Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Cost Estimating Modeling Data, Analytics Research (CEMDAR)

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Closed Two-Step BAA: SAF/FM Cost Estimating Modeling Data Analytics Research (CEMDAR) The Two-Step Process reduces acquisition resources for both the Government and industry. It may be considered when a large number of proposals are anticipated or to determine if further Government interest is warranted. If further interest is not warranted, industry saves unnecessary bid and proposal costs and the Government saves review time. Broad Agency Announcement Number FA7014-26-S-CS02 Announcement Title SAF/FM Cost Estimating Modeling Data Analytics Research (CEMDAR) Federal Agency Name Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management (SAF/FM) Announcement Type & Acquisition Set-Aside Initial Announcement | 100% Small Business Set-Aside NAICS Code & Size Standard 541745 (Small Business Size Standard: 1,000 employees) Estimated Program Ceiling $24,000,000 (Anticipated Awards: 1 single award) White Paper Submission Deadline October 19, 2026, 1300 hrs Eastern Time Questions Due October 1, 2026, 1300 hrs Eastern Time 1. Overview Information & Two-Step Solicitation Structure SAF/FM is soliciting white papers on the research effort described herein. White papers must be addressed to the Contracting Points of Contact (POCs). This solicitation is a Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS Code 541745. White papers and resultant proposals submitted shall strictly comply with this announcement. There will be no separate formal solicitation issued regarding this requirement. This BAA will be republished at yearly intervals for administrative updates and ease of reference. 1.1 Two-Step Acquisition Sequence Step 1 White Paper Due Date & Submission: White papers may be electronically submitted upon issuance of this BAA until October 19, 2026, 1300 hrs Eastern Time. Only white papers are accepted at this stage. Submissions must be delivered electronically to AFDW/PK at eric.moss.3@us.af.mil and joseph.spear.1@us.af.mil. Step 2 Formal Proposal Due Date & Time: Formal technical and cost proposals will be requested solely from offerors whose submitted white papers are evaluated as successfully meeting the operational and research needs of the Air Force. Late Receipt Provisions: White paper and proposal receipts after the specified cutoff date and time shall be governed strictly by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). 1.2 Instrument Types and Contracting Guidance The Air Force reserves the right to award the contractual instrument best suited to the nature of the research proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype authority, Grant, Cooperative Agreement, OT for Research, or an applicable technology transfer mechanism. Awards under this BAA are generally anticipated to be cost-reimbursement. Offerors are specifically advised that cost-reimbursement contracts require an accounting system determined adequate by the Government for tracking allocable contract costs. 1.3 Communications & Contracting Points of Contact Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is strongly encouraged prior to proposal submission. Technical discussions shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to fund or award any proposed effort. Only warranted Contracting Officers possess the legal authority to commit the Government. Inquiries regarding this solicitation should be directed to the Contracting POCs: Primary Contracting Officer: Eric Moss eric.moss.3@us.af.mil Alternate Contracting Officer: Joseph Spear joseph.spear.1@us.af.mil 2. Section I Program Description & Strategic Objectives The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has identified critical operational gaps in the enterprise databases, analytical methods, and predictive tools regularly employed for weapon system cost estimating and analysis. DAF is actively committed to modernizing the efficiency, fidelity, and throughput of its cost estimating capabilities. This requirement invests in strengthening, accelerating, and elevating cost data and analytic capabilities using modern data science and cloud engineering technologies to enable faster, higher-quality, and higher-volume analytic decision support across the DAF cost community. The CEMDAR research initiative executes four fundamental architectural shifts across enterprise cost operations: Platform Modernization: Transitioning from legacy desktop-based analytical tools to secure enterprise cloud platforms (e.g., DAF Data Fabric, VAULT, Envision). Relational Data Integration: Moving from isolated, commodity-specific datasets to integrated, relational architectures linking programmatic, technical, cost, and schedule parameters. Pipeline Automation: Replacing static spreadsheets and recurring manual reporting with dynamic, automated data engineering pipelines. Scalable Predictive Modeling: Advancing from low-volume static cost modeling to highly scalable data collection, curation, machine learning, and empirical analytics. 2.1 Strategic Research Objectives Elevating Data Fidelity: Improving the verifiable quality, authenticity, granularity, and volume of empirical data collected and accessible to DAF cost analysts. Relational Enterprise Databases: Engineering centralized, enterprise-level relational cost, schedule, and technical databases adhering to rigorous data science principles and MIL-STD-881 standards. Analytical Workflow Optimization: Constructing capabilities and streamlined workflows that empower analysts to rapidly synthesize large-scale multi-commodity datasets. Predictive Modeling & Decision Support: Establishing authoritative enterprise datasets and generating dynamic Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs), Schedule Estimating Relationships (SERs), Technical Estimating Relationships (TERs), benchmark metrics, interactive dashboards, and cloud-native cost models. The overarching vision is not only to elevate the timeliness and accuracy of program Life-Cycle Cost Estimates (LCCEs) for budgeting, programming, and acquisition milestone decisions, but also to build an agile capability for rapid high-level force design, alternative architecture trades, and component-level engineering trade-off evaluations. 3. Section II Technical Description & Core Competencies The Department of the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA) is soliciting white papers (and subsequently formal technical and cost proposals from qualified respondents) addressing innovative synchronization of research related to technical, cost and schedule for DoW/DAF programs across the following five Core Competencies. Submitted white papers must move beyond generic capability statements and clearly articulate the offeror's specific technical approach, proposed system architectures and analytical methodologies. Offerors should include concrete examples of relevant past work, demonstrating proven experience in designing data pipelines, executing predictive cost modeling, and conducting targeted cost specific research within defense or similarly regulated enterprise environments. To ensure holistic technical execution, white papers must also address the following staffing and expertise qualifications: Key Personnel Competencies & Experience: Offerors must explicitly summarize the core technical competencies, relevant project experience, and security clearance/access readiness of proposed Key Personnel specifically the Contractor Program Manager (PM), the Chief Cost Data Scientist (governing Task 2 Level 1 architectural decisions and CADOM pipelines), and any designated Technical / Data Science Task Leads substantiating the leadership team's qualification to direct contract activities from Day 1. On-Demand Cost & Commodity Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): Offerors must demonstrate an established, agile capability to deploy specialized Cost and Technical Domain SMEs on an as-required basis. These experts must possess deep commodity and engineering expertise to support targeted cost studies, schedule analyses, and novel data pipeline mapping across diverse defense domains including Aircraft, Space and Launch Systems, Missiles and Munitions, C4ISR, Cyber and Software Systems, and Operations and Support (O&S) Sustainment. 3.1 Core Competency 1: Enterprise Data Governance, Access, and Research Lifecycle Planning (envisioned PWS Tasks 1 & 2) Task 1 Data Access Permissions, Proprietary Information Protection, and OCI Governance: Establishes the administrative, legal, and multi-tier security foundation required to ingest proprietary defense data. Offerors must structure and manage Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) across AFCAA, OSD CAPE (for the Cost Assessment Data Enterprise [CADE] repository), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and prime/subcontractor tiers. Because weapon system cost repositories contain business-sensitive Proprietary Information (PROPIN), tasks require rigorous OEM engagement protocols, proactive OCI screening…