Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Cost Estimating Modeling Data, Analytics Research (CEMDAR)

The U.S. Air Force (SAF/FM) is issuing a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit white papers and, subsequently, full proposals for research and development aimed at modernizing cost‑estimating, data‑analytics, and predictive‑modeling capabilities across the Department of the Air Force. The effort focuses on migrating legacy tools to secure cloud platforms, building relational enterprise databases, automating data pipelines, and developing scalable machine‑learning models to support life‑cycle cost estimation, schedule forecasting, and rapid trade‑off analyses. The award will be a cost‑reimbursement contract (or other appropriate instrument) with a ceiling of $24 M, a performance period of 12‑60 months, and is 100 % set‑aside for small businesses that hold a Top‑Secret Facility Clearance. • Scope: Enterprise data‑governance, cloud‑based data‑fabric, automated ETL/ELT “medallion” pipelines, AI/ML predictive cost models, and modernized contracts database (KDB). • Core competencies required: data‑engineering, cloud architecture (e.g., Databricks, Apache Spark), machine‑learning, defense‑industry cost‑analysis, and subject‑matter expertise across aircraft, space, missiles, cyber/software, and sustainment. • Key deliverables: research reports, data schemas, software/code repositories, quarterly releases of the AFCAA Contracts Database, and optional surge‑support tasks. • Security: Requires active Top‑Secret Facility Clearance for the prime and Secret clearances for all key personnel; compliance with ITAR/EAR and DFARS clauses. • Submission process: Two‑step – submit a ≤30‑page white paper by 19 Oct 2026 (1300 ET); successful papers invited to submit a full technical and cost proposal. • Eligibility: 100 % small‑business set‑aside; foreign participation excluded at prime level.