DISA Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI)

Why Deloitte?

DISA performs critical missions supporting the entire Department of Defense. The rapid changes in technology and emergence of cyber as a warfighting domain create a strategic and operational imperative to transform through innovation. To be successful, the government needs a partner with not only an established track record of innovation to support the scale and complexity of DISA, but also a leading-edge firm that has and continues to transform and innovate as part of its DNA and business model.

Deloitte is the ideal partner for the government in accelerating the move to cloud. We understand the functions of DISA and are committed to cloud innovation, research and development through internal investments, industry and university partnerships, and a strong portfolio of teaming relationships that bring specialized knowledge in a variety of domains.

Overview

SETI is a contract vehicle that has a focused scope to provide new, noncommodity, and innovative information technology engineering solutions, embracing cutting-edge technologies and methodologies for mission partners across the Department of Defense. SETI is an indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) vehicle designed for current complex and unique requirements, but also built to be technology-agnostic in order to solve capability gaps in all future mission needs.

SETI’s awardees were chosen based on the best-value, full trade-off acquisition approach, which enables the government to fully consider whether technical advantages merit paying a higher price. This strategy ensures that SETI performers have a proven innovative business culture, such that they have brought—and will bring—best-of-breed innovations and solutions to DISA customers.

SETI’s main focus is on fostering, developing, and encouraging innovation with the goal of reducing costs, streamlining timelines, and providing innovative solutions to the warfighter while simultaneously searching for breakthroughs, efficiencies, and advancements in IT engineering methodologies and technical development—which effectively manage the increased risk profiles inherent in solving complex capability gaps.

SETI provides a FAR-based, fair opportunity procurement approach for ordering critical performance-based services through DISA’s prequalified pool of innovative contractors. Users can pursue a variety of unique acquisition types, including, but not limited to rapid technology prototyping, staged contracts, milestone-based competitions, incentive prizes, and challenge-based acquisitions.

SETI’s full and open suite is open for business. The SETI SB Suite is expected to open in spring 2020.

SETI’s key task areas

• Systems engineering
• Design analysis
• Systems architecture
• Software systems design and development
• Systems integration
• Systems test and evaluation
• Systems deployment and life cycle engineering
• Special systems engineering (e.g., network, satellite, spectrum, cybersecurity, cloud, mobility, and cognitive engineering)

What started SETI?

“Whenever the Warfighter is willing to pay more for above-threshold requirements or performance standards and may benefit from an innovative and technologically superior solution to meet their mission needs, a tradeoff source selection process between cost or price and noncost factors is optimal.”

– Frank Kendall, March 4, 2015, memo

What makes SETI unique?

SETI is a strategic sourcing tool that was structured and designed for:

• Fostering innovation | Solving complex IT problems
• Facilitating bilateral and candid communications with industry |Delivering best-value solutions
• Connecting innovative companies directly to requirement owners | Fostering partnerships
• Streamlining and normalizing innovation processes from the ground up
  
• Implementing innovative contracting strategies tailored to each unique requirement, including rightsizing the balance between need for speed to award and complexity in meeting requirements

Examples of approaches that may be considered targets for piloting or execution of requirements under SETI include:

• Rapid technology prototyping
• Staged contracts
• Oral presentations
• Milestone-based competitions
• Contract incentives
• Challenge-based acquisitions

SETI acquisition strategy

Best value trade-off was the right fit for SETI’s scope

• Complex engineering requirements without a commodity solution
• Focused on design, development, and integration
• Innovation in research, development, and engineering
• Higher complexity = higher risk tolerances
• Requirement owners willing to pay more for an innovative and technologically superior solution

Full and Open Competition Suite
Ordering period: July 12, 2019–July 11, 2029
14 large businesses
SBs may compete on any TO in the F&O suite

Small Business (SB) Competition Suite
Ordering period: Est. June 2020–June 2030
23 small businesses
All TOs first considered for SB set-aside

SETI performance task areas

• Systems engineering
  • Establish the technical framework for delivering material capabilities to the warfighter.
  • Ensure a balanced approach to cost, schedule, performance, and risk through an integrated, disciplined, and consistent process.
• Design analysis
  
  • Analyze and refine requirements with proven methodologies throughout the system’s life cycle.
    
• Systems architecture
  
  • Develop integrated enterprise architectures from the enterprise level down to, and across, the solution level.
    
• Software development
  
  • Design, develop, sustain, synchronize, and modernize systems to support and enhance the mission of the warfighter.
    
• Systems integration
  
  • Integrate component subsystems to produce a complete and interoperable system that will support the warfighter.
    
• Testing and evaluation
  
  • Demonstrate performance in the expected operational environment with realistic T&E events.
  • Ensure the system can achieve KPPs through the DT&E and OT&E phases.
    
• Deployment and life cycle engineering
  
  • Effectively move a system, or element, to its intended environment.
  • Develop and implement performance-based logistics strategies that optimize total system effectiveness.
    
• Special engineering requirements
  
  • Support specialized environments within the DoD mission space.
  • Network, satellite, spectrum, cybersecurity, cloud, and information and knowledge engineering.