Space Force RCO Awards 20 for R2C2 Ground Systems IDIQ

Space Force RCO Awards 20 for R2C2 Ground Systems IDIQ

6/14/2024

The Rapid Capabilities Office of the U.S. Space Force has structured a contract for the development and enhancement of ground-systems software. 20 awardees were chosen for the Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) multi-year contract. This projected $1 billion IDIQ contract, known as R2C2 or Rapid Resilient Command and Control, aims to build a next-generation ground system using commercial cloud architecture.

Notably, the Space RCO has specifically reserved this contract for small businesses. Generally large defense-based contracts are given to the usual list of top GovCon players. R2C2 however aims to give small businesses a hand and foster participation. This small-business set-aside initiative aligns with the goal of fostering broader industry involvement. Under this contract structure, the Space RCO will award task orders over a five-year period, with the potential for a two-year extension, ensuring sustained support for the R2C2 program’s objectives.

The set of R2C2 acquisition had a minimum set of requirements for vendors. The acquisition requires the use of agile software development principles and tools for rapid delivery of incremental, modular, and system-of-system capabilities through a DevSecOps CI/CD pipeline. Firms will utilize existing technologies with resilient architectures capable of scaling while maintaining software capabilities agnostic to infrastructure is necessary and avoiding obsolescence and vendor-lock issues.

Vendors will be working across various classifications from Unclassified to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) and Special Access Programs (SAP). There will be deployment of interoperable, cyber-secure, and hybrid on-premises/multi-cloud infrastructure to enable and optimize resilient tactical C2 operations. Defined interfaces and architectural descriptions using digital engineering tools to optimize collaboration and integration are to be delivered.

Also requested is the automation of routine SATOPS functions, employing a standardized user experience (UX), interfacing with critical warfighting networks, and selecting acquisition and contract types with incentives for speed, flexibility, and accountability. The acquisition strategy is replacing the Government-as-the-integrator with a Vendor-as-the-integrator solution, ensuring a Government-owned technical baseline, and optimizing Operations and Sustainment (O&S) of the R2C2 Service Catalog in support of MP operations. Lastly, it involves assisting development teams in integrating Mission Unique Software into software factory pipelines and being responsible for integrating command and control (C2) software services to create a functional ground system.

The awardees are:

Peterson U.S. Space Force Base – Rosemarie Mosteller – stock.adobe.com

• A.I. Solutions
• Aalyria Technologies
• Defense Unicorns
• FTI – Frontier Technology
• Giuseppe Engineering
• Infinity Systems Engineering
• IS4S – Integrated Solutions for Systems
• NewSat North America
• Northstrat
• Omitron
• Omni Federal
• Pacific Crest Alliance
• Picogrid
• Quantum Research International
• Raft
• Rogue Space Systems
• Sphinx Defense
• Systems & Technology Research
• TapHere! Technology
• True Anomaly

To learn more about Space Force R2C2 and other similar contract vehicles, get started with a 5-day trial of EZGovOpps.