- The Army Contracting Command–Redstone has issued the DOW Drone Marketplace CSO designed to accelerate industry access to Army UAS programs
- The initiative implements Executive Order 14307 and reflects a shift toward continuous competition tied to soldier-identified needs
- The open-ended solicitation will stay open indefinitely until canceled
The U.S. Army Contracting Command–Redstone has issued an open solicitation on behalf of the Project Management Office for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems to rapidly acquire and deliver innovative drone solutions to the warfighter through a Department of War Drone Marketplace commercial solutions opening.
In accordance with Executive Order 14307, the Drone Marketplace marks a pivot from traditional DOW acquisition toward a free-market approach built on continuous competition, linking soldiers’ demands directly to industry-provided capabilities.
How Can Industry Submit Solutions Under the CSO?
According to the solicitation posted Tuesday, companies may respond through two pathways: Innovative Warfighter Solutions, or IWS, an open-ended track for submitting solution briefs against any posted area of interest, and Calls for Solutions, or C4S, which the Army will post as amendments on SAM.gov with their own submission and evaluation requirements.
Offers are due March 11, 2031, though the solicitation itself will remain open until the Army cancels it, and individual C4S may set their own response windows. Meanwhile, IWS submissions advance through up to three phases: a solution brief, an optional live demonstration or pitch and a commercial solution proposal, with the Army anticipating evaluation of compliant briefs within 90 days.
Submissions not initially selected may be retained in a “Solution Basket” for up to three years for future consideration.
What Are the Contract Award Instruments and Eligibility Requirements?
Awards issued under the CSO may take the form of Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 12 commercial contracts, fixed-price or fixed-price-incentive contracts under FAR Part 16, or non-FAR agreements such as other transaction awards under 10 U.S.C. 4022 and 4023.
To receive an award, companies must hold an active Unique Entity Identification number and System for Award Management registration, register in the Wide Area Workflow invoicing system and represent their small business size and status.
The Army will also determine that companies are not suspended, debarred or otherwise prohibited from receiving federal awards, and firms must disclose any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest before award.
Awards using other transaction authority may incorporate iterative prototyping, letting the government and contractor modify scope by mutual agreement as requirements evolve.
What Areas of Interest Does the Army Want Industry to Address?
The solicitation lists more than a dozen non-exclusive areas of interest, including unmanned aircraft full systems and air vehicles, counter-UAS sensing and defeat mechanisms, intelligence and electronic warfare payloads, tactical communications, autonomous vehicles and software, launched effects, and drone production at scale.
The Army has encouraged industry to submit white papers across these areas as part of a commercial solutions opening it expects to update regularly to keep pace with new threats and needs, building on the broader UAS Marketplace effort the Army first unveiled earlier this year.
Submissions responding to any area of interest must be sent to the designated IWS mailbox (usarmy.redstone.cpe-avn.mbx.uasmarketplaceiws@army.mil) with the relevant area of interest listed in the email subject line, or the submission will not be reviewed.
