Question 1

What is the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace?

Accepted Answer

The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace (TSM) is a digital repository of post-competition, readily-awardable pitch videos, which addresses one of the Government's challenges in the AI/ML, digital, and data analytics space.

TSM serves as a single location to identify, describe, and promote data, analytics, digital, and AI/ML technology solutions, products, and services to the Department of War (DoW) in an environment with a rapid acquisition contract pathway.

Question 2

How would a Government customer purchase my solution from the Solutions Marketplace?

Accepted Answer

If a potential customer wants to purchase a solution found in the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace (TSM), they should contact their acquisition center or contracting official. Purchasing a solution from the TSM is no different than purchasing via other means, so we believe most acquisition/contracting officials will be able to execute the contract and/or agreement. If a Government customer has any questions about the purchasing process, they can reach out to the Tradewinds acquisition support team at success@tradewindai.com. We’re happy to help!

Question 3

I'm awardable and I'm on the Marketplace! Where do I send potential Government customers so they can find my awardable solution?

Accepted Answer

Government customers can access the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace (TSM) by logging onto www.TradewindAI.com. From there, they can search video solutions by the title of the video or by company name.

Question 4

What are the requirements for a video submission?

Accepted Answer

Your video must be 5 minutes long, and should accurately convey your technology solution so that government customers can evaluate if it meets their mission requirements. Video submissions which exceed the length limitation of 5:00 minutes will not be assessed.
Primarily, it is crucial you review the evaluation criteria listed in the announcement. The evaluation rubric will provide important insight into how your Company’s solution will be evaluated by a government buyer. You should also perform a compliance review of your proposed solution prior to submitting your video.

When creating your video, focus on both the content of the video as well as techniques for recording an appealing video.

In terms of the content, your Solution video must include, at a minimum:
Defining the Problem. Begin your video pitch with a clear description of the problem(s) you solve for your customers (or prospective customers). Explain the problem thoroughly but leave time to address all video submission elements. Is this a common problem across the government? Is it a universal problem across government and commercial markets? Is it specific to a program, platform, or service, or does it have impacts across the DoW? Even if your existing use cases are at a smaller scale, focus on explaining the broader applicability and potential impact of your solution.
Accelerating the Mission. Each video must focus on one solution, though it may relate to multiple focus areas. (You may submit additional videos to present other solutions). Fully describe your solution and the technical scientific reasoning behind how it addresses the identified problem. Use relevant, properly cited data to strengthen your argument and establish credibility. Identify how your solution addresses the problem you’ve defined. If other technologies (such as hardware, software, licenses, or services) are required to use your solution, identify such dependencies and how technical risk and/or dependencies are managed. Identify how your solution aligns to the TSM Strategic Focus Area(s). If your solution is at a lower Technology Readiness Level (TRLs 1-5) and needs further development or test, explain your plan to mature the solution to better address the problem. If your solution is at a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRLs 6-9), provide a demonstration within your video of the product or case study of your service. Forgot what TRLs are? Check Appendix A.
Advancing the State of the Art. Explain how adoption of your solution would impact the current state of technology/services used by the DoW. In what ways does your proposed solution introduce innovations (defined in DFARS 212.7001) that significantly enhance the DoW’s capabilities? If you are already providing your solution to DoW or other federal agencies, state that here and explain the impact it has had. Identify current customers using your solution including Government and commercial entities. Is your solution saving your customers time? Saving money? Reducing Risk? These are just some examples of potential customer impacts. Lastly, identify and discuss alternatives to solving the identified problem, and why they are less desirable. Provide information to support assertions and/or claims made.
Business Model. Describe how your company’s business model works. The way your business model is explained will be dependent on the structure of your business. NOTE: THIS SECTION IS NOT REQUESTING NON-PUBLIC PRICING. DO NOT SUBMIT RATES OR OTHER PROPRIETARY PRICING INFORMATION. Items to consider for your submission include: 
Explain the general structure; for example, do you offer fixed-price licenses, fixed-price services, time and materials services, etc.? Is your business model variable based on volume, complexity, or other factors? Do you offer range pricing or quantity discounts? Are you seeking funding for development work? If your business model includes variable components, describe how you estimate the scope of work to determine contract pricing. 
If your solution is a commercial product, indicate whether the same business model is used for both commercial and government buyers. Where possible, provide evidence that your model is viable in either or both commercial and government markets. 
Assure that your business model aligns with the current maturity (TRL) of your technology or service solution. 
If you have commercial pricing that is publicly available, include that here.

Additional video tips to create a clear, polished illustration of your solution:
Resolution: HD 1920x1080
Frame rate: 23.98FPS
Audio: Stereo or MonoMix o Encoded for streaming as a .mp4 file under 1gb
Color Space: Rec709 or sRGB

Question 5

Am I able to make edits to my video after it's been deemed Awardable?

Accepted Answer

No, you cannot. If you have updates or features you need to include, you would need to create a new video following the criteria above and re-submit it for evaluation.

Also note that each video is limited to one solution. If more than one solution is offered, you should submit multiple videos.

Question 6

How can I share my Awardable status with potential government customers?

Accepted Answer

Once your video is deemed awardable and placed into the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, you will want to promote your solution as broadly as possible to encourage relevant Government customers to view and engage with your solution.
Press Release: Your company may choose to draft a press release announcing your exciting news. Tradewinds encourages issuance of press releases. Should you choose to issue a press release, we ask that you inform the Tradewinds team at success@tradewindai.com and send us a draft of the release prior to public distribution. This will give us an opportunity to ensure that the Tradewinds brand is accurately represented.Graphic Award: The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace team has created an “Awardable” graphic icon which you can use in all your communications including social media posts, press releases, announcements, marketing materials, etc. There are no licensing fees and no restrictions on its use. You may even choose to feature the graphic on the homepage of your website to visually display your awardable status and quickly send the signal to potential customers that you’re ready to make a deal! The graphic is attached as a separate file to your welcome email.When sharing your Awardable status, be sure to share a direct link to your video solution on the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace. Government users can then log into their account on TradewindAI.com to access, view, and comment on the video.

Question 7

What resources can I share with government customers to help them understand how to leverage the marketplace?

Accepted Answer

You can provide Government customers with the official government handbook that outlines how to effectively leverage the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace (TSM). This handbook will guide them through the process, helping them make informed decisions and maximize the benefits of the TSM for their procurement needs.

Question 8

I submitted my video, now what? When is the assessment?

Accepted Answer

Videos are collected on a Monthly period, and assessed within the first two (2) weeks after the collection period ends. Feedback on your video will be available on the last day of the month after the collection period.

Videos must be received by 12:00pm EST on the last day of the month to be included as part of that month’s assessment period. Any videos submitted after this deadline will be included in the next month’s review period.

Question 9

Who do we send out press releases to for review?

Accepted Answer

If your company chooses to draft a press release announcing your exciting news, we ask that you inform the Tradewinds team at success@tradewindai.com and send us a draft of the release prior to public distribution. This will give us an opportunity to ensure that Tradewinds is accurately represented.

Question 10

Our solution does not fit the Technology Focus Areas but is an AI related solution. What should we do?

Accepted Answer

You should submit a video only if your solution aligns with one or more of the Strategic Focus Areas. These focus areas are based on current government priorities and represent the types of solutions DoW customers are actively seeking through the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace.

As our customer base and mission needs evolve, the list of Strategic Focus Areas will evolve as well.

Solutions that align with today’s priorities may move forward more quickly because they address urgent needs. At the same time, Tradewinds welcomes bold, forward-looking ideas that could shape future missions and challenges.

Explore current TSM Focus Areas here in the solicitation.

Question 11

How do I determine my Technology Readiness Level? I think we can fall on multiple levels.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of including the TRL as part of the submission requirements is to help customer organizations understand what types of efforts and funding your company is seeking for future engagements (Research, Development, Prototyping, Test and Evaluation, Production, or Sustainment).

It is important to select the relevant TRL for your solution to align with the proper potential customer organizations and funding.

If you are unsure which TRL you fall under, please reach out to our team: success@tradewindai.com

Question 12

How do I request my Awardable status to be shared by Tradewinds on LinkedIn?

Accepted Answer

Currently, Tradewinds is not actively sharing individual company’s Awardable status on our LinkedIn. However, you are welcome to do so on your own LinkedIn and tag us @tradewind-ai. We are happy to drop supportive comments!

If you secure a contract through a government customer through the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, we may get in touch with you to host a webinar or live session on your experience, lessons learned and more.

Question 13

We are a subcontractor and our Prime is submitting a video. How do we submit a joint video together?

Accepted Answer

Joint solutions are allowed, however, submitting teams should continue to only submit one solution per video. Additionally, the solution video should identify who the lead organization is for the submitted solution.

Question 14

How does my video get assessed? Is there a rubric?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each video is assessed using a standardized rubric, which you’ll find at the end of the announcement. Reviewing both the evaluation criteria and the rubric before you submit will give you a clear picture of how your solution will be judged.

Before submitting, make sure your video and solution meet all compliance requirements. Once submitted, your video is reviewed by a panel of assessors who use the rubric to evaluate it. Reviewers are matched to your submission based on their expertise and include both technical specialists (in areas such as AI, cyber, biotech, and advanced manufacturing) and acquisition professionals who understand how solutions transition into DoD programs.

If you would like to receive details of your assessment, please reach out to us at success@tradewindai.com

Question 15

What is the process to connect with us to get us on contract?

Accepted Answer

When a Government customer identifies a solution that it seeks to fund, the Government customer can contact you directly, or choose to do so though the CDAO’s marketplace manager, ARI. This customer may request additional information from you, request demonstrations of your video solution, and negotiate an agreement (with support from a cognizant contracting activity) to procure the solution directly with your company, or through the CDAO’s marketplace manager, ARI.

When submitting your solution video, be sure to include a responsive contact person as government customers can opt to reach out to them directly for next steps.

Question 16

I need to update the content of my video, am I allowed to do another submission?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can. When doing so, please remove your previous video to avoid confusion in the assessment process (your video page in the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace gives you the option to delete that video from the platform.)

You may also choose to keep your current video active until your new video goes through evaluation and is deemed Awardable.

Each video you submit should be limited to one solution – if you offer more than one solution, please submit multiple videos (one video per solution).

Question 17

Once deemed Awardable, how are we able to interface with potential customers? Where do they see our videos? Is there a way to identify and contact them instead of waiting for them to 'find' us?

Accepted Answer

The video solutions deemed “Awardable” are accessible by, and actively marketed to DoD customer organizations, via a free Government account on Tradewindai.com.

When a Government customer identifies a solution they are interested in funding or learning more about, the Government customer can contact you directly, or choose to do so though the CDAO’s marketplace manager, ARI. You cannot identify or contact them directly prior to them reaching out to you.

To optimize your potential customers’ ability to find your solution, we’d strongly encourage you to include the title of your video solution in any marketing materials or social media posts that you may issue. That way, potential customers can easily find and engage with your video.

Question 18

How is Tradewinds connected to CDAO?

Accepted Answer

Tradewinds is housed under the CDAO - Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. The CDAO is responsible for accelerating DoW adoption of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) from the boardroom to the battlefield to enable decision advantage.

Learn more at: https://www.ai.mil/

Question 19

What happens after I submit my video?

Accepted Answer

Once you submit your solution through the vendor submission portal, it enters a structured evaluation process. Reviewers assess your video based on clarity of communication, technical merit, and mission relevance. The review panel includes subject matter experts, acquisition professionals, and operational leaders who evaluate both the value of your idea and its alignment with DoD priorities.To prepare, make sure you review the TSM Announcement and the assessment rubric so your submission includes all required information.After assessment, there are two possible outcomes:If You Pass: Your solution is marked Awardable and becomes visible to DoD users, who can search, view, and contact you directly. You’ll also receive a Welcome Packet with tips and resources for making the most of your Awardable status.If You Don’t Pass: You’ll receive constructive feedback on how to strengthen your video, along with the option to resubmit. You can also schedule a one-on-one session with the Tradewinds team during our weekly Real People Time sessions for personalized feedback on your non-Awardable submission.

Frequently Asked Questions