The Problem: When Lack of Speed Kills the Mission
In the Department of War (DoW), we often talk about the pace of relevance. Our adversaries are building and deploying capabilities at commercial speed, yet our software acquisition processes remain locked in a pre-cloud, waterfall era.
If you’re a Program Manager, PEO, or Contracting Officer (CO), you know the cycle:
- Requirement Definition: 30–60 days
- Solicitation/RFP Preparation: 90+ days
- Source Selection/Evaluation: 60–90 days
- Contract Award and Protests: 30+ days
- Time to Contract: Often 8-18+ months
This delay is far more deadly than bureaucratic red tape and process—it's a mission failure risk. By the time a contract is awarded, the technology, the threat landscape, or the operational need has inevitably shifted.
The DoW has recognized this reality, shifting towards the Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) and prioritizing the delivery of continuous, mission-ready software. But how do you reconcile the need for mission speed with the legal mandate for due process and competition?
The answer lies in a legally sound, pre-vetted contract vehicle: The Rise8 AFWERX Software Delivery Organization (SDO) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ).
The Legal Shortcut: Leveraging Phase III SBIR Authority
The Rise8 SDO IDIQ is not just another contract vehicle; it is a $499M ceiling Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. This specific classification is the key to bypassing traditional, protracted competition cycles.
We've built a comprehensive guide, The DoW Acquisition Handbook. It details the statutory language, the step-by-step Task Order process, and how you can map Rise8’s full range of capabilities available through the Rise8 AFWERX SDO IDIQ.
Download The DoW Acquisition Handbook
Single Award Justification, Instantly
Title 15 of the U.S. Code, Section 638(r)(4) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 206.302-5(b)(ii) authorize the use of single award follow-on contracts (Phase III) for work derived from, extending, or completing successful Phase I or Phase II SBIR efforts.
- What this means: The required competition has already occurred. Because Rise8 successfully executed our foundational Phase I and Phase II work with AFWERX (which created the modern SDO model), any DoW or federal agency can directly issue a single award Task Order for related software delivery services.
- Result: You eliminate months of RFP drafting, public solicitation, and source selection.
Decentralized, Rapid Ordering
The Rise8 IDIQ is a fully established contract that allows for decentralized ordering. This means:
- Any eligible agency (not just the original contracting office) can issue a Task Order.
- The ordering process is dramatically simplified, focusing only on the specific Statement of Work (SOW) and pricing for your mission.
- Our track record shows that task orders can be scoped, justified, and awarded in as few as 30 days.
More Than Just Speed: The SDO Advantage
Speed without security or relevance is waste. The Rise8 SDO IDIQ accelerates more than the contracting process; it accelerates the delivery of mission value, putting secure, production-ready software in the hands of users when it matters most:
- Certified DevSecOps: We are not just building software; we are building a secure pipeline. Our services include standing up compliant infrastructure, integrating security tools, and ensuring your solution is positioned for continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO) or rapid Authorization to Operate (ATO).
- Full Product Teams: We provide mission-driven product managers, user experience designers, and specialized software engineers—a full SDO team—to ensure the solution meets Warfighter’s needs and adapts to change rapidly.
- Broad Scope: The IDIQ covers the full spectrum of software delivery, including legacy system modernization, new application development, platform engineering, and AI/ML integration.
Stop Waiting. Start Delivering.
Your mission can’t wait 8-18+ months for a contract award. The Rise8 AFWERX SDO IDIQ is the most compliant, proven, and rapid path to delivering mission-critical software without delay.
Take Action Now
Ready to cut your software acquisition timeline from months to weeks?
Download The DoW Acquisition Handbook
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