S2 Cognition

This federal solicitation (W9124826QA011), issued by the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, seeks quotes for a one-year license agreement for the S2 Cognitive Performance Assessment system. Representing a firm-fixed-price commercial service acquisition, the procurement is restricted to the specific brand name "S2 Cognition" under NAICS code 541990. Offers must be submitted by September 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM Local Time. Prior to submission, any questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted via email by August 31, 2026. Submissions must include a signed solicitation form, a technical approach limited to three pages, and completed pricing in Section B. Delivery of the licensed software system is required within 30 calendar days of the notice to proceed. Shipping terms are FOB Destination to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with Bruce Seidman designated as the point of contact. Evaluation for contract award will be based on the "Best Value" to the government, utilizing two primary factors: technical capability and price. To be deemed technically acceptable, offerors must propose the exact brand name requested, as alternate or "equal" products will not be considered. Price proposals will be evaluated for reasonableness using standard federal proposal analysis techniques. Invoicing and payments will be processed electronically through the Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF) system.

This Documented Decision Memorandum / Brand Name Justification outlines the sole-source acquisition of the S2 Cognition Military Evaluation System for the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Conducted under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) for acquisitions not exceeding the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, the acquisition restricts competition to the S2 Cognition brand name to meet immediate operational requirements. The procurement includes annual unlimited S2 evaluations, software licensing, maintenance, database storage, and specialized hardware packages (comprising gaming consoles, monitors, and peripherals). Additionally, it requires consultation services for score interpretation across 13 specific cognitive domains measured with millisecond precision. Market research conducted by the Human Performance & Wellness Coordinator concluded that alternative cognitive assessment platforms are insufficient. Utilizing a different system would cause an unacceptable two-year delay for software development and database baseline building, and would jeopardize the validity of immediate combat readiness evaluations by losing access to S2's established historical database. Although S2 Cognition, Inc. is the original equipment manufacturer, the platform is available through authorized resellers. Consequently, the solicitation will be posted to SAM.gov under Small Business set-aside procedures, allowing authorized distributors to submit competitive quotes. The Contracting Officer will determine price reasonableness by evaluating submitted quotes against historical purchase orders and published vendor pricing.

The 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Human Performance and Wellness Division has issued a Salient Characteristics document to acquire a one-year license agreement for the S2 Cognition testing system. The procurement aims to support annual Performance Reviews by assessing the cognitive capabilities of Special Forces operators to build lethal, resilient, and durable personnel. The required system must provide scientifically valid, reliable, and context-free cognitive assessments with response tracking precise to the millisecond, storing all results in a secure database. S2 Cognition is identified as the sole source capable of delivering these exact specifications. Key technical requirements include the ability to test thirteen specific cognitive performance areas, such as perception speed, distraction control, impulse control, and decision complexity. Additionally, the system must offer tailored assessments aligned with unique occupational demands, demonstrate test-retest repeatability, and link testing protocols directly to real-world tactical performance. To ensure valid statistical comparison, the provider must possess an existing database of over 1,000 18-Series (Special Forces) Service Members to compare assessment scores against Mission Essential Task List (METL) performance.