:

• Part-1.  Service/Solution Provider – Contract Strategy Feedback.  This qualitative feedback will inform how the Army structures the follow-on contract solicitation. 
• Part-2.  Service/Solution Provider – Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Cost Estimate.  This quantitative feedback will inform both how the Army plan to resource the requested services/solutions, as well as follow-on contract solicitation. 
• Part-3.  Small Business User – Feature Feedback.  This will inform what capabilities the Army solicits as part of the following contract solicitation. 

NOTE ON PRICING.  While all pricing submitted in response to the RFI is considered an estimate and non-binding, we request that you provide as close to a realistic price point as possible for the Government to develop an accurate strategy. ADDITIONALLY, PRICING INFORMATION WILL NOT BE USED TO PRE-SCREEN OR REMOVE ANY COMPANY FROM CONSIDERATION FROM A FUTURE COMPETITIVE ACTION.

How to Reply: 

To reply, please provide your response to the below items NLT 10:00 EST 10 January 2025.

• Part-1.  Service/Solution Provider – Contract Strategy Feedback.   Part-1 questions are in Appendix 2 “Questions for Service/Solution Providers”.  Submit responses to these questions through the following Microsoft Forms link:  https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/SGt7sWWwEP
• Part-2.  Service/Solution Provider – ROM Cost Estimate.  Complete the attached “Pilot Increment Cost Estimate Table.” (Click "SAVE-AS" to save excel file) and Email to NCODE@army.mil.  At a minimum, each respondent must use the prescribed spreadsheet to facilitate analysis across offerors.  Respondents may also include additional pricing information as needed to convey appropriate context.
• Part-3.  Small Business User – Feature Feedback. Part-3 questions are in Appendix-3 “Questions for Small Business Users." Submit responses to these questions through the following Microsoft Forms link:  https://forms.osi.apps.mil/r/QriYPqGciz

RFI Submission Points of Contact:  NCODE@army.mil. 

QUESTIONS

Submit all questions related to this RFI to NCODE@army.mil. The NCODE team will post all questions received and responses to this announcement within one-business day to maximize transparency. 

Disclaimer:  This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. This RFI is not a solicitation and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this request.  Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference. The Government does not intend to reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses to this RFI; respondents to this RFI are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.