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Volume 99: The Army’s Procurement Playbook is About to Change

Volume 99: The Army’s Procurement Playbook is About to Change

Kit Conway
October 23, 2025

Opportunity Spotlight of the Week: DOD DISA JWCC
Four To Follow: Four Interesting Pursuits
Capture Corner: Solution Diagrams with Capture Methodology
Pricing Insights: OLM and Open Market: Not The Same
The Interesting Section: The Army’s Procurement Playbook is About to Change

Opportunity Alert – DOD DIS JWCC

Opportunity Alert – Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability Next (JWCC).

DISA requires support in expanding the current DoD enterprise cloud contract to identify gaps in the current strategy and leverage additional cloud capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) capabilities at scale, including Anything as a Service (XaaS) across the Department. The estimated release date of this $9B Full and Open/Unrestricted IDIQ is March 2026, with a projected award of December 2026. Contact Hinz Consulting for Capture, PTW, and Proposal support today.

Four to Follow

Department of the Air Force, Theater Deployable Communications Agile Communications Package Enhanced (TDC ACPE). On October 9, 2025, the Contracting Office released a Sources Sought notice to find Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) solutions that offer mesh networking features and upgraded baseband equipment for upcoming requirements. Responses are due by November 6, 2025, no later than 4:30 PM ET. The competition type and value are currently unknown. The Final RFP is estimated for release by January 2026, with an award timeframe of September 2026. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for changes to the procurement timeline.
Department of the Navy (DON), Research Development Test Evaluation (RDTE) Support for the Center for Corrosion Science and Engineering (CCSE). On October 17, 2025, the Contracting Office released an RFI for an industry partner capable of supporting scientific discovery and invention, applied engineering, logistical and technical program support, fleet activities, DoD support, and field demonstrations support. Responses are due no later than November 7, 2025, by 12:00 PM ET. The final RFP for this $75M IDIQ is anticipated for release on or around February 2026, with a projected award timeframe of September 2026. The competition type is currently unknown. Continue to monitor SAM.gov for further updates.
Department of the Navy, Special Projects and Electronic Systems Engineering Support for Electronic Surveillance Systems. The DON needs sustainment and technical support for special projects and electronic systems for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific. According to the advanced notice released in September 2025, the final RFP for this $100M Full and Open/Unrestricted effort is due for release Q2 FY2026 via SeaPort NxG with an anticipated award in Q3 FY2026.
Defense Information Systems Agency, Enterprise Account Tracking and Automation Tool and Acquisition Package Preparation System Solution (ATAT DAPPS). DISA requires an Enterprise ATAT DAPPS solution, which would include support for the infrastructure and development pipeline engineering, application engineering, interfacing with stakeholders, and surge support. This $50M Small Business Set-Aside is expected to be released via GSA MAS around January 2026, with an estimated award date of May 2026.

Solution Diagrams with Capture Methodology

Contact John: [email protected]

Good capture strategies start with clear visuals. Solution diagrams and designs give teams and customers a shared picture of what will be done, how it will be done, and where it will take place in the customer’s environment. Consider these key areas when creating solution diagrams and designs:

1. Provide Clarity and Context:

Visualize the Solution: A solution diagram gives an immediate, clear picture of the system, application, or environment being developed. It goes beyond a textual description, reducing ambiguity about scope.
Identify Integration Points: It shows components, databases, APIs, or services involved, making it easier to pinpoint data sources and integration points.

2. Inform the Technical Approach:

Select the Right Tools and Components: The design dictates the underlying technologies —platforms, databases, middleware—that drive the solution and build evaluator confidence.
Define Data Flow: A data flow diagram or similar design clarifies the sequence of events and transformation needs for the organization.

3. Ensure Accuracy and Completeness:

Deepen Solution Understanding: Including logical or physical data models provides the structure for required data analysis. The capture methodology must map precisely to this schema to ensure completeness.

4. Strengthen Communication and Collaboration:

Validate and Review: Before implementation, validate the capture methodology against the solution diagram to identify gaps, inefficiencies, or conflicts, reducing errors during deployment.

In essence, the solution diagram defines the what and where, enabling the capture methodology to explain the how.

OLM and Open Market: Not The Same

Contact Dr. Tom: [email protected]

In federal contracting, especially under the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program, it’s important to know the difference between Order-Level Materials (OLMs) and Open Market items. Simply put, OLMs are included in your Schedule contract, while Open Market items are not. Here’s how the two compare:

Feature	OLM	Open Market Items
Status on Contract	GSA Schedule Items. Purchased under the authority of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) Program (FAR 8.4).	Non-Schedule Items. Purchased under separate acquisition authority (FAR 8.402(f)).
Contract Mechanism	Included using the dedicated OLM Special Item Number (SIN) on the contractor's GSA Schedule.	No specific SIN is used; they are included on the order for the buyer's convenience but remain off-contract.
Compliance	Must comply with all standard GSA Schedule terms and conditions (e.g., Trade Agreements Act, socioeconomic reporting).	Must comply with all applicable FARs and other procurement regulations as if it were a stand-alone purchase. GSA terms do NOT apply.
Industrial Funding Fee (IFF)	Required. The IFF must be paid on OLM sales.	Not Required. No IFF is paid on open market sales.
Primary Purpose	Must be incidental and in direct support of the primary GSA Schedule service/product on the order.	Must be incidental to the GSA Schedule purchase.
Pricing	Price is established and determined to be fair and reasonable at the order level by the Contracting Officer.	Price is determined to be fair and reasonable at the order level but often requires more extensive documentation by the Contracting Officer.

The Relationship Explained

Before the OLM SIN was introduced, any supplies or services needed to complete a GSA Schedule order but not listed on the contractor’s pricelist had to be treated as Open Market items. The OLM SIN simplified the process by allowing contractors to include necessary incidental expenses, known as Other Direct Costs (ODCs), directly within the Schedule order. By using OLM:

Administrative Burden is Reduced: The contractor and Contracting Officer no longer have to perform the time-consuming paperwork and compliance checks required for a separate Open Market purchase.
The Total Solution is Simplified: The buyer can get the entire requirement, including the primary service and necessary materials, on a single, compliant GSA Schedule order.
Task Order Thresholds May Apply: Certain task order value thresholds must be met to include OLMs in proposals, so watch for regulatory references.

In summary, OLM allows contractors to include incidental, off-schedule items within the GSA Schedule framework. At the same time, Open Market remains the procedure for including items that are entirely outside the scope and authority of the GSA Schedule.

The Army’s Procurement Playbook is About to Change

At the AUSA conference last week, newly appointed Army Secretary Driscoll announced sweeping reforms to the service’s acquisition process, including changes he says are just weeks away. Central to his plan is the consolidation of procurement functions under a single organization reporting directly to senior Army leadership, an effort to streamline oversight and accelerate decision-making. Drawing on his venture capital and private equity background, Driscoll aims to infuse the Army’s acquisition system with the speed, agility, and innovation typical of commercial tech sectors.

Driscoll is modeling the overhaul on Silicon Valley’s agile business practices, describing the current system as “too slow and costly” and one that “primarily benefits prime contractors.” He emphasized that the existing framework is overly complex and ripe for disruption.

As part of this transformation, Driscoll unveiled xTechDisrupt, a “shark tank”-style competition designed to engage small and mid-sized businesses. During the conference, the Army selected eight winners, each awarded $62,500 to begin implementing their technology concepts within 30 days. The goal: onboard non-traditional startups, bypass entrenched procurement bottlenecks and accelerate innovation from firms new to Army contracting.

Within 60 to 70 days, the Army aims to begin collaborating with these firms, shedding legacy systems in favor of innovative capabilities. The traditional 12–18 month contracting cycle may soon be obsolete. The Army is signaling a clear shift: it wants agile, inventive, and hungry startups ready to deliver next-generation solutions.

November 5-6th: GovAI Coalition Summit in San Jose, CA
November 10-12th: Deltek Project Con in Aurora, CO
November 12th: National Small Business Federal Contracting Summit in DC

About Hinz Consulting

Hinz Consulting provides services across the full business development cycle:

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