FirstNet RFI Mailbox

FirstNet RFI Mailbox serves as the central point of contact for Requests for Information within the Telecommunications Division (HC1013) of the Defense Information Systems Agency, facilitating early market engagement to inform future procurement strategies for mission-critical telecommunications infrastructure. This role does not award contracts directly but plays a pivotal function in shaping acquisition planning by gathering industry input on capabilities, technologies, and market readiness to support DISA’s mission of securing and modernizing the Department of Defense’s global communications networks. The mailbox primarily handles pre-solicitation outreach for complex, high-capacity network modernization initiatives, including secure transport, virtualized networking, and resilient connectivity solutions for tactical and strategic environments. The FirstNet RFI Mailbox maintains consistent engagement with a core group of industry partners including AT&T Technical Services Company, Inc., Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Liberty Communications, Inc., AOC Connect LLC, and Norfolk Fiber, LLC. These contractors are frequently referenced in RFI responses as providers of advanced telecom systems, fiber-optic infrastructure, secure SD-WAN solutions, and mission-critical network integration services. The working relationship is characterized by iterative, transparent dialogue aimed at aligning vendor capabilities with DISA’s operational requirements for scalability, cybersecurity, and interoperability across joint and coalition environments. There is no preference for socioeconomic set-asides; all procurement pathways are open to full and open competition, reflecting a strategic emphasis on technical merit, operational readiness, and mission-critical performance over socioeconomic categorization. This approach ensures access to the broadest possible pool of qualified vendors capable of delivering the high-assurance telecommunications solutions required for national defense operations. The technical domain centers on telecommunications infrastructure, with a focus on secure wide-area networks, fiber-based backbone systems, encrypted data transport, and network resilience technologies. While specific NAICS codes are not yet defined, the acquisitions consistently target services related to network design, implementation, and sustainment of DoD-wide communications architectures, emphasizing next-generation secure connectivity and cloud-enabled telecom platforms.