Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY (DLA)

Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Framework (2026–2031)

A. General Overview & Authority

1. Rolling Submission Process: The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is conducting a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) authorized by 10 U.S.C. § 3458 and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Subpart 212.70 (Defense Commercial Solutions Opening). DLA intends to solicit Solution Briefs in response to technical evaluated, published Areas of Interest (AOIs) on a rolling submission basis over the next five years (2026 to 2031). DLA reserves the right to modify, amend, open, or close AOIs at its sole discretion. Interested offerors are encouraged to frequently monitor this CSO for new or revised AOIs.
   
   • Closing Date: This CSO will remain open until October 1, 2031; however, DLA reserves the right to close this CSO or any individual AOI at any time prior to that date.
2. Award Types & Procurement Flexibility: In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 3458(d)(1), any contract or agreement awarded pursuant to this CSO shall be fixed-price. The Government intends to use the authority provided by 10 U.S.C. § 4022 to award Other Transaction (OT) Agreements for prototype projects. However, the Government reserves the right to make an award using a FAR-based contract in lieu of an OT. For acquisitions of commercial products or commercial services, the Government may use FAR Part 12 procedures as applicable, or award commercial contracts in accordance with DFARS 212.7002(b).
3. Points of Contact: For inquiries, clarifications, or submissions, please contact the following DLA acquisition professionals:
   • Mr. Thomas Walsh | Agreements and Contracting Officer, DLA DCSO-P5 | Thomas.Walsh@dla.mil
   • Mrs. Lauren Runowski | Agreements and Contracting Specialist, DLA DCSO-P5 | Lauren.Runowski@dla.mil
   • Mr. Sean Heckmanski | Agreements and Contracting Specialist, DLA DCSO-P5 | Sean.Heckmanski@dla.mil
4. Funding: DLA provides no funding for the preparation or submission of any Solution Brief or proposal in response to this CSO. Funding is only authorized and disbursed upon the execution of a formal, mutually signed contract or agreement.

B. Background

DLA is the Department of Defense’s logistics combat support activity, providing worldwide logistical support to the military services, combatant commands, and other authorized federal, civilian, and international partners. DLA’s mission spans supply chain management, energy and fuel distribution, disposition services, and rapid logistics response. Potential offerors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with DLA's strategic mission and operational scope by visiting the official DLA website at www.dla.mil.

C. Definitions

• Area of Interest (AOI): A targeted announcement or topic published under this CSO (typically posted on SAM.gov) describing a specific capability gap, technical challenge, or mission requirement for which DLA seeks innovative commercial solutions.
• Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO): A competitive solicitation procedure utilizing technical evaluations to acquire innovative commercial technologies, products, or services that meet defense requirements under 10 U.S.C. § 3458 and DFARS Subpart 212.70.
• FAR-Based Commercial Contract: A contract utilizing procedures outlined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services) and DFARS Subpart 212.70, which provides standard federal procurement clauses streamlined for commercial industry.
• Funding Availability: Reasonable likelihood of funding exists or can be secured for the proposed solution. Solutions are assessed as either "Funding Possible" or "Funding Not Possible." Lower-priced solutions that align with immediate budgetary parameters are inherently favored.
• Innovative: Any technology, process, or method—including any business practice—that is new as of the date of submission, or any rapid, novel application or adaptation of an existing technology, process, or method.
• Nontraditional Defense Contractor: An entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the DoD for the procurement or transaction, any contract or subcontract for the DoD that is subject to full coverage under the cost accounting standards (CAS). This includes all small business concerns that meet the applicable small business size standards
• Other Transaction (OT) Agreement / Prototype OTA: A non-procurement transaction authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 4022 for prototype projects directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the DoD, or for the improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.
• Prototype Project: An effort addressing a proof of concept, model, reverse engineering (to address obsolescence), pilot, novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes, agile development activity, or the creation, design, development, and demonstration of technical or operational utility. Prototype projects can be physical, virtual, or conceptual in nature, and may include business processes or ancillary work efforts (such as test site training or logistics support) necessary to complete the project.
• Solution Brief: The designated, streamlined proposal format utilized by an offeror to describe its proposed solution, technical approach, and pricing in response to a published AOI.

D. How to Submit a Solution Brief

1. Submission Method: Prior to the closing date and time specified in the individual AOI, offerors must electronically submit an unclassified Solution Brief to the Points of Contact identified in Section A.3. Submissions must utilize the official Solution Brief template associated with the active AOI.
2. Proprietary Information: Offerors must clearly mark all portions of the Solution Brief that contain proprietary, trade secret, or commercially sensitive information. By submitting a Solution Brief, the offeror acknowledges the applicability of DFARS 252.227-7991 (DEVIATION 2026-O0036) (Rights in Bid or Proposal Information). DLA highly values commercial intellectual property; technical data rights and software rights will be structured to encourage commercial participation while ensuring the Government acquires the rights essential to support its immediate mission needs.
3. Multiple Submissions: Offerors may submit multiple Solution Briefs addressing different technological approaches to a single AOI. However, each brief must be self-contained and will be evaluated independently. Offerors may not cross-reference other active or past submissions to meet the requirements of a current evaluation.
4. Validity Period: All terms, conditions, and pricing proposed within a Solution Brief must remain valid for a minimum of 180 calendar days from the date of submission.

E. Evaluation & Award Process

1. Initial Conformance Review: Upon receipt, DLA will conduct an administrative screening of the Solution Brief for compliance with the CSO and individual AOI instructions. Non-conforming or incomplete briefs will be rejected and returned without a technical evaluation. If the AOI submission window is still open, the offeror may resubmit a corrected brief; however, DLA encourages submitting a fully conforming package on the first attempt, as there is no guarantee that timing will permit a resubmission. Additionally, Funding Availability is assessed at this time to evaluate whether a reasonable likelihood of funding exists or can be secured for the proposed solution and is assessed as either “Funding Possible” or “Funding Not Possible.”
2. Technical Evaluation Factors: Conforming solution briefs will be evaluated by DLA subject-matter experts (SMEs) against Factors 1 through 3. Evaluation rating scales (e.g., adjectival ratings) and specific technical metrics will be defined within each individual AOI.
   • Factor 1: Technical Feasibility: Evaluates the technical maturity and scientific soundness of the proposed approach. This includes an assessment of technological risk as well as the feasibility of the proposed implementation timeline.  
   • Factor 2: Importance to Agency Programs: Evaluates how accurately and effectively the proposed solution addresses the AOI and provides operational value to end users.  This includes assessment of the solution’s overall utility, ease of adoption, training footprint, ability to advance agency objectives, improve mission effectiveness and address priority needs.
   • Factor 3: Viability: Evaluates the compatibility of the solution with existing DLA, DoD, and federal policies, security standards (including cybersecurity compliance), organizational structures, and regulatory frameworks.
3. Selection for Further Consideration: The selection of briefs for further consideration will be subject to resource and funding limitations. If DLA must select among multiple highly-rated briefs, Factors 1 and 2 are the primary evaluation factors. The relative importance of the remaining factors and any additional AOI-specific evaluation considerations will be identified in the applicable AOI.  If a tiebreaker is required, factors will be weighted in order of importance (Factor 1 > Factor 2 > Factor 3). If further differentiation is needed, DLA will select the lowest-priced, highly-rated brief.
4. Next Steps (Pitch or Full Proposal): If DLA determines a Solution Brief merits further consideration, the Government will invite the offeror to proceed via one of the following methods:
   • Pitch: An invitation to verbally present and demonstrate the proposed solution (conducted virtually, in-person, or via a hybrid format). DLA will provide specific presentation guidelines, questions, and parameters. Following the pitch, DLA may request a full proposal, initiate award negotiations, request an additional focused pitch, or terminate consideration.
   • Full Proposal: An invitation to submit a comprehensive technical and cost proposal based on detailed instructions provided by the Agreements or Contracting Officer. DLA may engage in iterative communications to clarify proposal details before making a final determination.
   • Direct to Award Negotiations: DLA may determine that the solution brief provides sufficient information to proceed directly to award negotiations without requiring a pitch or full proposal.
5. Award Negotiations: If selected for potential award, the cognizant Contracting or Agreements Officer will initiate negotiations. Negotiations may proceed toward either a FAR-based commercial contract (utilizing FAR Part 12 and/or DFARS Subpart 212.70 procedures) or an OT agreement (under 10 U.S.C. § 4022), at the Government's sole discretion. The Government is under no obligation to make an award, may terminate negotiations at any time, and must determine that the final agreed-upon pricing is fair and reasonable prior to execution.

F. Generally Applicable Information

1. No Compensation for Participation: DLA will not reimburse, compensate, or otherwise pay for any costs incurred by offerors participating in any phase of this CSO process, including Solution Brief preparation, pitch presentations, full proposal development, or travel.
2. Follow-On Production (Other Transaction Pathway): In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022, should DLA award an Other Transaction (OT) agreement for a prototype project under this CSO, DLA may subsequently award a follow-on production contract or OT agreement to the participant without the use of competitive procedures, provided that competitive procedures (i.e., this CSO technical evaluated process) were used for the selection of parties for participation in the original prototype transaction, and the prototype project was successfully completed.
3. Transition to Production and Funding Availability: Upon successful completion of an OT prototype project under the OT agreement, DLA and the Company may negotiate a follow-on production contract or agreement without further competition. Any concept, technology, or solution successfully proven through a Prototype OTA can be transitioned to production, subject to the Government’s sole discretion and the availability of appropriated funds.
4. Successful Completion of Prototype Projects: A transaction for a prototype project is complete upon the written determination of the appropriate approving official (the Program Manager and Agreement Officer) for the matter in question that efforts conducted under a Prototype OTA:
   • (1) Met the key technical goals of the project;
   • (2) Satisfied success metrics incorporated into the Prototype OTA; or
   • (3) Accomplished a particularly favorable or unexpected result that justifies the transition to production.
   • (4) Successful completion can occur prior to the conclusion of the entire prototype project, allowing the Government to transition any successful aspect or discrete phase of the prototype project determined to provide operational utility into production while other aspects of the prototype project remain ongoing. Any resulting Prototype OTA shall contain a provision that sets forth the specific conditions under which that prototype agreement must be successfully completed.
5. Statutory Compliance: Chapter 21 of Title 41, United States Code (Procurement Integrity Act), applies to all submitted proposals and resulting awards. Under the FAR Part 3 framework, these statutory ethics and procurement integrity requirements are strictly enforced to prohibit unauthorized disclosures of bid or proposal information.
6. Responsibility Determination: DLA may only award contracts or agreements to responsible entities. In accordance with FAR Part 9 (Contractor Qualifications) as conformed by this CSO, the Contracting or Agreements Officer will assess the offeror's record of satisfactory performance, integrity, financial capability, and operational capacity, with a specific focus on the streamlined responsibility standards in FAR 9.104.
7. Iterative Prototyping and Collaborative Design: To maximize innovation, agility, and rapid modernization, DLA utilizes an iterative prototyping approach. This allows the Government and the selected performer to mutually collaborate on, refine, and modify the Performance Work Statement (PWS) and agreement milestones during the course of the prototype project. This collaborative, agile framework supports the co-design of solutions during kickoff and design workshops to adapt and modify the solution to meet additional unique and discrete purposes or mission sets. These additional purposes/mission sets may be generated by the sponsoring DLA activity or may originate from other organizations within the Federal Government seeking to leverage the prototype capability.
8. FAR-Based Commercial Pathway (Procurement Option): For awards executed as FAR-based commercial contracts, any subsequent commercial contract or order for production or expansion may be awarded in accordance with applicable FAR/DFARS streamlined commercial acquisition procedures. The competitive technical evaluated process conducted under this CSO may be used to satisfy competitive requirements for such subsequent acquisitions to the extent permitted by law and regulation.