Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations (ACESO)
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
AI Contract Overview
The Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations (ACESO) announcement, identified as FA8750-25-S-7005, is an open, two-step Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) issued by the Department of the Air Force through the Air Force Materiel Command’s AFRL Rome Research Site. The ARA seeks innovative cyber operations prototypes designed for transition into operational Department of Defense platforms to achieve and sustain superiority in the cyber domain, with a focus on integrating Signals Intelligence, Electronics Warfare, and Cyber Operations technologies at their intersection. White papers are the only accepted initial submissions and must be no more than five pages in length, excluding a mandatory header section with project title, estimated cost, company information, and contact details. Proposals are evaluated as received, with no fixed deadline but a final closing date of 6:00 PM EST on July 10, 2030; recommended submission windows align with fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to maximize funding alignment. Total funding for the program is estimated at approximately $950 million, with individual awards typically ranging from $10 million to $50 million and the potential for select awards up to $99.98 million, each not exceeding sixty months in duration. Multiple awards are anticipated, and the government retains full discretion to award zero, one, or multiple contracts or Other Transactions under authorities including 10 U.S.C. 4021, 4022, and 4023. Successful prototype projects may lead to follow-on production contracts, with provisions explicitly acknowledging this possibility within any awarded prototype agreement. Proposals must conform strictly to formatting and content guidelines, as failure to comply may result in rejection or lowered evaluation ratings. All offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) and maintain registration throughout the award and performance period. Technical inquiries must be directed to Tanya Macrina at AFRL.RI.ACESO@us.af.mil, while contractual matters must be addressed to Amber Buckley at Amber.Buckley@us.af.mil, and all communications must reference the ARA number. Organizational conflicts of interest must be disclosed with a detailed mitigation plan, and foreign-owned entities must provide approved mitigation documentation such as a Security Control Agreement or Voting Trust Agreement. Facility and personnel clearances up to TOP SECRET may be required, and offerors must comply with Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act regulations, including representation of supply chain risks. Offerors must have a
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NAICS CODE: 541715
FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514
ARA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement
ADVANCED RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT (ARA) TITLE: Advanced Cyber Effects for Strategic Operations (ACESO)
ARA NUMBER: FA8750-25-S-7005
PART I – OVERVIEW INFORMATION
This announcement is for an Open, 2 Step ARA which is open and effective until 6:00PM EST on 10 JUL 2030. Only white papers will be accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals will be accepted by invitation only. While white papers will be considered if received prior to 6:00pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 10 JUL 2030, the following submission dates are suggested to best align with projected funding:
FY26 by 30 Dec 2025
FY27 by 30 Sep 2026
FY28 by 30 Sep 2027
FY29 by 30 Sep 2028
FY30 by 30 Sep 2029
Offerors should monitor the Contract Opportunities on the SAM website at https://SAM.gov in the event this announcement is amended.
CONCISE SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT: Seeking to develop cyber operations prototypes for transition into operational DoD platforms to facilitate superiority in the Cyber Domain.
ARA ESTIMATED FUNDING: Total funding for this ARA is approximately $950M. Individual awards will not normally exceed sixty (60) months with dollar amounts normally ranging from $10M to $50M. There is also the potential to make awards up to $99.98M.
ANTICIPATED INDIVIDUAL AWARDS: Multiple Awards are anticipated. However, the Air Force reserves the right to award zero, one, or more Procurement Contracts or Other Transactions, for all, some, or none of the solicited effort based on the offeror’s ability to perform desired work and funding fluctuations. There is no limit on the number of OTs that may be awarded to an individual offeror.
TYPE OF INSTRUMENTS THAT MAY BE AWARDED: FAR based procurement contracts or other transactions (OT) under 10 USC 4021, 10 USC 4022 and 10 USC 4023 (previously 10 USC 4002, 2371, 10 USC 4003, 2371b and 4004, 2373)
In the event that an Other Transaction for Prototype agreement is awarded as a result of this competitive ARA, and the prototype project is successfully completed, there is the potential for a prototype project to transition to award of a follow-on production contract or transaction. The Other Transaction for Prototype agreement itself will also contain a similar notice of a potential follow-on production contract or agreement.
AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: All white paper submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area):
ARA PROGRAM MANAGER:
Tanya Macrina
AFRL/RIGA
525 Brooks Rd
Rome, NY 13441-4505
Telephone: (315) 330-2282
Email: afrl.riga.firehawk@us.af.mil
Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below (email requests are preferred):
Amber Buckley
Telephone (315) 330-3605
Email: Amber.Buckley@us.af.mil
Emails must reference the solicitation ARA number and title of the acquisition.
Pre-Proposal Communication between Prospective Offerors and Government Representatives: Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged. Technical and contracting questions can be resolved in writing or through open discussions. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.
Offerors are cautioned that evaluation ratings may be lowered and/or proposal rejected if proposal preparation (Proposal format, content, etc.) and/or submittal instructions are not followed.
SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS.
AMENDMENT 1 TO ARA FA8750-25-S-7005
The purpose of this modification is to update the ARA email address throughout:
- Part I Overview Information, and Part II, Section VII Agency Contacts are updated as follows:
ARA PROGRAM MANAGER:
Tanya Macrina
AFRL/RIGA
525 Brooks Rd
Rome, NY 13441-4505
Telephone: (315) 330-2282
Email: AFRL.RI.Firehawk@us.af.mil
No other changes are made.
AMENDMENT 2 TO ARA FA8750-25-S-7005
The purpose of this modification is to update the ARA email address throughout:
- Part I Overview Information, and Part II, Section VII Agency Contacts are updated as follows:
ARA PROGRAM MANAGER:
Tanya Macrina
AFRL/RIGA
525 Brooks Rd
Rome, NY 13441-4505
Telephone: (315) 330-2282
Email: AFRL.RI.ACESO@us.af.mil
No other changes are made.
Amendment No. 3 to ARA FA8750-25-S-7005
The purpose of this amendment is to:
- Part II, FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT, updates the language regarding Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA) Orders;
FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT:
Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act (FASCSA) Orders: Depending on the date of issuance of this solicitation, FASCSA order(s) may be applicable. Therefore, the Offeror shall search for the phrase “FASCSA order” in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov) for any covered article, or any products or services produced or provided by a source, if there is an applicable Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders prohibition. This requirement only applies to FAR based awards.
No other changes are made.
AMENDMENT 4 TO ARA FA8750-25-S-7005
The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).
This republishing also includes the following changes:
- Part II, Full Text Announcement:
- Section I, Important Notes Regarding paragraph 3, removes the word “basic” from the Other Transaction for Research Projects paragraph;
- Section IV.2.a.ii; removes the word “basic”
- Section IV.2.a.iii, updates the 10 U.S.C. 4023 language;
- Section V.3, updates the Simplified Acquisition Threshold to $350,000;
- Section V.4, updates the certified cost and pricing data threshold to $10M;
- Section VI.3, updates the debriefing language;
- Section VI.5.b.3, updates the DFARS clause;
- Section VI.5.c, updates the DFARS clause;
- Section VI.7, updates the provisions;
- Section IVI.9; updates the DFARS reference;
- Section VII: updates the OMBUDSMAN.
No other changes are made.
SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.
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