In This Week’s Newsletter:
- Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: USACE DBB
- Four To Follow: Four Interesting Pursuits
- The Interesting Section: Federal Government Procurement Acceleration
- Capture Corner: Reshaping Defense Procurement, 2026
- Pricing Insights: Protest Analysis for Competitor and Customer Insight
Opportunity Alert – USACE DBB
Contact Katie: katie.clatterbuck@hinzconsulting.com
Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Design, Bid, Build (DBB) High Speed Test Track.
USACE issued a Sources Sought notice on November 21, 2025, requesting responses from qualified and experienced contractors capable of repairing a part of the Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT). Responses to this Sources Sought are due no later than 2:00 PM MT on January 6, 2026. The Government anticipates releasing this $300M opportunity in October 2026, with an estimated award in June 2027. The Competition type for this effort is currently unknown. Reach out to Hinz Consulting for Capture, Graphics, Price-to-Win (PTW), or Proposal support, and continue to monitor SAM.gov for updates to the procurement timeline.
Four to Follow
- Department of Justice (DOJ), US Marshals Service (USMS), Executive Administrative and Professional Support Services. On October 3, 2025, the USMS issued an RFI inviting industry to share their experience providing Professional and Administrative Support Services of a similar size and scope to this effort. USMS released answers to industry’s questions on November 20, 2025. RFI responses are due no later than 11:59 PM ET on December 12, 2025. This $190M Small Business Set-Aside is anticipated for release on or around May 2026, with a projected award of March 2027. Continue to monitor SAM.govand your eBUY portal for further information on the procurement schedule.
- Department of the Navy (DON), Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Technical and Industrial Support Services (TISS). On November 19, 2025, the Contracting Office issued a Sources Sought notice requesting capability statements from interested vendors with experience in providing Range Operations and Systems Support, Environment and Failure Analysis Testing Support, Industrial Support, and Common Support. Responses are due no later than 4:00 PM EST on December 19, 2025. The final RFP for this $50M SB Set-Aside is expected to be released via SeaPort NxG around the end of December 2025, with a projected award timeframe of September 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.govand your SeaPort portal for more information.
- Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Policy Engineering Analyses and Research Support (PEARS III). The FAA released the Draft Screening Information Request (SIR) on November 18, 2025, outlining the requirements for a contractor to support research, engineering, analysis, and policy efforts across multiple FAA offices. Responses to the Draft SIR must be submitted to FAA AAQ 460 no later than January 21, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST. The final RFP for this $50M single-award IDIQ is expected to be released around February 2026, with an award anticipated in June 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further movement on this effort.
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Acquisition Support Services. On November 21, 2025, DHS issued an RFI and Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) through GSA MAS and OASIS+ SB for interested contractors with expertise in operational contracting support, data analysis, procurement analysis, and administrative support. Responses to the RFI are due by 5:00 PM ET on December 1, 2025. Depending on industry’s responses to the RFI requirements, the final RFP for this $50M, Small Business Set-Aside will be released through OASIS+SB or GSA MAS (SIN 541611). Continue to monitor SAM.gov, APFS, and your eBUY portals for further information and schedule updates.
Federal Government Procurement Acceleration
The federal government is currently pursuing procurement accelerationmethods through a variety of major initiatives focused on streamlining regulations, centralizing buying power, and rapidly adopting innovative technologies.
Some of the key strategies and trends driving this acceleration are as follows:
1. Regulatory Overhaul and Simplification
A core focus is reducing the complexity of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and agency-specific supplements to speed up the process:
- FAR Revision: The Government is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of the FAR, aiming to remove non-statutory or unnecessary regulations to create a more agile, effective, and efficient system.
- Commercial Solutions Preference: There is a reinforced directive to procure commercial products and services to the maximum extent practicable, shifting away from expensive, time-consuming custom solutions.
- Increased Thresholds:Legislative proposals, like the SPEED Act, aim to raise various statutory dollar thresholds for acquisitions, which would increase contracting officers’ authority to use simplified and non-competitive procedures.
2. Centralizing and Modernizing Acquisition
The General Services Administration (GSA) is leading efforts to consolidate buying power and simplify how agencies procure common goods and services:
- “OneGov” Initiative: This GSA strategy treats the entire federal government as a single enterprise buyer, securing enterprise-wide agreementswith standardized pricing and terms. This reduces complexity and allows agencies to place orders quickly through familiar vehicles like the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS).
- AI and Automation: Agencies are increasingly leveraging technologies like AI and Machine Learning within platforms (e.g., Symphony, PRISM) to:
3. Special Pathways for Innovation
The Department of War is the largest federal buyer and is aggressively adopting faster acquisition frameworks to keep pace with technology:
- Adaptive Acquisition Framework: This framework includes specialized, fast-paced pathways for different types of acquisitions.
- Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs): These flexible mechanisms allow agencies to bypass traditional FAR requirements, making it easier to partner with non-traditional vendors and conduct innovative R&D.
- Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP): This mandates a faster, more iterative, and agile approach to software development, aiming to deliver minimum viable products (MVPs) quickly.
4. Emphasis on “Best Value”
There’s a shift in evaluation criteria to focus on speed to value, risk mitigation, and quantifiable resultsover simply the lowest initial cost:
- Risk-Aware Evaluations:Source selections are prioritizing solutions that demonstrate a deep understanding of agency operations, reduce implementation risk, and include detailed risk mitigation plans.
- Quantifiable Value:Contractors are being encouraged to move beyond vague claims and provide actual performance metrics
- Empowering the Workforce:Initiatives are underway to restructure performance metrics for the acquisition workforce to incentivize and reward the use of innovative, speedy acquisition authorities and calculated risk-taking.
Reshaping Defense Procurement, 2026
Contact Nick: nick.mccauley@hinzconsulting.com
On November 7, 2025, the Secretary of War issued a memorandum that could represent the most significant reform of requirements in a generation. This action implements key aspects of Executive Order 14265, which directed a comprehensive review of the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) – the formal, document-heavy process established in 2003 to identify, validate, and prioritize joint military capability needs.
JCIDS will be phased out within the next 120 days. In its place, the Department of War (DoW) is establishing a faster, more industry-responsive structure based on three new organizations and one new funding mechanism. Every federal capture manager and business development leader should understand this, as it will generate billions of dollars in additional funding that is entirely new, starting in fiscal year 2026.
The Four Cornerstones of the New System
- Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC)The JROC is the longstanding senior-level body chaired by the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Historically, it spent years reviewing and approving thousands of requirements documents submitted by the Services and combatant commands. Under the new directive, the JROC will stop that activity entirely. Instead, it is being transformed into an annual strategic forum whose only output is a prioritized list of the Joint Force’s most critical Key Operational Problems (KOPs)– the small set of mission-level challenges that directly stem from the National Defense Strategy (NDS), the Joint Warfighting Concept, and Joint Force Design efforts.
- Requirements and Resourcing Alignment Board (RRAB) This entirely new board is co-chaired by the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Deputy Secretary of War. Each budget cycle, the RRAB selects the highest-priority KOPs from the JROC list, performs quick analysis, issues programming guidance, and, most importantly, allocates actual funding from a dedicated pool (see below). The RRAB is specifically designed to connect requirements directly to resources in months rather than years.
- Joint Acceleration Reserve (JAR) The JAR is a new, centrally managed funding reserve created and maintained by the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation in coordination with the DoW Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer. Unlike traditional budget lines, which are locked during the normal Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process, JAR money is intentionally flexible. It can be quickly reprogrammed to address RRAB-validated KOPs and validated outputs from experimentation. This mechanism ultimately closes the historic “valley of death” between promising prototypes and funded programs of record.
- Mission Engineering and Integration Activity (MEIA)Stood up under the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (USW(R&E)) and the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (USW(A&S)), MEIA serves as the operational engine. Once a KOP is prioritized, the MEIA swiftly launches industry-wide mission engineering and experimentation campaigns to improve solutions, incorporate promising capabilities, and create new operational concepts. Successful performers are directly recommended to the RRAB for JAR funding.
Why This Is a Revenue Event, Not Just a Process Change
- Billions of dollars will now shift on an expedited, off-cycle basis instead of waiting for the usual two-year PPBE schedule.
- Early participation in a MEIA campaign effectively positions a company for subsequent large production awards—often via the sole-source follow-on authority strengthened by Executive Orders 14158 and 14265, which made Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSOs) the preferred vehicles for modernization efforts under $500 million and established a presumption of sole-source production follow-ons for successful organizations’ prototypes.
- The long wait for a formal Capability Development Document (CDD) or Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) is eliminated. Successful performance in a 2026 MEIA experiment could result in nine-figure production contracts by 2027–2028.
Timeline Every Capture / BD Team Must Track
Immediate Implications and Recommended Actions
- Re-focus requirements gathering. The Combatant Commands and Joint Staff directorates that prepare KOP submissions are now your main requirements customers – not the Service requirements shops that led the old JCIDS era.
- Position for MEIA participation. Ensure your lead engineers, operators, and program managers are on the industry contact roster that USW(R&E) is currently building. These campaigns will rely heavily on invitations during the first year.
- Track the JAR color of money. Assign a senior financial analyst to monitor JAR obligations and reprogramming. This will be the new leading indicator of where the next surge of production dollars is headed.
- Align OTA/CSO responses to emerging KOPs. When the first KOP list is published, every OTA or CSO proposal you submit should clearly map to one or more of those KOPs. That alignment will significantly increase the chances of MEIA selection and subsequent JAR funding.
Companies that identify this shift early and reorient their front-end strategy around the JROC → RRAB → MEIA → JAR pipeline will gain a competitive edge over the next five years. Those that focus solely on optimizing traditional Service-centric requirements processes will find themselves competing for an increasingly smaller share of the budget.
Protest Analysis for Competitor and Customer Insight
Contact Gerrod: gerrod.andresen@hinzconsulting.com
A crucial part of every PTW analysis is understanding competitors’ pricing strategies. Will they offer a premium price for high capability to a performance-sensitive customer, a barebones price for minimum functionality to a cost-driven customer, or try to balance capability and price for the best-value evaluation? The answer often depends on your team’s experience with the competitor and, possibly, a Competitive Assessment that examines the competitors and the customer. In addition to these methods, protest analysis provides an alternative way to evaluate potential competitor bid behavior.
Protest decision documents from the GAO, Court of Federal Claims, or individual agency protests can provide sample data on actual competitor pricing and customer technical evaluation ratings. Analyzing data can offer insights into the company’s pricing strategy, technical capabilities, and proposal effectiveness. In addition, data for specific customers can also be analyzed to spot trends in bid evaluations and value assessments, such as potential premiums for higher capability or more LPTA-like decisions.
There are significant limitations to keep in mind. Sample sizes may be small, and more recent decisions often provide a clearer picture of current behavior as the procurement environment evolves. Competitor behavior can also vary with contract type, customer, product or service, and portfolio considerations. The closer the protested programs match the contract type, scope, and customer for the current opportunity, the more reliable the analogy. Even with these constraints, protest analysis can provide a practical quantitative data point to support PTW assessments of competitor bid strategies.
- December 2nd: ALAMO AFCEA ACE in San Antonio, TX
- December 10th: Small Business Expo in Atlanta, GA
- January 26-28th: National Small Business Conference in Nashville, TN