Breaking Defense reported Tuesday that the Department of Defense indicated in an internal memo its intent to make the Advana big-data platform of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, or CDAO, into a formal program of record.
What Does the DOD Memo Say?
Steven Morani, acting under secretary of defense for sustainment at DOD, signed the memo on March 13, directing the CDAO Component Acquisition Executive, or CAE, to submit within 30 days drafts of a capability needs statement, program roadmap, program cost estimate and “other supporting documentation” to determine whether to turn Advana into a program of record.
Morani wrote that the DOD acquisition and sustainment team should submit within 60 days “courses of action for my approval regarding pausing the issuance of any solicitation covering Advana efforts sponsored or executed by the CDAO CAE, acquisition pathway(s), program management appointment and a transition agency for Advana.”
What Is Advana?
Managed by CDAO, Advana is the Pentagon’s enterprise data and analytics environment.
The platform provides DOD users with tools, analytics and services as well as data derived from the department’s over 400 business systems to facilitate data-driven decision-making.
In 2021, the General Services Administration awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a $674 million contract to provide maintenance and related support for DOD’s Advana platform.
CDAO’s Plans for Advana Recompete
In September, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office hosted an industry day to discuss its plans for a recompete contract as part of efforts to scale Advana and work with additional vendors, particularly small businesses and nontraditional contractors.
Breaking Defense reported the potential 10-year Advana multivendor recompete contract could be worth up to $15 billion.
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