Request for Information - Energetics Center of Excellence
1.0 Purpose
Army Contracting Command Rock Island, on behalf of Portfolio Acquisition Executive Agile Sustainment & Ammunition and Project Lead Joint Services, is requesting information from industry regarding transformative projects, programs, capabilities, and concepts that would strengthen the Department of War (DoW) energetics ecosystem and resiliency within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to inform potential use of funding for energetics resilience at Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky. The Government is intentionally non-prescriptive regarding detailed technical or product requirement through this RFI. Rather, the Government seeks industry input on both defense and commercially executable solutions that address energetic-resiliency challenges through a potential Private-Public Partnership (P3). This request for information is for market research purposes only and is not a formal contract offer. Your response cannot be accepted to form a binding contract, and the Army is not at this time seeking proposals.
2.0 Problem Statement
The DoW energetics enterprise faces increasing demand while portions of the supporting industrial base remain constrained by limited domestic capacity, aging infrastructure, legacy manufacturing processes, long qualification timelines, and fragile or concentrated supply chains. These constraints pose a risk to warfighter readiness, ability to rapidly scale during periods of additional demand, and constrain the ability to field next generation munitions.
3.0 Scope and Desired Solutions
Industry may propose concepts across the full energetics spectrum or energetics value chain that include discrete projects, multiple coordinated but independently executable project modules, or a master-campus concept involving complementary capabilities. The Government seeks practical, scalable, and commercially sustainable solutions during future periods of low to no government orders that may include, but are not limited to:
- Onshoring: Establishing domestic production capacity for energetics products, inputs, components, precursors, or processing capabilities currently produced OCONUS.
- Supply-Chain Resilience: Reducing foreign, sole-source, or other critical supply-chain dependencies; increasing domestic redundancy; and eliminating or mitigating single-point production failures.
- Flexible Production Capacity: Modernizing, supplementing, or replacing legacy manufacturing and processing methods through automation, digital process control, flexible manufacturing (modular, reconfigurable, multi-product production lines that can support multiple products, formulations, customers, or demand scenarios), advanced quality assurance, continuous or semi-continuous processing, or similar approaches to create the flexibility needed to quickly scale up for surge requirements.
- Next-Generation Formulation Transition: Establish medium-scale production and scale-up capability to accelerate transition of next-generation formulations from small scale lab to production-representative and full-rate manufacturing.
- Commercially Sustainable Operations: Establishing a dual-use, single/multi-tenant, or other commercial model capable of sustaining operations through peacetime by utilizing widely available commercial industry processes, manufacturing, and materials while retaining readiness to support defense surge requirements.
4.0 Threshold Criteria and Limitations
Respondents have broad latitude regarding the solution proposed. However, each concept should meet the following threshold criteria and limitations.
4.1 Geographic Location BGAD, Richmond, Kentucky
All proposed physical facilities, pilot lines, processing units, laboratories, capital improvements, and associated support infrastructure must be located at BGAD.
4.2 DIB Synergy and Alignment
Proposed capabilities must be new, unique, and complete or provide complementary, supplementary, or redundant/resilient production capabilities within the existing Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO), Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO), and Government-Owned, Government-Operated (GOGO) Army network.
4.3 Commercial Viability and No Planned Recurring Government Support
The Government seeks concepts that do not rely on planned recurring U.S. Government funding for steady-state facility operations, maintenance, staffing, overhead, or routine upkeep after establishment. The Government would be interested in respondent, commercial, or third-party co-investment, where applicable.
4.4 Schedule
The Government is seeking a Period of Performance (PoP) of 48 months or less to achieve full project transition and commissioning. The Army is focused on rapid capability acceleration, earlier completion timelines are highly encouraged.
5.0 Submission Requirements
Responses are limited to a maximum of 10 pages, which must detail the following:
- Project description and expected warfighter / DIB impact;
- Technical approach, modernization method, and next-generation formulation transition plan;
- Commercial products or services utilization to keep the facility viable during period of low to no USG orders;
- Onshoring, supply-chain resilience, and foreign-dependency reduction benefits;
- Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) that includes the cost for design, construction, and commissioning, rationale for dual-use sustainable business model, and optional self/co-investment;
- Execution milestones to the complete path within 48 months or less.
6.0 Point of Contact and Submission Deadline
Industry is requested to submit responses to this RFI no later than 4:00pm central 02 November 2026. Responses and questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted to:
Contracting Officer: SFC Pramod Khanal at pramod.khanal.mil@army.mil
Contract Specialist: Lindsey Arguello at lindsey.j.arguello.civ@army.mil
7.0 Industry Day
The Government plans to have further conversation with industry and shape the Energetics Center of Excellence requirement at the GOCO Industry Day in November 2026 referenced here: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/73cb195b4756453494768ade061e21aa/view. Industry Day details and registration information will be provided in a subsequent update to the GOCO Industry Day announcement. Registration is not required at this time.
Disclaimer
The Government does not intend to reimburse any contractor for any information or administrative costs associated with responding to this notification. Participation in this survey is strictly voluntary. Any information stated above is subject to change. Respondents are responsible for appropriately marking any proprietary information. This is a Sources Sought notice for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment to issue an RFP in the future.
