Enhancing Tertiary Manufacturing Capacity Utilization with Secure Data Practices

The Defense Logistics Agency, a branch of the Department of Defense, is seeking to develop and prototype a secure, AI-driven system to gain real-time visibility into untapped manufacturing capabilities from tertiary sources like universities and research labs. Under this Small Business Innovation Research opportunity, the contractor must build a centralized data system that maps available production resources to specific defense-related manufacturing demands. Phase I requires a feasibility study, secure data exchange protocols, a legal framework template, and a preliminary demand-mapping system within a 12-month period. Phase II will expand this work over a duration of up to 24 months to deliver a functional database and mapping prototype tested within the DLA J68 ARTET environment. Phase I proposals are due by June 24, 2026, and funding is capped at $100,000 for Phase I and $1,000,000 for Phase II.