This Government Contract opportunity from Department Of Defense was posted on April 29, 2026. The submission period has ended. Browse the details below for market research, or find similar active opportunities.
Request for Information - Prometheus Flame (v.2)
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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The Department of the Air Force is seeking industry and academic input through a draft Request for Information for the Prometheus Flame Challenge, a pioneering initiative designed to establish an open, modular, and competitive ecosystem for software development supporting Autonomy and Mission Systems. This effort centers on two foundational Government Reference Architectures—the Agile Mission Suite GRA for mission capabilities and the Autonomy GRA for standardized autonomous behaviors—both scheduled for public release around June 2026. The program is structured as a continuous challenge with 3- to 6-month phases, culminating in Fly-Off demonstrations where top performers receive cash prizes. Unlike traditional procurement, this is a non-contractual RFI stage, with no proposals due at this time; feedback is the only required output, with a submission deadline of May 12, 2026. The ultimate objective is to identify and transition high-performing teams into long-term strategic partnerships through Prototype and Production Other Transaction Agreements, ensuring sustained funding for the maturation and proliferation of open-source software solutions. Participation is open to a broad range of entities, including startups, academic institutions, commercial software firms, non-traditional defense contractors, and traditional defense firms, provided they are headquartered and owned in the United States or a U.S. allied nation. Offerors are not required to hold a UEI or CAGE code, nor must they certify size or socioeconomic status. Submission requirements for the eventual challenge include a 5-page white paper, compliance reports against the GRA standards, a video demonstration of software in simulation or flight hardware, a bill of materials, access to a code baseline, full source code with CI/CD pipelines, and a 5-page Work Plan with a Firm Fixed Price proposal for potential follow-on work. All software must be released under a permissive open-source license and hosted publicly on GitHub, with final evaluation occurring at Government facilities in Dayton, Ohio. Technical merit, mission performance, usability, standards compliance, and risk mitigation govern evaluation, with price playing a secondary role. The total estimated budget for initial phases is $20 million, allocated across prizes and potential OTAs, with no formal contract clauses, inspection procedures, or traditional contracting administration details yet established, as this is a pre-solicitation effort designed to shape the final solicitation through stakeholder input.
General Info
Agency
NAICS
Place of Performance
Dayton, OH, USASet-Aside
Timeline
Submission Closed
Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
Is your organization a leader in modern software development? Are you looking for opportunities to secure long-term, recurring funding for innovative open-source software solutions? Do you want to help shape the future of software development for the Department of War weapon systems and dual-use technologies?
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) invites you to review and provide feedback on a DRAFT Request for Solutions for a new effort: The Prometheus Flame Challenge.
This is a Request for Information (RFI). No proposals are requested at this time. Your expert feedback is critical to help us refine and improve this solicitation before its final release.
The Vision: An Open, Modular, and Competitive Future
The DAF is transforming how it develops and deploys software for Autonomy and Mission Systems. To break from the constraints of closed, proprietary systems, we are launching the Prometheus Flame Challenge to build a vibrant, open, and competitive ecosystem around Government-owned, open-source software standards.
Around the June 2026 timeframe, the Air Force intends to publicly release two foundational Government Reference Architectures (GRAs) to guide this effort:
- Agile Mission Suite GRA (AMS GRA): For modular mission capabilities (sensors, communications, data fusion).
- Autonomy GRA (A-GRA): For standardized behaviors and teaming for autonomous platforms.
The Opportunity: Prizes and Long-Term Strategic Partnerships
The Prometheus Flame Challenge is more than a prize competition; it is a pathway to long-term strategic partnerships and recurring funding. We are seeking partners to build this new technology ecosystem with us.
Continuous Challenge: The program uses flexible, 3-6 month competition phases, each culminating in a "fly-off" demonstration where top teams earn cash prizes.
Open Entry: Offerors may enter the challenge at any phase. New ideas and existing prototypes are both welcome.
Path to Production: Our primary goal is to identify long-term strategic partners. We intend to award follow-on Prototype and Production Other Transaction (OT) Agreements to teams whose solutions align with our long-term vision, providing a recurring funding stream to mature and proliferate this critical open-source foundation.
Who Should Participate?
We invite participation from the full spectrum of innovators, including:
- Open-source software developers and enthusiasts
- Non-traditional defense contractors and commercial software companies
- Start-ups specializing in autonomy, unmanned systems, and software architecture
- Academic institutions and research labs
- Traditional defense contractors interested in leading in an open-source environment
This competition is open to both industry and academia with U.S. or U.S. ally-based headquarters and ownership.
Your Feedback is Requested
Please review the attached document, “(U) Prometheus Flame Challenge - Request for Solutions Draft.pdf”, for complete details on the proposed structure, goals, and evaluation criteria.
Feedback should be submitted no later than 12 May 2026.
The final solicitation is anticipated to be released on or around 1 June 2026.
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