SOSSEC CONSORTIUM
Other Transactions (OTs) are often referred to as OTAs (OTA is actually the Other Transaction Authority, that is, the authority for an agency to issue an OT). OTs are a special vehicle used by federal agencies for obtaining or advancing research and development (R&D) or prototypes. An OT is not a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement, and there is no statutory or regulatory definition of “Other Transaction.” Only those agencies that have been provided OT authority may engage in other transactions.
OT authority originated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) when the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 was enacted. Subsequently, seven other specific agencies have been given OT authority: the Department of Defense (DOD), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Transportation Security Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Energy. Other federal agencies may use OT authority under certain circumstances and if authorized by the Direction of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Generally, the reason for creating OT authority is that the government needs to obtain leading edge R&D and/or prototypes from commercial sources, but some companies (and other entities) are unwilling or unable to comply with the government’s procurement regulations. The government’s procurement regulations and certain procurement statutes do not apply to OTs, and accordingly, other transaction authority gives agencies the flexibility necessary to develop agreements tailored to a particular transaction. The Competition in Contracting Act (CICA), Contract Disputes Act, and Procurement Integrity Act are examples of three statutes that do not apply to OTs.
U.S. Army Cobra
The Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO-EIS) awarded the Cyberspace Operations Broad Responsive Agreement (COBRA) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to the SOSSEC Consortium for prototypes in Defensive Cyber Operations.
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U.S. Army Engineer, Research & Development Center
SOSSEC, Inc. has been awarded a $50M OTA by the US Army Engineer, Research and Development Center (ERDC). This OTA covers extensive technologies that ERDC addresses.
The Government, in conjunction with the SOSSEC Consortium collaborates in developing and executing a coordinated research and development program designed to mature and integrate technologies directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the DoD, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.
Under this Agreement and associated Prototype Projects, the Government, along with Consortium Member Entity(ies), performs prototype projects within the following focus areas as they relate to Military Engineering:
Protective Structures and Systems, Protection and Survivability, Geophysical Sensors and data fusion, Vulnerability assessment, detection, and analytics, Geoscience, Environmental, Geospatial, and Material Modeling and simulation, Enhance and Assess Mobility of Manned and Unmanned Systems, Engineering and engineering enabling technologies, Global Access Engineering, Infrastructure Maintenance, Repair and Reconstruction Technologies, Engineering Analysis Tools and Decision Aid Prototype Software.
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AFLCMC/LP PCI 2.0
The AFLCMC Propulsion Consortium Initiative is focused on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the military aviation acquisition process. The PCI 2.0 OTA is a five year (two-year base, three-year option) OTA with a $95M ceiling for the base period. This consortium will perform critical research, development, test and evaluation within prototyping projects addressing propulsion needs and the future of the propulsion enterprise in support of the USAF, the Army, and the Navy.
The scope of propulsion prototyping projects within the consortium might include any topic generally consistent with the RDT&E of propulsion systems. Mission areas of PCI 2.0 include, but are not limited to: digital engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), engine health monitoring, manufacturing base, small engines, aircraft platforms, systems, components, or materials and any integration therein. Additionally, prototyping projects could include platform electrical power systems (EPS) and thermal management systems. The scope of this effort will include, but is not limited to: Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), platform specific and common architecture studies, along with component/systems qualification and integration efforts for smart power management, higher density/higher capacity common generators, common aircraft lithium-ion batteries, flightworthy auxiliary or supplement power units, and upgraded conversion electronics.
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AFLCMC/LPA PCI OT
The Propulsion Acquisition Directorate of the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC/LPA) established the Propulsion Directorate Consortium Initiative (PCI) as a result of awarding a $400M Other Transaction Authority Prototype Agreement (OTA) to SOSSEC, Inc. The SOSSEC Consortium performs critical research, development, test and evaluation within prototyping projects addressing propulsion needs and the future of the propulsion enterprise.
The scope of AFLCMC ACI Consortium Initiative prototyping projects might include any topic generally consistent with the research, development, test and evaluation within prototyping projects of the AFLCMC mission sets. These mission sets include, but are not limited to: weapon system and commercial derivative aircraft platforms, battle management, simulators, human systems, clothing/uniforms, business enterprise systems, command, control, communications, intelligence and networks, armament, support equipment and vehicles, automatic, test systems, electronic warfare and avionics, information, surveillance, reconnaissance and special operations, aircraft integration, and aircraft.
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AFLMC/ACI
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Consortium Initiative (ACI) awarded SOSSEC, Inc. a $100M OTA. The AFLCMC Consortium Initiative (ACI) mission is to streamline the acquisition process by rapidly awarding projects under the OTA to members of the SOSSEC Consortium, which is managed by its Consortium Administrative Organization (CAO) or Consortium Manager, SOSSEC, Inc.
The SOSSEC Consortium provides development, test, measurement, demonstration, integration, and delivery of prototypes for the Air Force related to C4ISR information sharing information systems. These systems include: Distributed Common Ground Station; Theater Battle Management Core Systems; Air Operations Center; Open Mission System; Secure View; Information Support Server Environment Guard; cybersecurity environments; Web Temporal Analysis System; Combined Information Data Network Exchange; Collaboration Gateway, and other systems to be determined.Â
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SCCI
The 448th Supply Chain Management Wing (SCMW) awarded a $99M OTA to SOSSEC, Inc. The purpose of the Supply Chain Consortium Initiative (SCCI) OTA is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the military aviation acquisition process.
The SOSSEC Consortium performs critical research, development, test and evaluation within prototyping projects addressing 448th Supply Chain Management Wing (SCMW), to include other organizations in the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) or strategic partners, needs and the future of these enterprises. Under this Agreement and associated Prototype Projects, the Government, along with Consortium Member Entity(ies), perform prototype projects within the focus areas listed below as they relate to Military Aviation.
The scope of SCCI prototyping projects might include any topic generally consistent with the Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) of 448th SCMW, to include other organizations in the AFSC or strategic partners, and/or systems. That scope might extend to address aircraft platforms, systems, components, or materials and any integration therein. The scope furthermore could extend to, but is not limited by the following activities: sustainment, repair, and procurement of weapon system Depot Level Reparables (DLR), DLR subcomponent sourcing, predictive analytics (e.g., artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.), alternative manufacturing methods, rapid reverse engineering, repair development, business process re-engineering (e.g., streamlining, robotic process automation, etc.), rapid problem solving (e.g. Hackathons), supply chain risk management, and use of alternate / emerging technologies to further the 448 SCMW mission.
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AFRL OTAFI
The objective of this five year, $499 million OTA is to perform a coordinated prototyping and testing program in conjunction with the Government that speeds the ability to rapidly prototype Government, industry and academia capabilities in the areas of command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) to sustain U.S. military technological advantage.Â
Additionally, this OTA will serve as a vital tool to help DoD achieve military integration that is critical to reducing the cost of defense information systems technologies. The scope of this OTA is for the development, test, measurement, demonstration, integration, and delivery of prototypes and technology to focus on Air Force related C4ISR systems or subsystems.
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National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
SOSSEC works with NGA’s Office of Ventures and Innovation using the OTA as one means to drive innovative and transformational change into the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence (NSG) and Allied System for Geospatial-Intelligence (ASG) environments. The agreement has a $30M ceiling for multiple prototype project awards and represented SOSSEC’s sixth such agreement since 2007.
Prototypes funded through this OTA are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense (DoD), or to improve the platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.
In support of national security, the program serves as a vehicle for attracting new technologies and accelerating the research and development (R&D) cycle of basic and advanced prototypes that support resolution of NSG/ASG hard intelligence problems. Specifically, this program shall allow NGA and the SOSSEC Consortium to execute and coordinate efforts to plan, research, develop and utilize prototype efforts designed to allow NGA to acquire and/or use those technologies and business processes in the agency for evaluation and demonstration. The goal is to determine the value of each prototype application in solving hard intelligence problems.
