Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to hold its fourth pitch day event

WASHINGTON, DC (November 30, 2021) -- With the goal of transitioning promising new technologies into new military capabilities, the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) announced it will hold its fourth “pitch day” event in February 2022.

The Army Strategic Rapid Acquisition (AStRA) Competition is open to U.S. companies and academic institutions who want to share their best ideas for emerging military technology, with the goal of putting the most promising capabilities on contract for rapid delivery of new prototypes. Anyone with a mature technology and a plan to transition it for military utility is invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP), which opened on Sam.gov today. (Link below)

Those selected to pitch could receive an Army contract to prototype their technology, with the possibility of follow-on efforts.

“As the Army continues to modernize, we must not stop reaching out to academia and industry to channel their best ideas into rapid prototypes,” said Mr. Stan Darbro, deputy director of RCCTO. “For each AStRA event we travel to a unique location and partner with different organizations to provide the widest reach possible.”

For this installment of the AStRA Competition, the RCCTO is collaborating with Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) and PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS), who identified technology focus areas.

PEO C3T identified technology areas that include vehicle transmission compatibility, a simplified Network Operations user interface, data fabric layer, and handheld radio batteries. PEO CS&CSS identified technology areas that include arctic survival infrastructure, water monitoring, power electronics, and novel engines.

The AStRA competition is a successor to previously held Army RCCTO Innovation Days and is modeled after commercial investor "pitch" days. The RCCTO held three similar events, the first in September 2019, the second in February 2020, and the third in June 2021. Throughout, the RCCTO heard 94 concepts over the three events, with 29 awarded some level of funding.

In order to qualify for a contract from the AStRA competition, the proposed solutions must deliver a prototype or demonstration at a Department of Defense Technology Readiness Level seven after an expected contract Period of Performance of approximately 18 to 24 months.

Companies have until Jan. 6, 2022 to respond to the RFP. During Phase 1, subject matter experts will evaluate the technology solutions. Those selected to move on to Phase 2 will submit their pitches to a panel of experts in February at Fort Bragg, N.C. The exact dates are still to be determined.

If a company successfully completes Phase 2, the Government will pay them $5,000 in prize money and the top selections will be eligible for a second $5,000 prize and asked to enter Phase 3. During Phase 3, those selected will be required to submit a final submittal package consisting of the planned Contractor Statement of Work (CSOW) that addresses the Government’s Statement of Objectives (SOO) for the second $5,000 prize and be considered for the potential award of a Contract/OTA. Upon favorable final evaluations and approval by Army senior leaders, Phase 3 will conclude with the award of an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement.

For more detailed information, refer to the Request for Proposal (RFP) at: https://sam.gov/opp/38c499af28d94045b23b63aa7850dd5e/view