AI-Enabled Wargaming Platform for National Defense University

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12, as supplemented with the additional information included in this notice.  This announcement constitutes the only solicitation.  Quotes are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.  Paper copies of this solicitation will not be available.

Solicitation number N0018926QD216 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ) for AI-Enabled Wargaming Platform and Mission AI Engineering, Integration, and Application Development Services and is being processed by the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Pentagon Directorate, Contracting Office on behalf of the National Defense University (NDU).

It is the responsibility of the contractor to be familiar with the applicable clauses and provisions.  This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov and https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars_far_overhaul_class_deviations.html.

This acquisition is not set-aside for small business concerns.

The solicitation is being processed on a sole source basis with the firm Pytho AI Inc. (CAGE: 9HYR0).

The applicable NAICS Code is 513210, which has a small business size standard of $47.0 million.

It is anticipated this solicitation will result in the award of a firm-fixed-price purchase order.

Line items:

CLIN 0001, quantity/unit of issue: 12 months, description: “Pytho Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform services

tailored for wargaming operations in accordance with the Performance Work Statement”

CLIN 0002, quantity/unit of issue: 12 months, description: “OPTION - Pytho AI engineering and integration services tailored for wargaming operations in accordance with the PWS.”

Place of performance: The Contractor shall perform most work remotely at Contractor facilities or within the Contractor-hosted environment.  In-person support may be required at NDU campuses in Washington, DC, or Norfolk, Virginia, when authorized by the Government. 

FOB Destination applies.

Additional information pertinent to this posting is provided herein as an attachment and includes, but is not limited to, the following:  line item information for quoting purposes, a Performance Work Statement (PWS) containing the full description and details of the required work, and a copy of all clauses and provisions applicable to this acquisition.

Regarding the sole source nature of this procurement, the following information is provided.  The National Defense Wargaming Center (NDWC) is the National Defense University’s (NDU) center for educational wargaming and experiential learning. NDWC develops challenging and complex wargames and exercises designed to support the Officer Professional Military Education Policy (OPMEP), Outcomes-Based Military Education (OBME), NDU and college learning outcomes, and other applicable strategic and educational guidance. These activities allow students, faculty, and national security practitioners to apply concepts, test assumptions, and examine complex strategic and operational problems in realistic, low-risk environments.  NDWC conducted market research through a combination of historical Government market research, continued market surveillance, direct engagement with Department of War organizations, participation in Government-sponsored technology demonstrations, review of publicly available information (i.e., the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, SBIR.gov, publicly available commercial information, and continued observation of commercial AI developments), review of commercial and Government databases, and two years of operational experience integrating artificial intelligence capabilities into educational wargaming and operational planning activities. Collectively, these sources, combined with two years of Government operational experience, provide NDWC with a comprehensive and current understanding of the commercial marketplace for AI platforms, mission AI engineering, software development, and systems integration. The current acquisition is a follow-on to purchase order N0018925PZ535 with Pytho AI.  For the FY26 follow-on requirement, the Government considered recurring commercial platform services separately from mission AI engineering, application development, and systems-integration services.  As part of the original acquisition, NDWC coordinated with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), acquisition professionals, and the Chief of Strategic Operations regarding the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, the Department of War's acquisition ecosystem for identifying, evaluating, and accelerating innovative AI solutions for Government use. The Government also reviewed multiple independent Government evaluations of commercial AI technologies supporting defense planning, operational analysis, and wargaming. These evaluations were included as supporting documentation in previous acquisition packages and established the initial technical foundation for the Government's market research. NDWC also participated in the Joint Staff Globally Integrated Wargame AI Workshop, where Government organizations and commercial vendors demonstrated emerging AI capabilities applicable to military planning, decision support, and wargaming. This event provided the Government with an opportunity to observe and compare multiple commercial AI solutions against NDWC's operational and educational requirements. Since that time, NDWC has continued to monitor advancements in the commercial AI marketplace through collaboration with Department of War organizations, vendor demonstrations, publicly available information, and ongoing engagement with the broader defense AI community. During the past two years, NDWC has successfully integrated Pytho AI and other commercial AI applications into educational wargames, campaign planning activities, operational planning support, faculty development initiatives, and AI experimentation efforts. This operational experience has provided direct insight into the functional capabilities required to support professional military education. It has enabled the Government to validate and refine conclusions reached during its original market research. Lessons learned identified opportunities for expanded AI engineering and integration, including potential API or plugin support for Government-selected modeling, simulation, and wargaming systems such as OWS/DIGICAT, while confirming the importance of secure, configurable, responsive, and continuously evolving AI capabilities that support human decision-making rather than replace it.  Based on NDU’s market research, a determination was made that this procurement is sole source in nature and that no vendor other than Pytho AI offers products/services capable of meeting NDU’s minimum needs. 

Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement.  This notice is not a request for competitive quotes; however, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement.  All responsible sources may submit a quotation which will be considered by the agency.

A determination not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government.  Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.  Interested parties are encouraged to furnish information.  No documents submitted will be returned.  By submitting capability information, the contractor is self-certifying that neither the requestor nor the principal corporate officials and owners are currently suspended, debarred, or otherwise ineligible to receive contracts from any federal agency.

System for Award Management (SAM) - Quoters must be registered in the SAM database to be considered for award. Registration is free and can be completed on-line at https://www.sam.gov/.

All interested parties shall submit clear and convincing documentation demonstrating their capabilities to satisfy the requirements listed herein via email to the NAVSUP FLCN point of contact for this procurement.  The capability documentation should include general information and technical background describing in detail the prospective contractor’s capabilities and experience that will demonstrate the ability to support these requirements.

The NAVSUP FLCN point of contact for this solicitation is Bridget Blaney, who can be reached via email at bridget.blaney.civ@us.navy.mil.