FBI Enterprise Technology Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The FBI’s Enterprise Technology Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is open through May 16, 2026 and accepts white paper submissions at any time during the open period. The program seeks innovative R&D concepts from industry and academia across multiple FBI problem sets (including AI, cybersecurity, biometrics, counterintelligence, digital exploitation, and enterprise data fabric). Submissions are emailed to BAA@FBI.GOV and follow a two-step process: Step 1 is a white paper (or recorded oral presentation), and selected applicants may be invited to Step 2 to submit a full proposal.
How much funding is available?
Although not explicitly mentioned in the solicitation, typical awards range from $500k to $2m for periods of performance ranging from 6-24 months
What could I use the funding for?
Funding supports R&D efforts aligned to the FBI’s “Problem Set Areas”. See an overview below and full description here:
1. Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its Sub-Fields
Content Extraction and Triage
All-Source Data Management
Workflow Automation
Actionable Analysis and Alerting
Semi-Autonomous Multi-Sensor Fusion
Business Operations
Data Science
Knowledge Management
Open-Source Information Gathering
Correspondence Management from Multiple Sources
Dynamic Threat Analysis
Human Resource (HR) Recruiting
Signature Identification
Cybersecurity
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance
2. Enhance Counterintelligence and Security
Counterintelligence (CI) Capability
Personnel Assessment and Evaluation
Cyber Behavior
Foreign Contacts
3. Mission-Enhancing Science and Technology
Digital Exploitation
Document and Media Acquisition
Human Language Technologies
Computer Vision
Digital Signals Processing
Data, Process, and User Artifact Analysis
Document and Media Exploitation (DOMEX)
Directed Energy Weapons (DEW)
Biometrics
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Electro-Optical Detection
Pulsed Power Detection
Radio Frequency Detection
4. Improve Mission Support Capabilities
Information Technology (IT)
IT Governance
Data Management and Analytics
Infrastructure and Cloud Management
Information Assurance and Cyber Defense
Operations Support
Strategic Information and Operations (SIOC)
Cyber Capability Requirements Process
Enterprise Common Data Fabric Solutions
5. Increase Organizational Effectiveness
Performance Management
Applicant Screening
Career Advancement
Workplace Learning and Performance
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Beyond the formal funding award, there are meaningful indirect benefits to winning an FBI BAA award:
Government validation and mission alignment: Selection indicates the FBI sees strong technical merit and mission value in your R&D approach, which can accelerate future government relationships and contracting credibility.
Partnership acceleration: The FBI explicitly encourages partnering among industry and Government to speed adoption of new science and technology into fielded systems—awardees may benefit from stronger collaboration opportunities.
Higher valuation via nondilutive R&D: Funding supports R&D without equity dilution, allowing companies to mature technology and strengthen valuation narratives for future financing or acquisition (general commercial benefit; not explicitly stated in BAA).
Positioning for follow-on work: Award performance may strengthen eligibility and competitiveness for future FBI or broader federal procurements in adjacent mission areas.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
BAA open period: Effective 5/17/2023 – 05/16/2026.
When to submit: White papers may be submitted at any time during the open period to BAA@FBI.GOV.
Two-step process:
Step 1: Submit white paper
Step 2: If selected, FBI requests a formal proposal (do not submit full proposal unless requested)
Selection timing: FBI may make selections anytime during the open period and up to six months after closing for white papers submitted during the open period.
Funding receipt timing: Not specifically stated; awards depend on selection, negotiations, and funding availability.
Where does this funding come from?
This is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Broad Agency Announcement run through the FBI Finance Division | Procurement Section.
The BAA is conducted under the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) for R&D.
Who is eligible to apply?
The BAA is intended to encourage participation by:
Science and technology firms
Educational institutions
Additional eligibility-related requirements include:
Offerors must be registered in SAM prior to submission and maintain active SAM registration.
Offerors may propose subcontracting and teaming arrangements, including industry-academia and industry-government partnerships.
Submissions are generally expected to be UNCLASSIFIED, but classified approaches require prior FBI approval.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
The FBI evaluates white papers using three equal factors:
Technical Approach: strong scientific/technical merit, innovation, sound concept, awareness of state of the art, understanding scope, and potential FBI mission benefit.
Capabilities and Relevant Experience: evidence the team/facilities can execute and safeguard controlled unclassified/classified info (if applicable), and prior work can be leveraged.
Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM): cost realism based on total estimated labor, materials, subcontracts, ODCs, indirect, and fee/profit.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Key restrictions and compliance items include:
White paper page limit: written submissions must not exceed 10 pages (pages beyond are not evaluated).
Communications must be UNCLASSIFIED and emailed to BAA@FBI.GOV; do not email classified info.
Security requirements: work expected unclassified, but some efforts may require personnel clearable to Top Secret (TS) and potentially SCI access with NDAs and polygraph.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
Not explicitly stated, but the required Step 1 white paper format suggests typical preparation time depends on complexity:
Written white paper: up to 10 pages plus additional sections (program plan, experience, ROM).
Alternative format: a pre-recorded oral presentation up to 10 minutes may be submitted instead of written format.
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO can provide fractional or full support to increase the likelihood of success and save you a significant amount of time in the application process. Most clients don’t spend more than 3 hours a week in their engagement with us and our success rates are 2x-3x the national average. We collect your data, write an initial draft, have your team approve, and then move on to the next deliverable.
How much would BW&CO Charge?
Fractional support is $300 per hour. For full grant writing support, we would charge a $9,000 fee for submitting the initial white paper. If you receive an invitation for a full submission, there would be a follow-on payment of $9,000 to submit the full proposal with a 5% success fee contingent on award.
For startups, we offer a discounted rate of $250 per hour to make top-tier consulting more accessible while maintaining the same level of strategic guidance and proposal quality.
Additional Resources
See the solicitation here.