AFOSR FY26 Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) for Integrated Programmatic and Technical Support to increase Technology Transition & Transfer and Collaborative Project Orders (CPOs)

2. The intermediary will primarily serve in a matchmaker capacity, and work to increase the likelihood of successful cooperative activities between the laboratory and industry/academia. The Government is contemplating award of:

1. The Basic Agreement (as described in Attachment J-0 – AFOSR PIA SOO);
2. CPO 1 – AFRL/AFOSR (as described in Attachment J-1 – AFRL/AFOSR SOO);
3. CPO 2 – USSF (SSC) - VA (as described in Attachment J-2 – USSF (SSC) – VA SOO);
4. CPO 2.1 – USSF (SSC) – CO (as described in Attachment J-2.1 – USSF (SSC) – CO SOO);
5. CPO 3 – AFCENT (as described in Attachment J-3 – AFCENT SOO);
6. CPO 4 – NRO – VA (as described in Attachment J-4 – NRO SOO)

AFOSR anticipates award of additional CPOs within the ordering period of the basic agreement.

3. Place of Performance.

   PI leased facilities

Performance for four of the CPOs will be at the PI’s leased facilities located within one (1) mile of coinciding Government or partner activities. Facility locations are to be within the stated distance to ensure maximum stakeholder engagement. The Government will NOT reimburse the applicant’s direct facility costs. Offerors must account for all costs associated with acquiring and maintaining the required facilities within the indirect cost rates used to build their fixed price proposal. The total fixed price proposed for each Collaborative Project Order (CPO) should be all-inclusive of all costs, both direct and indirect, required for performance. The required facility locations shall be as follows:

1. AFOSR: Within one mile of 875 N. Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22203. Square feet required: 10K sq ft. Facilities should support unclassified work only.
2. USSF (SSC) – Chantilly, VA: Within one mile of 14850 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151. Square feet required: 10K sq ft. Facilities should support unclassified work only.
3. USSF (SSC) – Colorado Springs: Within one mile of 2424 Garden of the Gods Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919. Square feet required: 58K sq ft. Facilities should support unclassified work only.
4. NRO – Chantilly, VA: Within one mile of 14850 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151. Square feet required: 10K sq ft. Facilities should support unclassified work only.

                  Government space:

The government will provide 10K sq ft. of unclassified partnering collaboration space at 3401 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, for both the PI and AFCENT partners, permitting reach-back coordination to AFCENT Headquarters. Work at this site will support unclassified work only.

4.    Government Furnished Property (GFP). No GFP or equipment is anticipated to be provided.

5.    Total Government Estimated Program Ceilings and Periods of Performance:

The Government Estimated Program Ceiling and Periods of Performance for the CPOs are as follows:

1. CPO 1 – AFRL/AFOSR: $8.8M. The period of performance for CPO 1 will be a Base Period of 12-months plus four 12-month Option Periods for a total of 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services.
2. CPO 2 – USSF (SSC) - Virginia: $7.8M. The period of performance for CPO 2 will be a Base Period of 12-months plus four 12-month Option Periods for a total of 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services.
3. CPO 2.1 – USSF (SSC) - Colorado: $11.7M. The period of performance for CPO 2.1 will be a Base Period of 12-months plus four 12-month Option Periods for a total of 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services.
4. CPO 3 – AFCENT: $2.8M. The period of performance for CPO 3 will be a Base Period of 12-months plus four 12-month Option Periods for a total of 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services.
5. CPO 4 – NRO: $8.2M. The period of performance for CPO 4 will be a Base Period of 12-months plus four 12-month Option Periods for a total of 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services.

The Government anticipates an initial five CPOs to be awarded simultaneously with the award of the PIA. The objectives for the CPOs can be found in Attachments J-1, J-2, J-2.1, J-3, and J-4.

For the PIA:

The Government estimated ceiling is not to exceed $80M, which would accommodate the addition of other CPOs during the life of the agreement. The period of performance for the PIA will be 60 months, plus the optional six-month extension of services. NOTE: Profit or fee is unallowable under this PIA. 

6)   Small Business Set Aside: No small business set aside is being used.

 Product Service Code (PSC): R499 – Support – Professional: Other

 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: 541690 – Other Scientific and  

 Technical Consulting Services

7.   Security Requirements. Reference Attachment J-8 – DD254s. The Applicant shall complete Blocks 6 and 7 with the appropriate information for their company and any subcontractors (when applicable) and shall include a statement confirming they can meet the security requirements in Blocks 11, 13, and 14 of the DoW Contract Classification Specification Form (DD254). Security requirements, as specified in the attached DD254, shall be met no later than the date of proposal submission. The government will consider proposals submitted without the DD254 as incomplete and a failure to adhere to the administrative requirements of this RFP.

Three personnel supporting the PIA will require a TS/SCI. The TS/SCI is required for their support of the SSC CPO and AFCENT CPO, although a facility security clearance is not required from the Applicant for these facility sites.

8.   RFP Questions, Proposal Submission Due Date/Time, and Proposal Requirements.  

RFP Questions. For any questions regarding this RFP, please submit questions in writing to: AFRL.AFOSR.PIA us.af.mil with the subject line “AFOSR PIA Questions: Name of Applicant”.

If responses provide clarification to all prospective Applicants, questions and subsequent responses will be published on SAM.gov.

Proposal Submission Due Date/Time. Applicants must submit their proposals no later than 10:00 AM Eastern on 4 APRIL 2026. Proposals received after this time/date will be determined non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Proposals shall be submitted electronically to: [email protected] with the subject line:

“AFOSR PIA Proposal Submission: Name of Applicant”. Applicants are highly encouraged to submit proposals several days before the deadline to preclude electronic transmission delays. Applicants are also encouraged upon submission to request a confirmation of receipt from the Government email address listed.

Proposal Requirements. Proposals submissions require the following:

1. Eligibility Requirements Documentation (to be included in Volume III)
2. Technical/Management - Volume I
3. Price Documentation - Volume II
4. Proposal Documentation - Volume III
5. Past Performance - Volume IV

9.   Proposal costs. The Government will provide no funding for proposal development costs. Technical

proposals and budgets (or any other materials) submitted in response to this RFP will not be returned. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, or an Applicant is not selected for an award, the Government is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated with preparing or submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.

10. Obligation of Funds. Award made under this solicitation is subject to the availability of funds. This request for proposal shall not be construed as commitment on the part of the Government as to the availability of certified funds or an authorization to proceed with the effort; successful negotiations are a prerequisite for the award of any PIA. Such authorization will be provided via a formally executed PIA and CPOs bilaterally signed by the Award Recipient and the Government Contracting Officer.

To be considered for the PIA award, the nonprofit must meet the eligibility requirements, submit a response to the Basic Agreement and five CPOs for evaluation, and provide all information requested in this RFP. There is a potential for additional CPOs to be awarded separately throughout the ordering period of the Basic Agreement. Failure to submit a proposal in response to the Basic Agreement and CPOs 1, 2, 2.1, 3, and 4 will be determined non-responsive and not reviewed further.

II. Proposal Instructions:

The following instructions are for the preparation and submission of proposals. The purpose of this section is to establish requirements for the format and content of proposals so that proposals contain all essential information and can be evaluated equitably. Applicants are instructed to read the entire solicitation document, including all attachments, prior to submitting questions and/or preparing your offer. The government will consider proposals submitted without the documentation identified in the proposal instructions as incomplete and a failure to adhere to the administrative requirements of this RFP. Omission of any information from the proposal submission requirements may result in rejection of the offer. 

1. Applicants are expected to follow the detailed proposal preparation instructions fully and carefully. The Government will rely on the information provided by the Applicants to evaluate the proposals. It is therefore imperative that Applicants carefully follow the instructions set forth below and submit their proposals in the format and with the content specified below, providing all requested information. 
2. Proposals that fail to provide information in the format requested may be found unacceptable and may be rejected without further consideration if the KO determines that a significant revision or addendum to the Applicant’s proposal would be required to permit further evaluation, and especially if the incompleteness of the proposal or errant formatting of the proposal appears to be due from a lack of diligence or competence of the Applicant. The Government intends to evaluate and award without discussion; therefore, each initial proposal should contain the Applicant’s best terms. The Government reserves the right to seek clarifications or conduct discussions if the KO determines they are necessary.
3. The instructions provided have been designed to ensure the submission of information essential to the understanding and comprehensive validation and evaluation of proposals. Clarity and completeness are of utmost importance to the proposal. The relevance and conciseness of the proposal is important. The Applicant is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the Applicant’s proposal.
4. The proposal submission must comply with the following requirements:
   1. Must be submitted in Adobe PDF format unless otherwise stated.
   2. All pages single sided must be formatted to fit on 8.5”x 11” paper with margins not less than one (1) inch on every side, with font not smaller than 11 point.
   3. References must be included in the footer of every page in a font size of 11. Footnotes and end notes are counted towards the maximum page requirement.
   4. Page numbers must be included in the footer of every page; and each submission must not exceed the specified maximum page limit, including cover page, charts, graphs, maps, and photographs when printed using the formatting requirements set forth above and single spaced. If applicants exceed the maximum page limits indicated below, the Government will review only the authorized number of pages and disregard any additional pages.
   5. It is the sole responsibility of the offeror to ensure that the electronic files submitted are virus-free and can be opened and read by the Government. Proposal submissions shall not be locked, encrypted, compressed, or otherwise contain barriers to opening the file(s). The Government is under no obligation to seek clarification regarding electronic proposal submissions if submissions cannot be opened or accessed. The Government reserves the right not to consider for award any proposal that does not adhere to the administrative requirements of this RFP.
   6. Applicants shall submit their proposals in separate Volumes as specified. In addition, the Applicants shall submit one (1) complete unredacted version of the Technical/Management Volume I, and one (1) redacted version of the same Technical/Management Volume I. The redacted version shall be identical in content and format to the unredacted version except for the permanent redaction (e.g., blacked out, obscured, or deleted in a non-recoverable manner) any information the Applicant claims as proprietary, confidential, trade secret, or otherwise protected from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) or other applicable laws, and all references to the Applicant and Sub-Applicant(s), Consultant(s), and Collaborators Name(s). Pricing information (Volume II) shall not be included in the unredacted or redacted Technical/Management Volume I. The redacted Technical/Management Volume I version shall be clearly labeled on the cover page and on each redacted page as: ‘REDACTED COPY’. The unredacted version will be retained by the Contracting Officer and used only as necessary for limited purposes requiring full disclosure.

Applicants are solely responsible for identifying, justifying, and properly redacting their information. The Government will not assume responsibility for redacting information on behalf of the Applicant and will not be liable for any disclosure resulting from inadequate redactions.

If an Applicant fails to provide a properly prepared redacted version:

• The proposal may be deemed non-responsive/non-compliant, or
• In the event of a FOIA request, the full unredacted proposal (subject to applicable exemptions) may be released without further opportunity for the Applicant to redact.

5. System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Registration Required:

1. All Applicants must be registered in SAM.gov before submitting a proposal. As part of the registration process SAM.gov will issue a valid Unique Entity Identifier. A commercial and government entity (CAGE) code will be issued by the Defense Logistics Agency as part of the SAM.gov registration process. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to maintain an active SAM registration with current information when any application is under consideration by a Federal awarding agency, and at all times any Federal award is active.
2. An Agency level exemption for SAM registration under 2 CFR § 25.110(a)(2) will not be issued for applicants under this announcement. Applicants must comply with SAM.gov registration requirements and include their Organizational Unique Entity Identifier in the proposal, or we cannot make an award. If an Applicant is non-compliant with this requirement, we may determine you are not qualified to receive an award and use that determination to make an award to someone else as authorized by 2 CFR § 25.205(b). You cannot receive payments without an active SAM record and CAGE code.
3. Help topics for SAM.gov can be found on the following website as well as a live chat for questions about SAM registration entity updates: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp? l d=kbcategory&kbcategory=f56ee43edbfadcl 02c5f368f7c96l 906.

6. Eligibility Determination:

1. To be eligible to enter a PIA, the entity must meet the definition of a “Partnership Intermediary (PI)” as defined in 10 U.S.C. 4124(f)(2):

“…..an agency of a State or local government, or a non-profit entity owned in whole or part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government, that assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with industry or academic institutions that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a Center; facilitates technology transfer from industry or academic institutions to a Center; or assists and facilitates workforce development in critical technology areas for technology transition activities to fulfill unmet needs of a center.”

And as defined in 15 USC § 3715(c):

"... an agency of a State or local government, or a nonprofit entity owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government, that assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise cooperates with small business firms, institutions of higher education as defined in section 1141(a) 1 of title 20, or educational institutions within the meaning of section 2194 of title 10, that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a Federal laboratory, including State programs receiving funds under cooperative agreements entered into under section 5121(b) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.”

2. A nonprofit entity seeking to qualify as a Partnership Intermediary (PI) shall comply with the eligibility requirements as outlined in a) or b) below:

a. Government Agencies: A PI may be “an agency of a State or local government.” If the candidate PI asserts that it is eligible because it is an agent of a State or local government:

       (1) The candidate PI shall cite the state statute or local ordinance that             establishes the candidate PI as an agent of the State or local                           government.

b. Nonprofit Organizations. If a candidate PI is not a government agency, then it shall be a “nonprofit entity” and shall be “owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government.”

      (1) All nonprofit organizations are required to file an annual IRS Form 990.  Whether organized as a corporation, LLC, or other type of organization, nonprofit business entities will have articles of incorporation on file in the state in which the entity is established. These entities also should have bylaws governing their operations. If the candidate PI meets this eligibility requirement:

• The candidate PI shall submit the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, and the IRS Form 990 to confirm that the candidate PI is in fact a nonprofit organization.

(2) The requirements for a candidate PI to be “owned in whole or in part by, chartered by, funded in whole or in part by, or operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of a State or local government” as stated in the alternative—must meet at least one of the following conditions to satisfy this requirement.

i. If the candidate PI is “owned in whole or in part,” or “operated in whole or in part by or on behalf of the State or local government”:

• The candidate PI shall submit proof of such ownership.

ii. To document that a State or local government has chartered a candidate PI:

• The candidate PI shall submit proof of a legislative action issuing such a charter, or an administrative action authorizing the candidate PI by specific legislative action.

iii. To document that a State or local government funds the candidate PI:

• The candidate PI shall submit a funding agreement between the government and the candidate PI and identify the duration of the funding agreement is for at least the term of the proposed PIA action. NOTE: The candidate PI who asserts eligibility solely by virtue of funding by a state or local government will be further scrutinized by the Contracting Officer. The existence of funding from a State or local government is often a less durable or solid connection to the State or local government than the other bases of eligibility. The Contracting Officer’s review of this assertion will consider the purpose of the funding—whether the funding is for purposes of the PIA or other purposes that do not support PIA activities, the total amount of funding, and the longevity of funding.

For the Government Contracting Officer to make a determination of eligibility, the proposal Applicant shall include documented evidence of the nonprofit entity’s relationship to the State or local government as stated above. This information shall be included in Proposal Documentation - Volume III.

Please refer to Attachment RFP - AFOSR PIA RFP FA9550026PIA1 2026 to view the complete Proposal Instructions and Merit Review Criteria.

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment  RFP - AFOSR PIA RFP FA9550026PIA1 2026

Attachment J-0 – AFOSR Umbrella PIA Statement of Objectives (SOO)

Attachment J-1 - CPO 1 – AFRL/AFOSR SOO

Attachment J-2 – CPO 2 - USSF (SSC) – VA SOO

Attachment J-2.1 - CPO 2.1 – USSF (SSC) – CO SOO

Attachment J-3 - CPO 3 – AFCENT SOO

Attachment J-4 – CPO 4 – NRO SOO

Attachment J-5 - Model PIA terms and conditions

Attachment J-6 – Model CPO terms and conditions

Attachment J-7 – Reporting Deliverables Matrix

Attachment J-8 – DD254

Attachment J-9 – Key Personnel Requirements and Descriptions

Attachment P – Price Proposal Template

Attachment KP – Key Personnel Resume Template

Attachment PPQ – Past Performance Questionnaire

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