Rapid Facility Clearance Cohort Pilot: Enabling Classified Technology Assessment and Bi-Directional Collaboration for Joint Operational Problems and Mission Capabilities Priorities

The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW R&E), Mission Capabilities and Multi-Domain Joint Operations (MDJO), in coordination with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Mission Engineering and Integration Activity (MEIA), seeks to address a critical impediment to prototype acquisition and classified technology assessment. A longstanding challenge exists wherein commercial, non-traditional, and small-business solution providers without Facility Clearances cannot access classified work, yet obtaining a Facility Clearance generally requires a bona fide classified contractual justification. This pilot program resolves that challenge by establishing a Rapid Facility Clearance (FCL) Mentorship and Prototyping Cohort under Other Transaction Authority pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 4022. Selected vendors become Rapid FCL Cohort Participants through subcontract relationships with Maximus Federal Services, Inc. under the ONIX OTA framework, enabling DD Form 254 flow-down, NISS sponsorship, security mentorship, and, subject to DCSA adjudication and need-to-know determinations, access to classified technical exchanges or concept-development activities. The objective is to enable the Government to properly assess technology and conduct bi-directional collaborative dialogue in a classified setting, thereby reducing transition risk and accelerating effects-centric capabilities for decisive Joint Force advantage. This effort supports MDJO priorities, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Command operational needs, rapid-acquisition pathways for Direct Reporting Portfolio Managers operating under Secretary of War or Deputy Secretary of War authorities, and classified concept development across OUSW R&E lines of effort including critical technologies, science and technology, and mission capabilities. Selection for sponsorship establishes the security pathway only and does not constitute a determination to acquire the vendor's products or services, create an expectation of funded technical work, or confer any preferential status beyond the limited sponsorship and access necessary to enable classified assessment. All Facility Clearances and personnel security clearances are adjudicated by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Vendors selected under these open calls will not receive payment for participation in the cohort or for the Facility Clearance sponsorship process itself, and must be prepared to complete substantial administrative and compliance actions consistent with 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM), with costs of establishing and maintaining industrial security programs generally borne by the company.
## Problem Statement
These marketplace postings solicit capability statements and solution concepts from U.S. industry, academia, and nonprofits interested in being considered for selection as Rapid FCL Cohort Participants. Selected organizations may receive Facility Clearance sponsorship (administered by Maximus), security mentorship, and—subject to DCSA adjudication and Government need-to-know determinations—access to classified technical exchanges or concept-development activities. The objective is to enable the Government to properly assess technology and conduct bi-directional collaborative dialogue in a classified setting. Selection for sponsorship establishes the security pathway only; it is not an award of funded technical work and does not imply a decision to do further business with the vendor. Each call below is independent and may be posted or responded to separately.
## Overall Objective
Establish a structured pathway to enable diverse commercial, non-traditional, small-business, academic, and nonprofit solution providers to obtain Facility Clearances and participate in classified technical exchanges, concept development, and rapid prototyping activities in support of Joint Operational Problems, Multi-Domain Joint Operations priorities, OUSW R&E mission areas, and rapid-acquisition efforts. By resolving the longstanding procedural barrier wherein vendors without Facility Clearances cannot access classified work yet require a classified contract to obtain clearance, this pilot aims to accelerate the Government's ability to assess emerging technologies in classified settings, conduct bi-directional collaborative dialogue with innovators, reduce transition risk for priority capabilities, and enable effects-centric, multi-domain solutions that enhance Joint Force decision advantage, lethality, and operational effectiveness across contested environments. Successful execution will expand the pool of cleared vendors capable of supporting classified prototype projects under Section 843 authority, improve speed and quality of Government technical assessment, and facilitate rapid integration and fielding of capabilities addressing Combatant Command needs, Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager priorities, and hackathon or experimentation events requiring classified access.