From the notice

The Department of War (DoW) Enterprise Software Initiatives (ESI) requires a faster, more objective, and more reliable method to identify commercially successful emerging technologies, validate actual DoW demand for those technologies, assess whether they can be used securely within the DoW environment, and enable commercial vendors to successfully understand and adapt to DoW acquisition, licensing, pricing, and business practice requirements. Many commercially successful software publishers, OEMs, and technology providers are currently unwilling or unable to effectively do business with the DoW due to barriers related to security compliance, cybersecurity authorization processes, unfamiliarity with defense acquisition and fiscal requirements, and misalignment between commercial licensing models and DoW enterprise needs. Current ad-hoc approaches result in slow adoption timelines, significant administrative burden on Government personnel, missed opportunities for innovative capabilities, and reduced buying power. NIWC Atlantic seeks a prototype that will demonstrate a more effective, repeatable, measurable, and scalable method to accelerate the path from market identification of emerging commercial technologies to DoW-ready adoption decisions.