Space Data Network (SDN) Industry Consortium for Space-to-Space Communications
Updated
Solicitation from the Department of the Air Force, for work in El Segundo, California. Due Nov 23, 2026, 5:00 PM (UTC-8), 12 days left.
| Solicitation number | SDN-CONSORT-27-01 |
|---|---|
| Agency | Department of the Air Force |
| Office | FA8819 Sda and Combat Power Szk-La |
| Notice type | Solicitation |
| Set-aside | None |
| Trade (NAICS) | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715) |
| Product or service code | AC12 |
| Place of performance | El Segundo, California |
| Posted | Nov 10, 2026 |
| Response deadline | Nov 23, 2026, 5:00 PM (UTC-8) (12 days left) |
| Add the deadline to | Google Calendar · Apple / Outlook (.ics) |
Bid documents (1)
Paid members download every document from this page, or buy this bid alone.
Federal prevailing wage rates for this place: California Davis-Bacon and SCA wage determinations.
Description
1. Purpose and Program Background The Space Systems Command’s Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B) program office is fielding a proliferated, integrated, vendor-diverse space-to-space communications mesh in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) leveraging commercial product baselines from across the industrial base. This mesh forms the critical communications backbone of the Space Data Network (SDN).
SDN-B has established the Space Data Network (SDN) Industry Consortium to cultivate a collaborative public-private partnership focused on addressing high-priority technical integration and architectural challenges across the proliferated LEO (pLEO) space-to-space communications mesh. This announcement is an open, one-step call for white papers to serve as market intelligence, informing the Government of the capabilities of the industrial base to meet current and future SDN requirements.
Based on this market intelligence, the Government may onboard individual companies into the SDN consortium. 2. Consortium Construct & Terms of Participation Agreement Mechanism: Selected industry members will enter the consortium as Associate Members under a $0-value Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) executed pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 4022.
Scope of Engagement: Consortium members will participate in regular collaborative forums, technical working groups, and architectural interchange meetings chaired by the Government. Activities include technical interoperability assessments, standards formulation, risk reduction discussions, and multi-vendor on-ramp coordination. Agreements & Non-Disclosure: Participating organizations will be required to execute Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs) and implement Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) and proprietary information protection strategies to enable cross-industry and Government information exchange.
Nature of Notice: This notice does not constitute a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) or a commitment by the Government to fund any development. Membership does not guarantee future contract awards or delivery orders. 3.
Technical Focus Areas Submissions must directly demonstrate how the respondent’s current or planned commercial capabilities, roadmaps, and technologies align with and contribute to the SDN architecture across one or more of the following domains: Proliferated Space Architecture Space Networking & Routing Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISL) Radio Frequency (RF) Mesh & Communications Payload Hosting & Interface Standardization Ground Architecture & Space-Ground Entry RF Antennas and Receivers Cybersecurity & Cross-Domain Security 4.
Eligibility Requirements Ownership: Consortium membership is strictly restricted to U.S.-owned and operated entities. Foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, or foreign-influenced companies are not eligible. Information Handling & Security Clearances: Baseline Minimum: Respondents must possess existing facilities, systems, and personnel infrastructure capable of storing, processing, and transmitting information at a minimum of the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) level (in compliance with NIST SP 800-171 / DoD CMMC standards).
Higher-Level Capabilities Welcomed: Capabilities to hold and process classified information (e.g., Secret, Top Secret / SCI, and associated Facility Security Clearances (FCL) exceed the minimum threshold. Respondents holding higher clearances and secure facilities should annotate their current safeguarding and facility clearance levels in their cover sheet and white paper for future collaboration planning.
SAM Registration: Respondents must possess an active entity registration in SAM.gov under NAICS 541715 prior to submission. 5. Submission Instructions and Format This is a streamlined, single-step process.
Respondents shall submit a concise package strictly conforming to the following volume and page constraints: Volume Content Page Limit Format Cover Sheet Administrative details, CAGE, UEI, points of contact (POCs), CUI/Clearance level declaration 1 page PDF White Paper Technical contribution and commercial alignment to SDN 2 pages max PDF Contextual Pitch Deck (Optional) Commercial product background / architecture context Up to 10 content slides (include a cover slide if submitted) PDF or PPTX Page and Document Formatting: Cover Sheet (1 Page): Must include company name, CAGE code, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), corporate address, confirmation of 100% U.S. ownership, affirmation of CUI processing capability (including notation of any higher facility/personnel clearances held), and designated Technical and Contracting POCs (name, title, phone, email).
White Paper (2 Pages Maximum): Must succinctly answer: Consortium Contribution: How the organization can contribute technical expertise, test capabilities, facilities, tools, or data to the consortium. Architecture Alignment: How the organization’s current or planned commercial products, independent research and development (IR&D), and architectures align with the SDN pLEO mesh baseline.
Formatting: 8.5 x 11-inch pages, 1-inch margins, minimum 11-point font (tables/graphics no smaller than 9-point). Pages exceeding the 2-page limit will not be reviewed or evaluated. Contextual Pitch Deck (Optional, up to 10 Slides): Respondents may attach an excerpt of up to ten (10) slides from their commercial or government briefing/pitch deck to provide additional visual context on technology readiness or architectural topologies.
A single title/cover slide should be included and does not count against the 10-slide limit. 6. Submission Delivery & Inquiries Submissions must be delivered no later than 23 November 2026 at 17:00 Pacific Time (PT).
Late submissions will not be reviewed. Submissions may be delivered via either of the following methods: Direct Email: Submit unclassified/non-CUI packages directly via email to all designated Government POCs listed below with the subject line: [SDN Consortium White Paper] - [Company Name]. DoD SAFE Drop-Off (Mandatory for CUI subm
The description continues in the official notice.
Contracting contact
- Melanie Gipson · [email protected]
- Leslie Semerena · [email protected]
As published on the official notice. Ask questions in writing and before any questions deadline the notice sets.
Is your business small enough?
For NAICS 541715, a business counts as small if it has no more than 11 employees (SBA size standard, with exceptions in the notes). This notice is set aside, so only businesses under that size, or in the named program, can bid. SBA table, current as of Oct 15, 2026.
Companies that win this kind of work
Federal contractors paid for research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences work, who also hold Air Force contracts (last 12 months): possible competitors, or partners to team with.
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC $1.9 billion in this trade
- Lockheed Martin Corporation $1.8 billion in this trade
- Raytheon Company $1.7 billion in this trade
- The Aerospace Corporation $1.1 billion in this trade
- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc $791.0 million in this trade
About the buyer
The Department of the Air Force awarded $83.1 billion in contracts in the last 12 months; its biggest suppliers were The Boeing Company, The Boeing Company and Raytheon Company. See what Air Force is buying now.
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences contracts right now
There are 271 open government contract opportunities in this trade (NAICS 541715), 39 posted in the last 7 days; 29% are set aside for small businesses. The agencies buying the most are Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most of the work with a stated place is in Maryland, District of Columbia and New Mexico. A notice in this trade gives a median of 52 days from posting to deadline; this one gives 13 days.
All open research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences contracts
Coming up in this trade
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From the award notices agencies publish.