The Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), has a BAA for Defense Logistics Information Research (DLIR) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).

DLA seeks interested parties to collaborate with the PM in developing enhanced DLA business processes using state-of-the-art emerging technologies and innovative business practices. Vendors who receive awards are intended to be organizations with demonstrated expertise in relevant areas of DLA business processes. The DLIR and SCM mission will be accomplished through sharply focused projects, typically three to 24 months in duration, that will be executed by IDIQ awardees, and possibly by other contractors, who submit project White Papers after award of the initial IDIQ contracts (as described in Section 8, below). The Government’s intention is to create a working group so vendors may actively participate in scheduled meetings for the purpose of working to identify problems and develop improvements in DLA business processes that will have measurable results. Working group activities may be added to contracts/task orders as optional CLINs to be exercised as the Program Manager determines a need.

The contractor shall provide services to meet the following:

• Enhancing Design and Engineering: Research should focus on bolstering the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Digital Engineering Strategy and Digital Modernization efforts for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). This will be accomplished by:
  • Transitioning from traditional documents to digital data as the primary source of technical information.
  • Expanding the model-based approach by integrating innovative digital engineering technologies and practices. This includes harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, digital twins, and machine learning to bridge the gap between business and technical data.
  • Establishing a standards-based open system IT infrastructure to facilitate the digital twin, digital thread, advanced cybersecurity measures, and safeguarding intellectual property.
• Revolutionizing Manufacturing and Supply: Research should focus on developing innovative solutions grounded in the creation of digital representations of manufacturing processes. This approach aims to:
  • Harnessing digital technologies to enable containerized manufacturing, ensuring rapid deployment and scalability even in challenging environments. This system should be highly adaptable, capable of swift setup, and responsive to on-demand manufacturing needs.
  • Developing software tools leveraging Digital Thread/Digital Twin (DT/DT), Optimization, Large Language Models (LLMs), and other advanced technologies. These tools will enable the mapping of suppliers based on their manufacturing process capabilities, allowing DoD/DLA and OEMs to identify new suppliers and bolster supply chain resilience by categorizing them as similar or different from existing ones.
• Transformation through People and Process: Research should focus on creating digital representations of critical processes and organizational dynamics and preparing the workforce of the future. This involves:
  • Constructing a Digital Twin of Organization (DTO) that simulates DLA’s business processes, including Order-to-Cash (O2C), Acquire to Retire (A2R) and sub-processes such as the supply chain (DTSC – Digital Twin of Supply Chain). The DTO will incorporate:
    • Human behavior within these business processes.
    • Integration of innovative technologies such as Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and others.
    • Real-time feedback loops, enabling continuous improvement of routine business processes and the prediction of abnormal situations, such as supply chain disruptions. II. Preparing the workforce through change management and strategic communication initiatives essential for DLA’s transformation towards embracing digital data.