U.S. Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) Strategic Services Branch Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) established innovation as a central line of effort in the national defense strategy of the United States. The decisive military advantage of the United States over its adversaries and peer competitors is steadily eroding. Consequently, under 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 3458 as implemented by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Subpart 212.70, Contracting/Agreements Officers may acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, or services using a competitive procedure called a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO). Under a CSO, the Department of Defense (DoD) may competitively select proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject-matter expert peers. Use of a CSO in accordance with DFARS Subpart 212.70 is considered to be a competitive procedure for the purposes of 10 U.S.C. Chapter 221 and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102. Finally, Contracting/Agreements Officers shall treat items, technologies, and services acquired using a CSO as commercial products and/or services. Contracts or agreements under this authority shall be fixed-price, including fixed-price incentive fee.

The CSO is a competitive, streamlined process to obtain rapid access to solutions or new capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, and/or provide potential technological advances. The Strategic Services Branch within the Acquisition Services Division at the Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) looks to leverage the CSO process to efficiently support a diverse range of Requirement Activities, including organizations at the Detroit Arsenal (DTA) and Selfridge Air National Guard Base (SANGB), such as the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), Program Executive Office Ground Combat System (PEO GCS), PEO Combat...