Navy ManTech sBAA N0001426SB002: What Startups Need to Know Before Applying
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has released Special Broad Agency Announcement N0001426SB002, "Accelerating Maritime Modernization: Innovation in Naval Manufacturing, Sustainment, and Industrial Base Capability." This is a contract vehicle, not a grant, run through the Navy Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, and it directly supports the Navy's Golden Fleet Initiative to build ships faster, repair them faster, and strengthen the naval industrial base.
For deep-tech, robotics, and dual-use startups, this is a rare non-dilutive funding opportunity with a clear commercialization thesis: the Navy wants technology that is close to production-ready and can transition into an actual shipyard or maintenance depot within a defined timeline.
What Is This Opportunity?
This sBAA funds two categories of work:
6.2 Applied Research: proof-of-concept development bridging science and defense application. ONR expects to fund 3 to 5 awards valued at $500K to $3M.
6.3 Advanced Technology Development: maturing and demonstrating technology in operationally relevant environments, targeting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 6 to 7. ONR expects to fund 5 to 10 awards valued at $1.5M to $5M.
Periods of performance run 1 to 2 years. Awards are procurement contracts, not grants or cooperative agreements.
Technology Areas ONR Wants
ONR is prioritizing innovations that support the Golden Fleet Initiative across five priority areas: speed/throughput/availability, advanced manufacturing, sustainment and repair, industrial base modernization, and supply chain capacity and logistics. Named priority platforms include the new BBG(X)/BBGN battleship, the FF(X) next-generation frigate, and unmanned surface vessels, though other Navy platforms may also be considered.
Specific technical focus areas span:
Novel materials, non-metallic materials, and materials scale-up
Advanced sensor integration and structural health monitoring
Robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing (including cobots and human augmentation)
Digital tools, model-based engineering, and digital twins
AI/ML for shipbuilding decision-making and predictive maintenance
Autonomous systems for inspection and maintenance
Advanced electronics, SOSA/MOSA modular design
Non-destructive testing and advanced inspection
Supply chain and logistics platforms, including additive manufacturing digital part libraries
Cybersecurity for industrial control systems and operational technology
Two-Phase Structure and Key Dates
This sBAA runs on two tracks:
Phase I: White papers are due 60 days after publication of the sBAA. Selected offerors submit a full proposal within 45 days of notification. Award decisions follow roughly 60 days after full proposal submission.
Phase II: Opens the day after Phase I closes and stays open for one year from publication, so companies that miss the Phase I window still have a path in. Phase II full proposals follow the same 45-day submission clock after notification, with award decisions targeted in 45 days.
Missing the Phase I white paper deadline does not eliminate a startup from this opportunity. It shifts the company to the Phase II track, which is a meaningful difference from most SBIR-style solicitations with a single hard close.
Who Can Apply
All responsible sources from industry and academia are eligible, including both small and large businesses. There is no dollar amount set aside specifically for small business or socioeconomic categories, so startups compete on technical merit rather than in a reserved lane. Navy laboratories, warfare centers, and FFRDCs cannot apply directly, though teaming with them is allowed.
Before submitting, a company must be registered in SAM.gov with an active Unique Entity Identifier and CAGE code, and that registration must stay current through the life of any award.
What Gets Evaluated
Four criteria carry equal weight:
Scientific and technical merit: ManTech appropriateness and soundness of the technical approach
Naval relevance and contribution: how clearly the proposal defines the Navy need, quantifies impact and ROI, and lays out a credible transition plan to a named platform or facility
Organizational capability and teaming: this section explicitly weighs whether the team holds an active DD-2345 Joint Certification Program certification and the appropriate CMMC cybersecurity level
Financial and schedule feasibility: whether the proposed cost and milestones are realistic for the scope of work
Two details deserve early attention. First, for 6.3 Advanced Technology Development efforts, evaluators require a strict transition path to TRL/MRL 6 through 7, so proposals pitched at an earlier maturity level should target the 6.2 Applied Research category instead. Second, Intellectual Property and Data Rights assertions are evaluated directly, since ONR is checking whether the proposed rights (for example, Government Purpose Rights) support scaling across the naval industrial base without creating vendor lock. This is worth deciding deliberately, not defaulting to whatever a template suggests.
Cybersecurity Requirements to Plan For Early
This sBAA requires CMMC Level 2 (Self) status entered in the Supplier Performance Risk System for any contractor information system that will process, store, or transmit Federal Contract Information or Controlled Unclassified Information. Companies that have not started a CMMC self-assessment should begin that process well before a white paper is due, since award cannot proceed without a current CMMC status and affirmation of continuous compliance in SPRS.
White Paper Requirements
Phase I and Phase II both start with a 5-page white paper (12-point Times New Roman, one-inch margins) plus a one-page Project Lead resume. The white paper must cover, in this order: project classification and Golden Fleet alignment, organization background and teaming strategy, technical concept and appropriateness, Navy need and impact, path to transition (including IP and data rights posture), and a rough order of magnitude cost and schedule estimate.
Because ONR reviews white papers on a rolling basis rather than against each other in a single competition, a well-scoped white paper submitted early in the Phase II window is not disadvantaged relative to one submitted near the one-year close.
How BW&CO Consulting Helps
BW&CO Consulting helps deep-tech, robotics, and dual-use companies position competitive Navy ManTech proposals, including:
Determining whether a technology fits the 6.2 Applied Research or 6.3 Advanced Technology Development category based on current TRL/MRL
Mapping a company's technology to a specific Golden Fleet platform or industrial facility for a credible transition narrative
Structuring IP and Data Rights assertions that satisfy ONR's transition and anti-vendor-lock evaluation criteria
Coordinating CMMC and SAM.gov readiness ahead of submission
Drafting the white paper and full proposal package, including the Statement of Work and cost proposal
Contact BW&CO Consulting to discuss Navy ManTech sBAA N0001426SB002 eligibility and proposal strategy.
