NAVFAC EXWC Broad Agency Announcement N39430-26-S-5000: Executive Summary for Startups
Executive Summary
The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) Command Wide Broad Agency Announcement, solicitation number N39430-26-S-5000, is an open, year-long U.S. Navy solicitation for research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) across 13 technology topic areas, from expeditionary construction and shore energy to control systems cybersecurity and living marine resources. Abstracts are accepted on a rolling basis until June 14, 2027 at 4:00 PM PDT. There is no small business set-aside, no published funding ceiling, and no funding reserved in advance. Startups, small businesses, large businesses, universities, FFRDCs, UARCs, and nonprofits can all submit. Technologies must fall within applied research (6.2), advanced technology development (6.3), or advanced component development and prototypes (6.4).
Solicitation at a Glance
Solicitation number: N39430-26-S-5000
Full title: Command Wide Broad Agency Announcement for Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation
Agency: Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, NAVFAC, Expeditionary Warfare Center (Port Hueneme, California)
Opportunity type: Broad Agency Announcement issued under FAR 6.102(d)(2) and FAR 35.016
Published: June 15, 2026
Abstracts due: June 14, 2027 at 4:00 PM PDT
Review cadence: Technical Evaluation Boards meet approximately every 3 months
Set-aside: None. Open to all organization types
Research categories accepted: 6.2 applied research, 6.3 advanced technology development, 6.4 advanced component development and prototypes
Funding: No ceiling published and no funding reserved in advance
NAICS code: 5417, Scientific Research and Development Services
Submission method: Email to both points of contact
Points of contact: Nicole Mendes (nicole.m.mendes2.civ@us.navy.mil, 805-895-5260) and Katelyn Rydberg (katelyn.t.rydberg.civ@us.navy.mil, 805-895-5299)
What Is NAVFAC EXWC?
NAVFAC EXWC is the Navy's RDT&E center for specialized facility, ocean system, and expeditionary solutions that support the warfighter. Its work covers the full range of Navy infrastructure: advanced bases built in contested environments, ship-to-shore logistics, piers and dry docks, undersea cable and sensor infrastructure, shore energy, installation environmental compliance, and the science that keeps Navy at-sea training and testing in compliance with marine species protection laws.
This Command Wide BAA is the front door for outside organizations that want to bring a technology or methodology to NAVFAC EXWC. It is open for one year and is re-advertised annually, so it functions as a standing channel rather than a single competition.
How This BAA Differs From SBIR and STTR
Many startups first encounter the Department of Defense through SBIR and STTR. This BAA works differently, and understanding the differences helps you plan.
It is not a small business program. There is no set-aside, so startups are evaluated alongside universities, large primes, FFRDCs, UARCs, and nonprofits.
There are no phases. There is no Phase I or Phase II structure and no fixed award size. Your project scope and cost estimate define the ask.
It is a two-step process. You submit an abstract first. If the Navy is interested, it requests a detailed proposal.
Abstracts are judged on their own merits. They are not ranked against each other, so a strong abstract is not competing for a fixed number of slots.
Funding is sought after acceptance. Because no money is reserved in advance, NAVFAC EXWC shares qualified abstracts with other federal activities to find test sites and funding sponsors.
Funding Allowance: What Startups Should Expect
The solicitation does not publish an award ceiling, an award floor, an anticipated number of awards, or a total program budget. It states plainly that no funding has been reserved in advance and that the Navy makes no commitment to issue any award or to cover any costs incurred before an award.
In practice, this means:
Your budget is proposal-driven. You estimate what it takes to execute the project to completion, and the Navy evaluates whether that cost is appropriate relative to the technical approach.
Accepted abstracts can reach multiple sponsors. NAVFAC EXWC shares qualified abstracts with other federal government activities to seek sites and funding, which can expand the pool of potential buyers for your technology.
Cost realism is an evaluation criterion. The project plan, including cost, schedule, and execution plan, is scored relative to the technical approach. Oversized or thinly justified budgets weaken an abstract.
Topic 11 has specific cost rules. Living Marine Resources abstracts must include a cost estimate broken out by calendar year, project management costs, and annual travel for the Principal Investigator to the LMR In-Progress Review in Santa Barbara, California. Details appear in the Topic 11 section below.
Timeline and Key Dates
June 15, 2026: BAA published on SAM.gov and opened for abstracts.
Ongoing, approximately every 3 months: Technical Evaluation Boards review submitted abstracts.
Within about 3 months of your submission: If the Navy wants a detailed proposal, you will be notified. If you have not heard back within 3 months, the solicitation instructs you to assume non-selection.
One year from your submission date: Your abstract remains valid for consideration, even if it was not selected in its first review cycle.
June 14, 2027 at 4:00 PM PDT: Final deadline for abstracts under this BAA.
June 29, 2027: The notice becomes inactive on SAM.gov.
Annually: NAVFAC EXWC re-advertises the BAA, so organizations that miss this cycle can expect a future window.
Each fall, for funded Topic 11 projects: The Principal Investigator attends the 3-day LMR In-Progress Review in Santa Barbara, California.
Because review happens on a rolling basis, earlier submissions get more chances. An abstract submitted early in the cycle can be reviewed by a board, remain valid for a year, and still be shared with other federal activities looking for solutions.
Technology Maturity Requirements
To be eligible, your technology or methodology must fall within one of three Department of Defense RDT&E budget activities:
6.2 Applied Research: Work that translates promising scientific findings into solutions for defined military needs, typically ending with a proof of concept or early laboratory demonstration.
6.3 Advanced Technology Development: Work that develops and integrates subsystems and components into prototypes, with demonstrations in relevant or simulated operational environments.
6.4 Advanced Component Development and Prototypes: Work that evaluates integrated technologies and prototypes in realistic operating environments to prepare for transition.
Basic research (6.1) is outside the scope of this BAA. For Topic 11, if your project contains basic research elements, the guide asks you to clearly separate the basic and applied portions and to provide evidence, including references, that the approach is mature enough for applied research funding.
The 13 Topic Areas: What NAVFAC EXWC Is Looking For
Every abstract must address at least one of the following topic areas and advance Naval capabilities.
Topic 1: Expeditionary Construction, Battle Damage Repair, and Advanced Naval Base Construction Technologies
Technologies for rapidly building, repairing, and developing infrastructure in austere, contested, or damaged environments. Interests include lightweight, multi-functional equipment for diverse terrain; advanced construction and repair materials; automated and robotic construction systems; site and damage assessment tools; modular and scalable structures; site preparation and soil stabilization; and mobile, self-sufficient solutions with a minimal logistics footprint.
Topic 2: Logistics Over the Shore Technologies
Technologies that move personnel, equipment, and supplies from ship to shore where port infrastructure is limited or unavailable. Interests include amphibious connector craft and lighterage, modular and rapidly deployable causeways and piers, automated cargo handling that reduces beach time and increases throughput, mobile fuel and water distribution, all-terrain material handling equipment, and real-time cargo tracking and visibility.
Topic 3: Waterfront Facilities and Systems
Technologies that sustain waterfront facilities in harsh marine environments, including cathodic protection, corrosion and weathering, metallurgy, concrete and pavements, and paints and coatings. Special interests include resilience of dry docks and harbor facilities to extreme weather; improved inspection of piers, wharves, water and fuel tanks, dams, and bridges; marine and offshore structures; fleet moorings; passive waterfront barriers; and underwater and waterfront construction tools and methods.
Topic 4: Undersea Facilities and Systems
Technologies for engineering, installing, and maintaining ocean and littoral underwater systems and magnetic silencing facilities. Interests include physical and numerical modeling, survey and route planning, installation and repair methods for fleet ranges, undersea surveillance and tactical communication facilities, undersea power infrastructure, and geotechnical engineering for seafloor interactions and heavy load handling of shipboard cabled sensor systems.
Topic 5: Shore Facilities, Equipment, and Systems
Technologies across the full lifecycle of Naval shore infrastructure, from planning and design through construction, operations, maintenance, repair, and disposal. Examples include advanced survey and design tools, industrialized and alternative construction methods, corrosion control, concrete and pavement materials, materials chemistry and testing, roofing, structural modeling, improvements to the safety and resilience of petroleum, oils, and lubricants infrastructure, and research that closes knowledge gaps in blast effects on structures.
Topic 6: Facilities Inspections
Technologies that advance inspection of Naval facilities, including unique high value facility inspections, interpretation of inspection data, and projection of how facility condition affects mission.
Topic 7: Shore Energy Technology
Technologies that improve energy security, efficiency, reliability, and resilience at Naval shore installations. Program expertise includes microgrid control systems, critical power applications, geothermal exploration and systems management, distributed energy resources, and alternatively fueled vehicles and supporting infrastructure.
Topic 8: Facilities Related Control Systems Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare
Technologies that secure facilities infrastructure controls and expeditionary systems, spanning both Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), to mitigate cyber threats and resolve cybersecurity incidents.
Topic 9: Installation Restoration, Munitions Response, and Groundwater Management
Technologies and methodologies that return military lands to use and reduce risk to human health. This includes assessing, managing, and remediating past releases of hazardous chemicals, munitions and explosives of concern, material potentially presenting an explosive hazard, and chemicals of emerging concern in soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and subsurface vapor. It also covers waste containment, remedy reliability, hydrogeologic investigation, and aquifer management for installation groundwater resources.
Topic 10: Installation Compliance and Water Resource Management
Technologies that help shore and marine operations meet regulatory requirements while lowering environmental risk and cost. Focus areas include drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, air quality, oil spill response, hazardous and solid waste, and water resource management covering supply, usage, infrastructure, and delivery systems at installations.
Topic 11: Living Marine Resources
Information and technology solutions that support the Navy's at-sea compliance and permitting for legally protected marine species. Focus areas include data to support the Navy Acoustic Effects Model (NAEMO), data processing and analysis tools, monitoring and mitigation technology demonstrations, and standards and metrics development. Topic 11 has its own abstract submission guide, covered in detail below.
Topic 12: Marine Energy Development
Technologies for generating, storing, managing, and distributing energy in the marine environment, both surface and undersea, to power persistent surveillance, autonomous vehicle recharging, communications nodes, and other applications where conventional power delivery is unavailable or limited.
Topic 13: Physical Security, Locks, and Barriers
Physical security and asset tracking for large facilities and expeditionary missions. Interests include lightweight, forced entry resistant security containers; finite element and physical modeling to validate security systems against mechanical, energetic, and ballistic threats; tamper detection for inventory and intermodal transit; personnel and force protection technologies; unmanned and remotely manned systems for perimeter defense and situational awareness; and integration of emerging technologies to multiply the effectiveness of security operations.
Topic 11 Deep Dive: Living Marine Resources Program
The Living Marine Resources (LMR) program is an applied RDT&E program with one core mission: protecting the Navy's ability to conduct uninterrupted at-sea training and testing. The Navy must hold permits and demonstrate compliance with marine species protection laws to train and test at sea. Without that compliance, training and testing can be interrupted, and without training and testing, readiness suffers. LMR funds Navy driven research that strengthens the science behind those permits.
LMR Investment Areas
The LMR program makes its primary investments in five areas:
Data to Support Risk Threshold Criteria: Research that informs how the Navy estimates the effects of sound and other activities on marine species, including data that feeds the Navy Acoustic Effects Model (NAEMO).
Data Processing and Analysis Tools: Software, algorithms, and analytical methods that turn large monitoring datasets into usable results.
Monitoring Technology Demonstrations: Field demonstrations of sensors, platforms, and systems for monitoring and mitigating effects on protected species.
Standards and Metrics: Development of standards, methods, and metrics that make data comparable, defensible, and repeatable.
Emergent Topics: New needs that arise as Navy compliance requirements evolve.
Check the LMR Proposals Page First
Before submitting under Topic 11, visit the LMR program Proposals page at https://exwc.navfac.navy.mil/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Security/LMR/Proposals/ to check for specific need topics. The LMR guide describes an abstract as a response to a specific need topic, and it notes that the program accepts abstracts only during an open season specified on the BAA. If a need topic is posted, align your abstract directly to it. If none is posted, contact the BAA points of contact to confirm how the program will consider unsolicited Topic 11 abstracts before investing in a full submission. The LMR website also lists current and completed projects, publications, newsletters, and annual reports, which are the best available evidence of what the program has funded before.
Topic 11 Format Rules
No specific template is required.
Submit a single consolidated PDF file.
The abstract may not exceed 10 pages.
One-page CVs for the Principal Investigator and each key team member are required and do not count toward the 10-page limit.
Required First Page Information for Topic 11
Submittal date
Contact information: Name, address, phone, and email for both a technical point of contact and a contracting point of contact
Organization information: Organization type (large business, small business, academia, FFRDC, UARC, or nonprofit), name and address, SAM Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and CAGE code
Solicitation number: N39430-26-S-5000
Topic number and name: TOPIC 11: Living Marine Resources
Project title
Cost estimate by calendar year: A summary of total project costs to completion, broken out by calendar year
Required Project Management Costs for Topic 11
Project management must appear in the abstract, either within technical tasks or as its own task. Required project management activities include:
Developing a project fact sheet
Submitting quarterly status reports
Managing budget and invoicing
Presenting progress at the LMR In-Progress Review each year
Writing a 1 to 2 page summary of the effort each year for the LMR annual report
Budgets must include a trip each fall for the Principal Investigator to attend the 3-day In-Progress Review (IPR) in Santa Barbara, California. The PI must attend all three days. No more than two people from the entire project team, including subcontractors, may attend. Teams with an existing LMR project that already covers IPR travel should not include those costs again.
Required Content for the Remaining Pages of a Topic 11 Abstract
Technical approach: Describe the project and background, state clearly how it addresses the need topic, discuss any demonstration and validation phase, show evidence of maturity for applied research funding, define performance criteria for success, note any leveraged funding from other programs, identify limitations and technical risks, and break the approach into distinct tasks with deliverables.
Offeror's related experience: Evidence that your organization has experience directly related to the proposed solution.
Principal Investigator and key team member experience: A summary listing each person's name, highest degree, organization or affiliation, location, and years of experience, plus a one-page CV for each person.
Project benefits: Expected benefits to the Navy, the key need topic issues addressed, potential applications of the results, and advantages over current technologies, methods, or costs.
Schedule and milestones: Overall start and completion dates and a detailed breakdown of tasks, development stages, field tests or studies, deliverables, and publications with proposed dates.
Product implementation: Three required elements. First, products and deliverables. Second, implementation requirements, including the intended end user (such as the Navy marine species monitoring program, the Navy environmental compliance community working under MMPA, ESA, and NEPA, or the broader scientific community), the transition method, how implementation differs across Navy, regulatory, and scientific audiences, any restrictions such as permits, patents, or proprietary data, and any proposed guidance documentation. Third, technical risks to successful implementation.
How Abstracts Are Evaluated
A peer review board evaluates each abstract on its own merits. Abstracts that meet all evaluation criteria are accepted into the BAA program. The four criteria are:
Scientific and technical merit: The merits and objectives of the proposed work.
Offeror qualifications: Your team's capabilities, related experience, techniques, or unique combination of these that are integral to achieving the objectives.
Project plan: Cost, schedule, and execution plan relative to the technical approach.
Topical alignment: Fit with current command priorities and availability of resources to pursue the work.
The fourth criterion matters more than many applicants realize. A technically excellent abstract can still be passed over if it does not match what the command is prioritizing right now, which is why reading the topic language closely and checking program pages for current needs pays off.
How to Submit
Topics 1 through 10, 12, and 13: Use the BAA Abstract Submittal Form provided as Attachment 1 to the solicitation on SAM.gov.
Topic 11: Follow the Topic 11 LMR Abstract Submission Guide. No template is required, but every required element in the guide must be included in a single PDF of no more than 10 pages, plus CVs.
Delivery: Email your abstract to both nicole.m.mendes2.civ@us.navy.mil and katelyn.t.rydberg.civ@us.navy.mil before the deadline.
Questions: Direct questions about the BAA to the same two points of contact.
Registration Requirements
No award will be made to any organization that is not registered, or in the process of registering, in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). Registration provides your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and Topic 11 abstracts also require a CAGE code on the first page. SAM registration can take several weeks, so startups without an active registration should begin immediately rather than waiting until an abstract is selected.
A Note on Sensitive Information
Because NAVFAC EXWC shares qualified abstracts with other federal activities to find sites and funding, and some of those activities use civilian support contractors to evaluate technologies, the solicitation advises offerors not to submit information that would be sensitive to review by those personnel. Startups should write abstracts that demonstrate technical credibility without disclosing trade secrets, and should be deliberate about which details are held back for a detailed proposal.
Is This BAA a Good Fit for Your Startup?
This BAA tends to fit startups that have moved past pure discovery and can show a working concept, prototype, or field-ready method tied to a real Navy infrastructure or compliance problem. Strong candidates include companies working on:
Robotic, automated, or additive construction and rapid repair materials for austere sites
Corrosion control, coatings, advanced concrete, and structural health monitoring for marine infrastructure
Inspection technologies such as drones, underwater robotics, and AI driven inspection data analysis
Undersea cable installation, seafloor geotechnics, and undersea power systems
Microgrids, distributed energy, geothermal systems, and marine energy harvesting
Operational technology and industrial control system cybersecurity
Environmental remediation, groundwater characterization, and water treatment
Passive acoustic monitoring, marine species detection and classification tools, and at-sea monitoring platforms
Tamper detection, asset tracking, forced entry resistant containers, and perimeter security
It is a weaker fit for companies still doing fundamental research, companies whose technology has no clear Navy facility, expeditionary, or compliance application, and companies that need a guaranteed, fixed award amount on a predictable timeline.
Strategic Tips for Startup Applicants
Mirror the topic language. Reviewers score topical alignment directly. Name the specific topic, use its terminology, and connect your technology to the capability gap it describes.
Prove maturity. Show where your technology sits within 6.2, 6.3, or 6.4, and back it up with data, prior demonstrations, or publications.
Build a credible, task-based budget. Tie every cost to a task and deliverable. For Topic 11, include calendar year breakouts, project management, and IPR travel.
Name the end user and the transition path. Explain who in the Navy uses the result and how it gets to them, whether through a publication, software tool, method, or fielded system.
Submit early. Boards meet about every 3 months and abstracts stay valid for a year, so early submissions get more review opportunities.
Use this BAA alongside SBIR and STTR. A NAVFAC EXWC abstract can open conversations with Navy stakeholders that support SBIR and STTR topic development, Phase III transitions, and other non-dilutive pathways.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NAVFAC EXWC BAA N39430-26-S-5000?
It is the Command Wide Broad Agency Announcement for the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, a year-long U.S. Navy solicitation that accepts abstracts for research, development, testing, and evaluation across 13 topic areas covering facilities, expeditionary, ocean, energy, cybersecurity, environmental, marine species, and physical security technologies.
When is the deadline for the NAVFAC EXWC BAA?
Abstracts are due by June 14, 2027 at 4:00 PM PDT. The BAA opened June 15, 2026 and accepts abstracts on a rolling basis, with Technical Evaluation Boards meeting approximately every 3 months.
How much funding is available under the NAVFAC EXWC BAA?
The solicitation does not publish a funding ceiling, award floor, or number of awards, and no funding has been reserved in advance. Award size depends on the scope and cost estimate in your proposal. NAVFAC EXWC shares qualified abstracts with other federal government activities to seek sites and funding.
Can startups and small businesses apply?
Yes. The BAA has no set-aside and is open to small businesses, large businesses, academic institutions, FFRDCs, UARCs, and nonprofit organizations. Startups compete on the merits of their abstract rather than in a small business only pool.
Is the NAVFAC EXWC BAA an SBIR or STTR program?
No. It is a Broad Agency Announcement issued under FAR 6.102(d)(2) and FAR 35.016. It has no phase structure, no small business eligibility requirement, and no fixed award amount. It can complement SBIR and STTR strategies by building relationships with Navy stakeholders.
What technology readiness level is required?
The technology or methodology must be in applied research (6.2), advanced technology development (6.3), or advanced component development and prototypes (6.4). Basic research is outside the scope. Topic 11 applicants with basic research elements must clearly separate basic and applied work.
What topics does the NAVFAC EXWC BAA cover?
There are 13 topics: expeditionary construction and battle damage repair, logistics over the shore, waterfront facilities, undersea facilities, shore facilities and equipment, facilities inspections, shore energy, facilities control systems cybersecurity, installation restoration and groundwater management, installation compliance and water resources, living marine resources, marine energy development, and physical security, locks, and barriers.
What is Topic 11 Living Marine Resources looking for?
Topic 11 funds information and technology solutions that support the Navy's at-sea compliance and permitting for legally protected marine species. Its investment areas are data to support risk threshold criteria including the Navy Acoustic Effects Model (NAEMO), data processing and analysis tools, monitoring technology demonstrations, standards and metrics, and emergent topics.
How long can a Topic 11 abstract be?
A Topic 11 abstract must be a single PDF of no more than 10 pages. No template is required. One-page CVs for the Principal Investigator and key team members are required and do not count toward the page limit.
What costs must a Topic 11 budget include?
Topic 11 budgets must be broken out by calendar year and include project management, covering a project fact sheet, quarterly status reports, budget and invoicing management, an annual In-Progress Review presentation, and a 1 to 2 page annual summary. Budgets must also include annual travel for the Principal Investigator to the 3-day fall In-Progress Review in Santa Barbara, California.
How do I submit an abstract?
Email your abstract to both nicole.m.mendes2.civ@us.navy.mil and katelyn.t.rydberg.civ@us.navy.mil. Topics 1 through 10, 12, and 13 use the BAA Abstract Submittal Form attached to the solicitation. Topic 11 follows the LMR Abstract Submission Guide.
How are abstracts evaluated?
A peer review board evaluates each abstract on its own merits against four criteria: scientific and technical merit, offeror qualifications and related experience, the project plan including cost and schedule, and topical alignment with current command priorities and available resources.
How long does it take to hear back?
If the Navy wants a detailed proposal, it will notify you, typically within about 3 months of submission. If you have not been notified within 3 months, the solicitation says to assume non-selection. Abstracts remain valid for one year from submission.
What registrations are required?
You must be registered, or in the process of registering, in SAM.gov to receive an award, which provides your Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Topic 11 abstracts also require a CAGE code on the first page.
Will my abstract be kept confidential?
Not entirely. NAVFAC EXWC shares qualified abstracts with other federal government activities to seek sites and funding, and some of those activities use civilian contractors to evaluate technologies. The solicitation advises against submitting information that would be sensitive to review by those personnel.
What happens after an abstract is accepted?
Abstracts that meet all evaluation criteria are accepted into the BAA program. The Navy may then request a detailed proposal. Because funding is not reserved in advance, accepted abstracts may also be shared with other federal activities that could sponsor or host the work.
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