The Defense Information Systems Agency is conducting market research on migrating combatant commands to a unified IT architecture after a bid protest forced the agency to reconsider its sole-source acquisition strategy. [1]
DISA posted a sources-sought notice on July 27 requesting industry feedback on the CommandNet initiative. [2] The program aims to transition approximately 231,000 users across all 11 combatant commands to a single cloud-based network known as DODNet by fiscal 2028. The notice requires vendors to provide solutions featuring zero-trust cybersecurity, identity and access management, and infrastructure as code.
The market research marks a reversal from DISA’s previous plan to award the migration work to Leidos without competition. In June, the agency announced its intent to add the CommandNet requirements to the $11.5 billion Defense Enclave Services contract held by Leidos. [3]
General Dynamics Information Technology filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office on July 10 challenging the sole-source expansion. [4] The company argued that migrating combatant command users presents different operational challenges than the administrative defense agencies currently transitioning under the DES contract.
DISA’s original justification claimed Leidos was the only viable option due to the compressed timeline mandated by Pentagon Chief Information Officer Kirsten Davies. A May memorandum directed DISA to migrate all combatant command common-use unclassified and classified services to DODNet by the end of fiscal 2028.
The agency asserted that a new contractor would face a steep learning curve in the DODNet environment, increasing the risk of schedule delays. DISA also stated that a new competition would result in substantial duplication of administrative and technical costs.
The GAO dismissed the GDIT protest on July 24 following DISA’s decision to issue the sources-sought notice. [5] The agency is now asking industry to demonstrate the ability to execute the migration within a 220-day procurement cycle and meet the September 2028 deadline.
CommandNet, previously referred to as Mission Network-as-a-Service, is designed to consolidate geographically isolated networks into a single enterprise architecture. [6] The unified network is expected to support the Pentagon’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept by enabling rapid data transfer globally.
The combatant command migration represents a significant expansion of the DODNet program, which currently supports defense agencies and field activities. [7] DISA awarded the 10-year DES contract to Leidos in 2022 to manage the initial DODNet consolidation effort. [8]
Industry responses to the CommandNet sources-sought notice were due Aug. 4.
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