Miles Jamison 
- The U.S. Navy is planning to launch a new OTA consortium to speed development of maritime and autonomous technologies
- The SLAM2ER consortium is designed to lower barriers for small businesses and nontraditional defense companies entering the defense market
- NSWC Panama City is seeking a consortium manager to oversee collaboration among traditional and nontraditional contractors and commercial firms
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division has released a draft solicitation for a consortium manager to support the Seabed-Subsea, Littoral, Asymmetric-Autonomous, Mining and Mine Hunting, Expeditionary, Robotic, or SLAM2ER, Other Transaction Authority initiative.
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What Is the Purpose of the SLAM2ER Consortium?
According to the notice published Thursday on SAM.gov, NSWC Panama City Division intends to establish a single OTA consortium composed of traditional defense contractors, nontraditional vendors and commercial companies. A competitively selected consortium manager would oversee operations and help advance research, development and prototyping for naval warfare technologies on behalf of participating members.
The initiative is intended to reduce barriers to participation for small businesses, commercial firms and nontraditional defense contractors while encouraging collaboration among industry participants. The consortium manager will also be responsible for attracting new members and helping facilitate teaming arrangements for future prototype projects.
What Are the Technology Areas Included in the RFP?
The upcoming 10-year vehicle, valued between $100 million and $500 million, requires the selected consortium manager to coordinate research and prototyping across 14 technical pillars. These areas encompass command, control, computing, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; robotic and autonomous systems and counter-RAS; offensive and defensive cyber warfare; materials and advanced manufacturing; and modeling, simulation and test and evaluation.
Development will also target specific warfare and mission areas, including subsea, seabed, mine, asymmetric and expeditionary warfare, alongside oceanography and hydrography; human systems integration; logistics and industrial operations; diving, life support and force protection; platform design and survivability; undersea precision navigation and timing; artificial intelligence and machine learning; and corporate operations.
Responses to the draft RFP are due Aug. 3.
