FRONTIER AI STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA

<h1>Introduction</h1>
The Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its transformative potential across a broad range of the Department’s activities.
To maintain technological superiority and address emerging national security challenges, the DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) is pleased to announce a new Strategic Focus Area within its Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO): Frontier AI.
A frontier AI model is defined as “a general-purpose AI system near the cutting-edge of performance, as measured by widely accepted publicly available benchmarks, or similar assessments of reasoning, science, and overall capabilities.” Frontier AI encompasses technologies such as large pre-trained models and AI agents that perform a wide variety of tasks, including complex reasoning, planning, and domain-specific problem solving.
Through the Frontier AI strategic focus area, the CDAO will award several contracts for the application of these technologies to critical defense challenges. These awards will span multiple areas of interest, from mission-specific applications to enterprise platforms, providing avenues for innovative solutions from diverse organizations and fostering collaboration between complementary capabilities.
<h2>Areas of interest</h2>
Within this strategic focus area, the CDAO is seeking innovative solutions in four key areas:
<ol>
<li>General-use Platforms;</li>
<li>Mission-specific Applications;</li>
<li>Critical Enablers; and</li>
<li>Specialized AI Compute and Infrastructure.</li>
</ol>
<h3>General-use Platforms</h3>
General-use platforms provide broad access to frontier AI, such as large language models (LLMs), for a variety of general applications across different business and operational functions. These platforms serve as the foundation for frontier AI access, usage, and learning across the Department.
Key features and attributes of general-use platforms include:
<ul>
<li>Rapid availability of cutting-edge frontier AI model(s);</li>
<li>Easy and intuitive platform access, such as access through a web browser;</li>
<li>Efficient execution of core tasks such as model inference; and</li>
<li>Robust support for enabling frontier AI techniques, frameworks, and tools such as retrieval augmented generation, model orchestration engines, and model-enabled search.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mission-specific Applications</h3>
Mission-specific applications apply frontier AI capabilities directly into key DoD operational workflows to drive mission success. 
With the end-users and their mission at the core of their development, these applications integrate deeply with existing systems and data sources to address challenges and inefficiencies within current operational workflows while maintaining a focus on user experience that ensures intuitive interfaces and straightforward adoption by operators.
Domains of interest for mission-specific applications span both warfighting (e.g., logistics, command and control) and enterprise management (e.g., financial management, resource planning) domains.
<h3>Critical Enablers</h3>
Critical enablers support the successful adoption and implementation of frontier AI technologies in the Department’s missions and workflows. Critical enablers for frontier AI include (but are not limited to):
<ul>
<li>Pre-built prompt and agent templates;</li>
<li>Task management and orchestration frameworks;</li>
<li>Benchmarks for model and workflow evaluations;</li>
<li>Test harnesses;</li>
<li>Input/output guardrails;</li>
<li>Monitoring and analysis tools;</li>
<li>Frontier AI standards and protocols;</li>
<li>Frontier AI security and risk management tools; and</li>
<li>Frameworks for system and workflow risk assessments.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Specialized AI Compute and Infrastructure</h3>
Specialized AI compute and infrastructure provide the technical foundation for the deployment of frontier AI across a diverse range of missions and operational environments.
This area of interest encompasses technical solutions that provide computing resources suitable for challenging mission environments and specialized hardware for AI applications for the enterprise and at the edge.
<h2>Challenge details</h2>
<h3>Submission instructions</h3>
Starting 01 MAY 2025, interested parties should submit a 5-minute video pitch through the CDAO's Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, tagged with the "Frontier AI" strategic focus area.
Previous submissions to Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace which align with any of the above areas of interest do not need to reapply into the marketplace. The team will be reviewing new and existing solutions.
Submissions are assessed in accordance with the sam.gov announcement for Tradewinds Solution Marketplace (<a href="https://sam.gov/opp/fef4144dd2a245d8a4c7ee0cd6add1e6/view">https://sam.gov/opp/fef4144dd2a245d8a4c7ee0cd6add1e6/view</a>).
<h3>Contract awards</h3>
Contract awards leveraging the Frontier AI strategic focus area will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis starting in MAY 2025.
The total anticipated award amount through the Frontier AI strategic focus area is approximately $50 MM in FY25, distributed across multiple contracts spanning the identified areas of interest. Individual award amounts will vary based on solution scope, complexity, and expected impact.
The Frontier AI strategic focus area will continue to be reviewed and leveraged for contracts in FY26 and onward for government requirements pertaining to frontier AI. Updates to the scope of this strategic focus area will be posted on the Tradewinds website.
<h3>Additional information</h3>
<ul>
<li>A Facility Security Clearance (FCL) may be required if the Government determines that it is necessary to complete the prototype effort. Vendors who receive awards may be required to ensure that they are eligible to receive and maintain an FCL.</li>
<li>Preference may be given to companies whose solutions have been successfully deployed onto existing government networks or have obtained equivalent Authority to Operate (ATO) determinations.</li>
<li>Companies may be expected to submit further information about their solutions or demonstrate their solutions in an unclassified environment as part of the Commercial Solutions Opening process.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Point of contact</h3>
For questions regarding this strategic focus area or other upcoming opportunities, please contact <a href="mailto:success@tradewindai.com">success@tradewindai.com</a>.

Tradewinds SBIR Blog
Ryan Connell, Acq/Tradewinds Lead

Tradewinds SBIR Blog Ryan Connell, Acq/Tradewinds Lead 
 
What the Heck’s Going on with Tradewinds and SBIR?
Navigating the Department of Defense's (DoD) contracting landscape can be confusing, especially when multiple initiatives like the Tradewinds Solution Marketplace (TSM), SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Aisle, and an Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) SBIR announcement related to the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) and Tradewinds are involved. These programs may seem similar on the surface, but they each serve a different purpose and provide distinct opportunities. Let’s take a moment to explore what each one offers and clarify how they work together to foster innovation within the DoD.
The Tradewinds Solution Marketplace
For those unfamiliar, the TSM is designed to simplify how the DoD finds cutting-edge solutions in a post-competition environment for easy contracting. Instead of going through lengthy, traditional contracting processes, the TSM allows the Government to require owners to discover solutions that are available after CDAO has completed the solicitation and competition phase of an acquisition (authorities rooted in a Broad Agency Announcement, Commercial Solution Opening, and/or Solicitation for Other Transaction, depending on the procurement). This process also facilitates a low barrier to entry for companies to submit video pitches showcasing their technology directly to DoD officials. The TSM Opportunity (on the Tradewinds opportunity webpage) provides solution providers a way to submit to TSM. 
SBIR Aisle: Broadening the reach of your previously awarded SBIR
The “SBIR Aisle” within Tradewinds is a new call for 5-minute videos, much like the TSM; however, this is specifically created to promote solutions that DoD has already selected for SBIR Phase I &amp; II awards. The SBIR statute allows for further procurement without further competition, which aligns with the intent of the original TSM. This open call for SBIR Phase I and II solutions will require similar criteria for pitch videos – limitation of 5 minutes, resolution requirements, marking limitations, etc. However, the CDAO will not perform any further competitive assessment; as per the SBIR statute, procurement is allowed without further competition. 
Once a company wins a SBIR award, how does it keep momentum and get its technology in front of the right DoD stakeholders? That’s where the SBIR Aisle comes in. SBIR awardees can place their solutions in the TSM without needing to compete again. They’re automatically deemed competitive, since they’ve already been vetted through the SBIR program. This streamlines the process for these businesses, giving them a direct path to showcasing their innovations and securing DoD interest. This announcement is incorporated in the TSM announcement v7 on Sam.gov. 
OSD SBIR Open Topic and CDAO for GenAI: A New Opportunity
Let’s introduce another Tradewinds-SBIR element: the OSD SBIR Open Topic, particularly in connection with the CDAO for Generative AI (GenAI). This initiative is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence within Defense, seeking out GenAI solutions that can enhance mission success. This is neither the TSM, nor the SBIR Aisle call for existing SBIR awardees; this is a new OSD SBIR call. However, the open topic is a bit different from the traditional SBIR process. Rather than a written technical volume, we aligned the requirement with our TSM model and require a 5-minute pitch video. The instructions for submitting will be outlined in the instructions on the <a href="https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login">Defense SBIR/Small Business Technology Transfer Innovation Portal (DSIP)</a> and the Tradewindai.com opportunity page (SBIR opportunity). Unlike TSM and SBIR Aisle, this announcement has OSD/CDAO funding and anticipated SBIR awards during FY 25. 
Conclusion: The Right Fit for Your Innovation
Whether you’re developing new AI solutions, participating in the SBIR program, or simply looking to get your foot in the door with the DoD, the combination of TSM, TSM SBIR Aisle, and the OSD SBIR Open Topic provides multiple entry points. By clarifying the workflows, requirements, and opportunities associated with each, solution providers can take the right steps to maximize their chances of success within the DoD.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to explore these opportunities and find your place within the DoD’s innovation ecosystem.
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/dod-cdao-tradewinds-video-opportunities.jpg" alt="DOD CDAO Tradewinds - Video Submission Opportunities" /><figcaption>DOD CDAO Tradewinds - Video Submission Opportunities</figcaption></figure>

Tradewinds SBIR Blog

The Chief Digital & Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) hosted the Advana Industry Day on September 18, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, VA.

About this event
The Chief Digital &amp; Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) hosted the Advana Industry Day on September 18, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, VA. The Advana Industry Day served as a collaborative event for the CDAO and its industry partners to engage in insightful discussions and knowledge-sharing. The event aimed to explore potential partnerships and opportunities for industry involvement in the ongoing enhancement and execution of the Advana platform. Advana is a common platform designed for mission owners, analysts, and data scientists to simplify more than 3,000 business systems. 
The DoD’s largest big-data system, Advana, is moving from its current contracting vehicle to a new model that is open to a wider range of potential vendors. This change will help the increasingly popular platform scale to meet more, varied needs from a wider population of government users. CDAO desires to leverage innovative solutions from both traditional and nontraditional industry vendors and ensure Advana remains a leader in the CDAO’s new Open DAGIR construct, which stands for the Open Data and Applications Government-owned Interoperable Repositories. Combined with its experimentation-based approach to capability development, CDAO’s aim is to give industry more access to government-owned data and users to tools and services to develop relevant and timely products for decision advantage.
The objectives of the Advana Industry Day were to:
<ul>
<li>Share the origin story of Advana, its mission space, and its relationship to CDAO’s Open DAGIR approach to scaling data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.</li>
<li>Provide insights on opportunities for traditional and nontraditional industry vendors to participate in ongoing Advana development activities, including fundamental knowledge to provide Advana architecture development and Advana application development.</li>
<li>Discuss initial ideas and solicit feedback on partner workflows, draft statements of work, solicitation criteria, the Open DAGIR construct, and the acquisition strategy for participating in Advana development, from design and development to testing and scaling. </li>
</ul>

Download the <a href="https://storage.tradewindai.com/pdfs/Advana-Industry-Day_FINAL.pdf">Advana Industry Day PDF</a>
<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Speeches/Speech/Article/3912503/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opening Remarks from Dr. Radha Plumb</a>

<hr />
Industry Day Web Journal
This web journal captures and organizes the forum’s events in a chronological, high-level format. Graphic Facilitators captured key ideas throughout the day. 
<hr />

Keynote Address
Dr. Radha Plumb, DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/Advana-1.png" alt="Keynote Address" /></figure>
 The mission of CDAO is to accelerate the adoption of digital and AI across DoD. There are three sections of focus – enablement, speed, and scale. CDAO is a new organization that combines expertise across DoD to drive digital transformation.
Advana has grown to 100,000+ users connecting over 500 sources showing data driven success.
OPEN DAGIR is a holistic approach to create speed, interoperability, and access to reliable technology assisting commanders with making better decisions faster. The heart of the OPEN DAGIR approach is to:
<ul>
<li>Enable interoperability and transparency</li>
<li>Ingest data into one set of tools that can be used by other tools</li>
<li>Drive common elements</li>
<li>Provide a federated governance process</li>
<li>Add transparency and support while protecting intellectual property</li>
<li>Delivering the right capabilities on the right timeline</li>
</ul>
We know we are not always easy to work with, but we are on a mission to improve that. Sessions like this one today are to provide an opportunity for you to offer candid feedback.

<hr />

Advana Overview and Background
Mitchell Fielder, Kate Sieve, &amp; Cody Ferguson 
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/CDAO-ADVANA-People.png" alt="CDAO speakers presenting a talk (Mitchell Fielder, Kate Sieve, &amp; Cody Ferguson)" /></figure>
 Mitchell Fielder, Division Chief of Enterprise Analytics &amp; Acting Principal Director for Enterprise Platforms and Services 
Advana's origin story dates back to 2017. Considering the scale of the DoD, the size of our fighting force, and the extensive supply chain, there was a vast ocean of data to capture, curate, and index. Initially conceived as a financial model, Advana now spans across numerous business domains and departments.
In 2018, we recognized the need for common data and a centralized data repository. This led to the launch of the Advana brand in May of that year. Our partnership with the Navy in 2020 resulted in the launch of Jupiter. The following year, 2021, marked the beginning of AI and the data accelerator initiative's global expansion. Finally, in 2022, we became part of CDAO.
 
Kate Sieve, Financial Management Operations and Analytics Division Chief, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) 
Advana, initially developed as an audit tool, has since evolved to support a wide range of functional domains. It now serves as an operational platform for research, analysis, workflow management, finance, operations, and reporting.
The platform's key strengths include providing accurate data, implementing customer-centric design, and offering curated information to its users.
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant turning point for Advana, transforming it from a primarily financial support platform into a robust readiness response system.
 
Cody Ferguson, Data and AI Services Division Chief for Enterprise Platforms and Services
 
What Advana has accomplished:
<ul>
<li>Solved common problems across DoD</li>
<li>Established federated data catalog</li>
<li>Understand usefulness of data (quality, sources, and access)</li>
<li>Visualized data for senior leadership ease of use</li>
<li>Set up automation to ingest data</li>
<li>Enabled users to get data into the platform they can access and use it</li>
</ul>
What Advana has become:
<ul>
<li>We have 100,000+ users and 10% are builders. They use Advana to run sequence and workload tasks automating very manual tasks. They use builder capabilities to assist our soldiers.</li>
<li>Operating 24/5 following the sun model.</li>
<li>Community spaces are organizations that have invested in Advana and use it for their entire organization – Air Force, Navy, TransCom.</li>
<li>Original platform provided development as a service. Now moving into the future of multi-user ecosystem to enable advanced analytics.</li>
</ul>

<hr />

Open DAGIR &amp; Advana
Garrett Berntsen &amp; Eugene Kuznetsov
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/CDAO-ADVANA-People-1.png" alt="Speakers Garrett Berntsen &amp; Eugene Kuznetsov presenting a talk" /></figure>
 Garrett Berntsen, Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for Missions Analytics
Overview: The CDAO organization supports the delivery of thousands of data, analytics and search products for DoD users across its enterprise platforms, tools and services.
<ul>
<li>Across the board our priority is delivering high-quality, scalable solutions.</li>
<li>On the application side, we’re focused on customer success via agile product management and data analytics best practices.</li>
<li>On the infrastructure side, we’re focused on technology enhancements that allow us to maximize data sharing and defining standards that allow us to get to a more platform-agnostic ecosystem.</li>
<li>The key to scale is creating interoperability with all systems so we can quickly put proven solutions into the hands of our customers.</li>
<li>We also need to ensure everything is built with security in mind, so constant engagement with our cyber teams on access management and authorization are critical.</li>
</ul>
Why: The goal of the Open DAGIR construct is to enable speed, flexibility, and interoperability:
<ul>
<li>Enterprise-level infrastructure to ensure reliable, enduring access to the Government-owned, Contractor-operated data stacks that can onboard new capabilities quickly.</li>
<li>Enterprise-level infrastructure to ensure reliable, enduring access to the Government-owned, Contractor-operated data stacks that can onboard new capabilities quickly.</li>
<li>The decoupling of platforms and data through an emphasis on platform and data interoperability, to help fight the natural tendency to silo data. </li>
<li>Agile requirements and acquisition processes that accelerate testing and procurement of digital capabilities. </li>
</ul>
Eugene Kuznetsov, Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for Enterprise Platforms and Services
<ul>
<li>We need to solve multiple problems at once. We can't have our war-fighters wait 16-18 months to get the capabilities Open DAGIR helps unlock.</li>
<li>Need to bring our code to meet our capabilities in tech and defense.</li>
<li>Need the correct government information to support (secure, faster, and accurate data).</li>
<li>We created a marketplace for people to compete on what they are best at – For example, if your skill is AI, then you can work on the AI portion.</li>
<li>The principle applies to all efforts and implementation.</li>
</ul>

<hr />

Advana 1.2 Deep Dive &amp; Deeper Open DAGIR
Alex O’Toole, Infrastructure and Platforms Division Chief for Enterprise Platforms and Services, &amp; Cody Ferguson, Data and AI Services Division Chief for Enterprise Platforms and Services
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/CDAO-ADVANA-People-2.png" alt="Alex O’Toole &amp; Cody Ferguson presenting a talk at Advana Industry Day" /></figure>
Advana 1.2 - Lessons learned
<ul>
<li>Platform needs to rapidly onboard new technologies</li>
<li>More transparent and efficient ATO</li>
<li>More monitoring and mediation</li>
<li>Reliability of the platform needs to increase</li>
</ul>
Why Advana 1.2?
<ul>
<li>Users and data sources growing exponentially</li>
<li>There is a need for industry to easily integrate into government platforms</li>
<li>Government clients need more control and access</li>
</ul>
Creating standardized pipelines that automate the process and allow industry to self-deploy and self-integrate into Advana.
Deeper Open DAGIR
“We look at data sources the same way we look at people and funding” - Cody Ferguson
<ul>
<li>All DoD data is an enterprise resource</li>
<li>Publish data assets to a centralized location</li>
</ul>
We are migrating our operation model into 2.0
<ul>
<li>Data discovery tool - available to everyone in the DoD network</li>
<li>Hub and spoke model, centralized catalog but different catalogs across departments</li>
<li>Automation of meta data and permission structure</li>
<li>Self-service portal gives industry the ability to build your own API endpoints to access data in Advana</li>
</ul>

<hr />

Acquisition Strategy
Bonnie Evangelista, Acting Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for Acquisition &amp; Assurance, &amp; Richard Wahidi, Contracting Officer, Air Force Installation Contracting Center
<figure><img src="https://storage.tradewindai.com/images/CDAO-ADVANA-People-3.png" alt="Bonnie Evangelista &amp; Richard Wahidi presenting at Advana Industry day" /></figure>
 Advana is currently under a single-task order, the goal is to move away from operations under a single system integrator business model.
This includes:
<ul>
<li>Creating a decentralized approach</li>
<li>More agility and flexibility</li>
<li>More competition and opportunities for small business</li>
<li>Lower barriers to entry and adoption</li>
<li>Having the ability to support and align with the self-service model</li>
<li>Continue to align with the breadth of growth that we are expecting from Advana</li>
</ul>
The operating model for Open DAGIR from the acquisition standpoint:
<ul>
<li>Build upon momentum from Trade Winds to piloting and testing</li>
<li>Work with AAMAC, will need vehicles that allow to scale to end-user base</li>
<li>Rapid piloting and accelerated testing</li>
</ul>
AAMAC
<ul>
<li>Create a diverse ecosystem of digital capability providers</li>
<li>Analytic, AI, and mission needs from any DoD department</li>
</ul>
Needs of the Advana platform itself
<ul>
<li>Although we are currently looking to award a target range of 50-70 IDIQ’s (There will be on ramps to this number as it evolves), the results of market research may change this range.<ul>
<li>There will be unpriced IDIQ’s</li>
<li>Can be determined as commercial vs. non-commercial by use case</li>
</ul></li>

</ul>
Award process
<ul>
<li>How many focus areas a contractor needs to demonstrate is a variable number that will depend on meeting a target range of IDIQs. <ul>
<li>Focus areas are self-descriptive capability areas that are anticipated to remain relevant to Advana- there are 29 currently determined.</li>
</ul></li>

<li>Evaluation Factors: Technical experience and small business</li>
<li>Past experience with government is not required</li>
</ul>

<hr />

Next Steps
Bonnie Evangelista, Acting Deputy Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer for Acquisition &amp; Assurance
Hopefully you have seen lots of opportunities today. Please respond to our RFI. We look forward to your feedback.

Advana Industry Day

Education |Center|

Discover a diverse range of resources within the Tradewinds suite, from AI to OTs and beyond. Explore videos, read articles, download templates and request specific resources tailored to your needs.

Artificial Intelligence

Explore a curated collection of AI-focused content, including videos, articles, and downloadable templates.

Contracting

Discover a handpicked selection of resources dedicated to contracting and Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) with expert insights and practical guides to demystify the complexities of contracting processes.

Awards & Vendors

Explore compelling stories and achievements that showcase outstanding performance and innovation leveraging the Tradewinds platform.

Events

Join us as we provide a behind-the-scenes look at the events that shape industry trends and foster meaningful connections.

5 Reasons Why Your AI Project Can Fail.

Explore the "5 Reasons Why Your AI Project Can Fail." Gain crucial insights into avoiding pitfalls, ensuring success, and navigating the complexities of AI projects. Watch now to propel your AI initiatives to new heights!

Education Center

<h3>Vision Statement</h3>
Watch this video on the Mission Statement, and use this template to outline
<ul><li>Project Vision</li><li>Project Cadence</li><li>Dedicated Team</li><li>More</li></ul>

Education Center

5 Reasons Why Your AI Project Can Fail.

Educational Videos

Mission Statement

A Balanced Team

Acknowledging User Feedback

Latest blog posts

FRONTIER AI STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA

Tradewinds SBIR Blog

Advana Industry Day

Request Resources