Introduction

The Army is looking for a contractor to provide a unified network operations (UNO) capability that will enable seamless, integrated network management and cyber defense across the tactical and enterprise networks. The UNO program of record (POR) is a key component of the Army’s network modernization strategy, which aims to support multi-domain operations and enhance situational awareness, security, and data exchange. The UNO POR contract is a lucrative opportunity for government contractors who have the expertise and experience in delivering network operations and cyber solutions for the Army. This article will provide an overview of the UNO POR contract, its historical background, RFP description, who should participate, and the challenges involved in pursuing this opportunity.

Historical Background

The UNO POR contract is a follow-on to the current Network Operations (NetOps) contract, which was awarded to General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) in 2017 for a total value of $876 million over five years. The NetOps contract provides network operations and cyber defense services for the Army’s tactical networks, such as the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) and the Joint Network Node (JNN). The NetOps contract also supports the Army’s enterprise networks, such as the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and the Army Enterprise Service Desk (AESD). The NetOps contract covers a range of services, such as network planning, configuration, management, monitoring, security, optimization, troubleshooting, and training.

The UNO POR contract is intended to build on the NetOps contract and expand its scope to include new capabilities and technologies that will enable a unified network operations environment for the Army. The UNO POR contract will align with the Army’s Unified Network Plan, which outlines the vision, objectives, and lines of effort for achieving a unified network by 2028. The Unified Network Plan defines a unified network as one that employs a common operating environment, services infrastructure and transport layer, as well as unified network operations and cyber defensive capabilities. The Unified Network Plan also identifies five lines of effort for achieving a unified network:

  • Line of Effort 1: Establish an enterprise IT as a service (EITaaS) model that delivers cloud-based services and infrastructure to the Army.
  • Line of Effort 2: Modernize the tactical network to provide resilient, mobile, and secure communications for the warfighter.
  • Line of Effort 3: Implement a zero trust architecture that enhances cybersecurity and data protection across the network.
  • Line of Effort 4: Adopt common standards and protocols that enable interoperability and integration across the network.
  • Line of Effort 5: Develop a unified network operations capability that simplifies user experience, increases situational awareness, and strengthens cyber defense.

The UNO POR contract will support Line of Effort 5 by providing a unified network operations capability that will integrate and consolidate the existing network management and monitoring applications and tools used by the Army. The UNO POR contract will also provide cyber defense services that will protect the network from internal and external threats.

RFP Description

The Army issued a request for information (RFI) for the UNO POR contract on February 16, 2022. The RFI solicitation number is W15P7T23UNORFI. The RFI seeks to gather information from potential offerors regarding their capabilities, experience, and interest in providing unified network operations services for the Army. The RFI also seeks feedback from potential offerors on various aspects of the requirement, such as technical approach, performance metrics, contract type, pricing structure, security clearance level, staffing plan, transition plan, risk mitigation plan, quality assurance plan, and past performance references.

The RFI states that the UNO POR contract will have a 24-month base period plus two 24-month option periods. The estimated value of the contract is $950 million. The RFI also states that the place of performance will be Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, as well as other locations that will be provided in the performance work statement (PWS). The PWS will define the specific tasks, deliverables, standards, and outcomes expected from the contractor.

The RFI indicates that the Army intends to use a best value tradeoff source selection process to award the UNO POR contract. This means that the Army will evaluate both technical and price factors to determine which offeror provides the best value to the government. The technical factors may include technical approach, management approach, staffing approach, transition approach, risk mitigation approach, quality assurance approach, past performance, and corporate experience. The price factor may include total evaluated price, price realism analysis, cost realism analysis, and cost/price analysis.

The RFI requests potential offerors to submit their responses by March 10, 2022. The responses should include a capability statement that describes how the offeror meets or exceeds the requirements of the UNO POR contract, as well as answers to the questions posed by the Army in the RFI. The responses should also include relevant information about the offeror’s company, such as size, type, certifications, socio-economic status, and points of contact.

The RFI states that the Army plans to issue a draft request for proposal (RFP) for the UNO POR contract in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, followed by a final RFP in the third quarter of fiscal year 2023. The RFI also states that the Army expects to award the UNO POR contract in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023.

Who Should Participate

The UNO POR contract is a highly competitive and complex opportunity that requires a high level of technical expertise, experience, and resources. The potential offerors who should participate in this opportunity are those who have:

  • A proven track record of providing network operations and cyber defense services for the Army or other Department of Defense (DoD) customers, especially for the tactical and enterprise networks.
  • A deep understanding of the Army’s network modernization strategy, vision, objectives, and challenges, as well as the current and future state of the network architecture, infrastructure, and environment.
  • A strong capability to design, develop, integrate, test, deploy, operate, maintain, and sustain a unified network operations solution that meets or exceeds the Army’s requirements and expectations.
  • A robust team of qualified and experienced personnel who have the relevant skills, certifications, and clearances to perform the tasks and deliverables of the UNO POR contract.
  • A competitive and realistic price proposal that reflects the scope, complexity, and risk of the UNO POR contract.

Challenges

The UNO POR contract is not without its challenges. Some of the potential challenges that offerors may face in pursuing this opportunity are:

  • The UNO POR contract is a large-scale and long-term effort that involves multiple stakeholders, systems, platforms, domains, environments, and geographies. This creates a high level of technical complexity, integration difficulty, coordination challenge, and operational risk for the offerors.
  • The UNO POR contract is subject to changing requirements, technologies, standards, policies, and regulations that may affect the scope, schedule, cost, and performance of the contract. This requires the offerors to be agile, adaptable, and responsive to the Army’s needs and expectations.
  • The UNO POR contract is a highly competitive opportunity that attracts many qualified and experienced offerors who have similar or superior capabilities, experience, and resources. This requires the offerors to differentiate themselves from their competitors by demonstrating their unique value proposition, innovative solutions, and best value tradeoffs.

Conclusion

The UNO POR contract is a strategic and lucrative opportunity for government contractors who have the capability and experience to provide a unified network operations solution for the Army. The UNO POR contract will support the Army’s network modernization strategy and enable multi-domain operations. The UNO POR contract will also provide significant benefits to the Army, such as improved network performance, reliability, security, efficiency, and user experience. The potential offerors who are interested in pursuing this opportunity should start preparing their responses to the RFI and conduct market research, competitive analysis, capture planning, and proposal development activities. Contact us today at www.gdicwins.com to learn more about how we can help you win this opportunity.