Operational Test and Evaluation Support Services for USCG Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force
Department of Homeland Security · U.S. Coast Guard · Head of Contracting Activity — CG-HCA-COCO-32 (Contracting)
Account requiredWhy it scored this way
Every reason behind the verdict rather than the headline one — which of your certifications match, how much runway is left, whether the work is your size, and what we would need to know to sharpen it.
About 30 days until the solicitation is expected. The window to influence the requirement is nearly shut, but there is still time to introduce yourself and get on the interested-vendor list.
Solicitation expected
November 16, 2026
Anticipated award
February 5, 2027 · Q2 2027
Estimated value
$5M to $10M
Period of performance
March 1, 2027 to February 29, 2032
Contract type
Firm Fixed Price
Expected vehicle
GWAC
Competition
Follow-on to Existing Contract
Incumbent: Credence Dynamo Solutions, LLC · 47QRAD20D1042 This is a recompete. The agency has named who holds the work today, which tells you what you are displacing and what to ask about.
Who to talk to
At the forecast stage there is no active procurement, so contact is welcome rather than restricted — this is the one window where a direct conversation is straightforwardly appropriate.
The Small Business Specialist is usually the better first call. Helping firms like yours find and compete for this work is their actual job, and they can tell you whether a set-aside is still under consideration.
Published by the agency in its acquisition forecast, last updated September 9, 2026. Forecast entries are plans, not commitments — dates slip and requirements get cancelled, restructured or absorbed into another buy.
Requirement details
Solicitation number
F2026075320
Notice type
Forecast
NAICS
541330 — Engineering Services
Set-aside
SB
Posted
2026-09-09
Place of performance
Norfolk, VA
Market intelligence
Account requiredWho wins this work, and what it pays
Comparable awards under NAICS 541330 at this agency — the incumbent, what they were paid, when their period of performance ends, and the real pricing distribution rather than the headline number. From public federal award records.
This requirement provides comprehensive engineering, technical, and analytical support to Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) in executing its role as an independent Operational Test Agency (OTA) for U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) acquisition programs. The objective is to ensure USCG systems are independently assessed for operational effectiveness, operational suitability, and cyber survivability under realistic, fleet-representative operating conditions prior to full-rate production decisions and fleetwide deployment.
Scope encompasses end-to-end Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) lifecycle support across major USCG acquisition domains, including surface cutters, aviation platforms, unmanned systems, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence (C5I) systems, and enterprise mission software. Support activities span the full acquisition lifecycle, including Early Operational Assessments (EOA), Operational Assessments (OA), Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), and Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E).
Key technical and analytical support tasks include:
Test Design & Framework Development: Applying Mission-Based Test Design (MBTD) methodologies to develop Integrated Evaluation Frameworks (IEFs) that decompose mission requirements into Critical Operational Issues (COIs), Key Performance Parameters (KPPs), Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs), and Measures of Suitability (MOSs).
Test Planning & Documentation: Authoring rigorous, event-specific Operational Test Plans (OTPs), data collection and management plans, environmental threat matrices, and safety briefs aligned with USCG Major Systems Acquisition Manual (MSAM) guidelines and DHS/DoD acquisition directives.
Operational Test Execution & Data Collection: Providing on-site technical support during underway, flight, and shore-based test events, managing automated and manual data collection instrumentation, executing realistic operational scenarios, and conducting cybersecurity operational test and evaluation (adversarial assessments and vulnerability assessments).
Data Analysis & Independent Evaluation Reporting: Processing complex operational telemetry, qualitative operator feedback, and cyber vulnerability data; applying rigorous statistical and scientific methodologies; and drafting comprehensive Operational Test Agency (OTA) evaluation reports and executive briefings to inform USCG Executive Leadership and the DHS Acquisition Decision Authority (ADA).
Programmatic & WIPT Coordination: Participating in Test and Evaluation Working-level Integrated Product Teams (T&E WIPTs), reviewing draft Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs), and collaborating with USCG Acquisition Directorates (CG-9), requirements sponsors, and developmental test stakeholders.
Support will primarily be performed at OPTEVFOR headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, with occasional travel to USCG operational bases, shipyards, flight test facilities, and underway cutter deployments.
Contact
Point of contact
Robert Budlong
Role
Requirements owner
Email
robert.budlong@uscg.mil
Introduce your firm
A short introduction against this specific requirement, sent while the agency is still deciding how to buy it.
Ask whether a set-aside is being considered, which vehicle is planned, and whether the agency wants industry input. This is the question that can still change the outcome.
Opens in your own mail client, addressed and with a subject line — you write the message. GovSprint never sends anything on your behalf.
Emails open in your mail client and are sent from your address, so the reply comes back to you and the exchange stays yours. Confirm the correct channel and any question deadline on the notice before sending — many solicitations require questions in a specific way.
