Bid document

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

RESEARCH AND COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS OPENING (RCSO)

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

BAA-693KA8-26-RCSO

May 18, 2026

The procedures outlined in this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) apply to Areas of Interest posted under BAA-693KA8-26-RCSO This BAA will remain active five (5) years from date of issuance.

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background and Authority

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is dedicated to providing the safest and most efficient aerospace system in the world. We are committed to advancing the next level of aviation safety and efficiency, leading globally in the safe integration of new users, operations, and technologies into the National Airspace System (NAS).
As stewards of the American public and our aviation community, we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards. Safety is our passion—we work tirelessly to ensure every air and space traveler reaches their destination securely. Excellence is our promise—we deliver results grounded in professionalism, transparency, and accountability. Integrity is our foundation—we carry out our responsibilities with honesty, ethical rigor, and moral soundness. Our people are our greatest strength. The respect, collaboration, and dedication of our workforce drive our mission forward. Innovation is our hallmark, empowering us to envision and create solutions that push beyond today’s aerospace boundaries and shape the future of aviation. As such, in order to accommodate research and technological solutions that we did not contemplate, an Area of Interest (AOI) is a broader problem statement than a traditional government solicitation. Likewise, our evaluation process is conducted with our organizational objectives in mind, and the FAA may select vendors whose research and technological solutions show greater potential to achieve the FAA’s mission.
The FAA uses Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs or Agreements), authorized under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 1996, 49 U.S.C. 106(l)(6), to collaborate with traditional and nontraditional government contractors, as well as nonprofit research institutions. These Agreements support

research and prototype projects that directly enhance the FAA’s mission effectiveness by improving NAS-related platforms, systems, components, or materials—whether newly developed, acquired, or already in use. The information in this Research and Commercial Solutions Opening (RCSO) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is intended to ensure that, to the greatest extent