2024 Joint Capability and Technology Engagement (JCTE)
1. Introduction
A. The goal of the JCTE is to create partnerships between Special Operations Forces (SOF) and industry under the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) construct to both inform industry internal investments and accelerate SOF's technical advantage.
B. The 4 basic steps of this engagement are:
- B.1) Sharing our SOF Interest Items In September 2024, we published our comprehensive UNCLASSIFIED Technical Interest Items (TIIs) list on Vulcan-SOF.com. Information concerning our CLASSIFIED TIIs can be obtained by contacting osd.jcte@mail.mil. While our comprehensive list remains a valid and valuable reference in general, for this event, we are specifically focusing on the following TIIs: 611.0, 613.1, 619.1, 701.1, 714.1, 716.0, 750.0, 751.1, 753.1, 754.0, 755.0, 756.0, 757.0, 758.0, 759.0, 760.0, and 763.1.
- B.2) Requesting your proposals This second step starts today with this notice and ends at 2359 EST, 15 November 2024. Submit your proposal through Vulcan at the following site: https://vulcan-sof.com/login/ng2/submission?collectionUuid=122a083b-b8dc-4fed-8eb7-d70037d7ae4b. There, you will also find an extract of our UNCLASSIFIED TII list containing only those TIIs listed above. Assistance is available at contact@vulcan-sof.com.
- B.3) Review and Feedback In this third step, every proposal is thoroughly assessed by multiple SOF operational, technical, and programmatic subject matter experts. All feedback is captured, collated, and provided back to industry through Vulcan. It is our goal that every submitter will view this experience as valuable regardless of outcome. Selected CRADA proposals will be disseminated across the SOF enterprise for review by SOF Operators and End Users. Those that garner significant interest will move on to the next step.
- B.4) Partnering This final step formalizes partnerships for the proposals selected. The pre-signed overarching USSOCOM CRADA is presented to industry for signature, and work begins translating the industry proposal into a detailed bilateral Individual Work Plan (IWP) to be signed by both industry and USSOCOM.
2. Administrative Submission Guidelines
A. All submissions must be UNCLASSIFIED. You may submit any additional documentation desired but focus on technical and operational details vice marketing material.
B. Vulcan is a US government web interface tech scouting tool designed to simplify the discovery, sharing, assessment and adoption of technologies. We will use Vulcan to support this event exclusively. All proprietary information is safeguarded in accordance with FAR 3.104 and 18 U.S.C. 1905.
C. This event is voluntary and for collaboration purposes only in accordance with FAR 15.201(e). It is NOT a Broad Agency Announcement, solicitation, or request for contractual offers and does not constitute a commitment of government funding. Respondents will not be reimbursed for any travel, labor, information, etc., they provide in conjunction with this Special Notice.
D. JCTE participants include contractor consultant/advisors. All are SETA-like arrangements bound by procurement integrity laws, and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA). The Government ensures the safeguarding of proprietary data.
E. Intellectual Property (IP) While some government contracts can impact Industry's IP, this collaboration model imposes no long-term impacts and preserves and protects Industry's exclusive ownership of their intellectual property.
3. Philosophy
The SOF enterprise desires to inform and influence industry's internal investment decisions in areas that address SOF interests. Many in Industry have expertise, capacity, funding, and a desire to better understand and invest in those interest areas. Industry can benefit from the insight, foresight, and facilities of an experienced SOF team to make better decisions faster. SOF can offer a level of direct engagement with the user community that will ensure meaningful feedback in a timely manner. Additionally, SOF can provide facilities not otherwise available to test and demonstrate capabilities, sponsorship at formal test and exercise venues, government equipment, (range time/ ground and air mobility platforms/ flight time/ ammunition) coincident to demonstrating the utility of the capability. This construct uniquely enables rapid teaming to achieve the goals of both partners.
Background
The 2024 Joint Capability and Technology Engagement (JCTE) aims to foster partnerships between Special Operations Forces (SOF) and industry under the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).
The initiative seeks to inform industry investments and enhance SOF's technical capabilities.
Work Details
The engagement consists of four basic steps:
1) Sharing SOF Interest Items, where a comprehensive UNCLASSIFIED Technical Interest Items (TIIs) list is published on Vulcan-SOF.com, focusing on specific TIIs for this event.
2) Requesting proposals from industry, with submissions made through Vulcan by the specified deadline.
3) Reviewing and providing feedback on proposals by SOF subject matter experts, ensuring that all submitters receive valuable insights regardless of the outcome. Selected proposals will be shared across the SOF enterprise for further evaluation.
4) Partnering with selected proposals, where an overarching USSOCOM CRADA is signed, leading to the creation of a detailed Individual Work Plan (IWP). All submissions must be UNCLASSIFIED and focus on technical details rather than marketing material.
Place of Performance
The contract activities will primarily take place through the Vulcan platform, which serves as a web interface for technology scouting.
