DHS/CBP Commercial Solutions Opening - DRAFT Solicitation Release -AUTONOMOUS...

06/03- Update to correct expected response dates.  Important Notice:  Please note that this is a  Draft Solicitation . All dates, including the question submission deadline and solution brief submission deadline, are subject to change in the final solicitation. However, the anticipated Response date for submissions for the Final Solicitation is anticpated to remain the same. Synopsis: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) is a Non-Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based solicitation authority for acquiring innovative and commercial solutions. Section 880 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 (Pub. L. 114-328), as extended, authorizes DHS to implement a pilot program to competitively procure innovative commercial items, technologies, and services using CSO procedures. The CSO acquisition mechanism provides a streamlined, flexible process and simplified contract terms designed to maximize efficiency and minimize administrative burden for both the Government and industry. DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition (OA) will use CSO procedures to acquire innovative, commercial items, technologies, and services currently in the production/commercialization phase, as well as adaptations of existing commercial products. The CSO procedures are described throughout sections 1, 3, and 4 of the attached General Solicitation document. This General Solicitation announcement invites prospective offerors to respond to the attached solicitation document. For purposes of this posting, “Innovative” is defined as follows: Any item that is— A new technology, process, or method as of the date of submission of a proposal; or A new application or adaptation of an existing technology, process, or method as of the date of submission of a proposal. Requirement Overview:  CBP is seeking innovative commercial technology solutions and/or mitigations to address capability gaps for  Autonomous Ground Surveillance Vehicles (AGSV) . The overall technology objective is to discover autonomy that enables mobile ground domain awareness in urban and austere environments. CBP will assess the value of autonomy, specifically for ground surveillance vehicles, seeking autonomous ground systems capable of persistent, unattended operation in urban and austere environments, paired with intuitive mission planner (C2) software. All commercial autonomy ground vehicle categories are of interest, including bolt-on autonomy/self-driving stacks and integrated platforms. Vehicle platforms must be production-ready and fieldable without significant hardware or software modification. Industry Day / Summit Announcement (SAM.GOV  Notice ID: IPOP-FY26-0002): U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Innovation Team (INVNT), intends to host a  Virtual Industry Day Summit  to foster discussion, share insights, and accelerate innovation regarding the use of autonomous and physical systems to enhance CBP's mission. This symposium will include discussions related to CBP INVNT’s upcoming Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Pilot opening:  CSOP-BP-GS-26-0002 - Autonomous Ground Surveillance Vehicles (AGSV) , among other topics. Date:  June 18th, 2026 Time:  10:00 AM EDT – 1:00 PM EDT Structure:  Virtual symposium featuring a keynote speaker, panel discussions, and lightning talks. Topic Descriptions: The Future of Autonomous Systems in Advancing the CBP Mission Accelerating Autonomous Ground Surveillance Solutions for Border Security Navigating Procurement and Innovative Pathways for Emerging Technologies Prospective offerors are strongly encouraged to attend this event to gain a deeper understanding of CBP's requirements and this AGSV CSO initiative, as well as broader CBP innovation efforts. Further details and registration information for the Industry Day Summit can be found at:  https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/2ab33a621eb649218ad832810e6bf863/view Procurement Process:  The CSO solicitation process will include a multi-phased solicitation and evaluation approach: Phase 1:  Submission and Evaluation of the Written Solution Brief, which may also include an optional invitation for Oral Presentations/Technical Demonstrations. Phase 2:  Request for Full Proposal Submission. Important Information for Potential Submitters: The solicitation for solution briefs is not a guarantee that award and obligation of funds will be made. Costs incurred by companies in the preparation and submission of their solution briefs in response to solicitations will not be paid by the Government. Submissions and proposals are evaluated on their individual merits rather than on a comparative basis, and the Government has considerable latitude in determining which of the submitted proposals it will fund. All potential recipients of CSO awards must be registered in the System for A