OUSW P - Regional Threat Network Fusion and Prioritization Prototype Open Challenge
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
The OUSW P – Regional Threat Network Fusion and Prioritization Prototype Open Challenge is seeking configurable intelligence analytics capabilities that can ingest, fuse, and analyze global and regional data sources to support Western Hemisphere security operations. The Government is looking for prototype-driven solutions that can identify hidden relationships across transnational criminal organizations, nation-state actors, and commercial networks while enabling persistent monitoring, automated alerting, and predictive threat analysis.
This is an Open Challenge, meaning submissions remain open for extended durations with multiple Government organizations reviewing submissions on a rolling basis. ONI anticipates rapid down-select within 30–45 days of posting, creating urgency for companies with relevant threat fusion, intelligence analytics, entity resolution, or network analysis capabilities to engage quickly.
How much funding would I receive?
The solicitation does not specify award amounts, total funding availability, number of awards, or individual contract sizes.
Problem Statement:
Current Western Hemisphere intelligence operations face multiple capability gaps in threat fusion and prioritization. Analysts cannot rapidly fuse disparate regional data sources to identify and assess threat relationships. Identity and entity resolution across sources remains manual and inconsistent. Threat detection relies on static rules that fail to identify evolving criminal-commercial-state actor networks. The Government requires prototype-driven approaches capable of operationalizing data fusion, dynamic threat behavior modeling, and traceable analytics to enable rapid threat identification and prioritized decision support.
Desired Solution:
● Ingest and fuse heterogeneous regional/global datasets (commercially available and Government-approved sources) using repeatable pipelines suitable for analyst use.
● Perform identity/entity resolution across sources with measurable confidence scoring, provenance, and analyst override/auditability.
● Produce network mapping and relationship analytics to reveal hidden associations across criminal, commercial, and state-linked entities.
● Provide persistent monitoring with automated alerting based on evolving behaviors/patterns, not solely static rules.
● Support retrospective incident reconstruction and forward-looking threat assessments, including escalation indicators and network evolution hypotheses.
● Provide traceable analytic reasoning (explainability/provenance) sufficient for operational decision support and mission trust.
● Enable configuration by mission/region/use case without rearchitecture (new data sources, indicators, models, and reporting views).
● Demonstrate and refine the prototype through direct engagement with analysts and decision-makers, incorporating iterative user feedback.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Potential benefits include:
Opportunity to engage directly with mission analysts and Government decision-makers
Ability to refine capabilities through operational user feedback
Potential pathway to production use without system rearchitecture
Access to award opportunities under ONIX OTA in coordination with ACC-RI
The solicitation also notes that multiple Government organizations may review submissions.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
The solicitation states that this is an Open Challenge that remains open for extended durations with rolling submissions and biweekly reviews.
The Government states:
“Submissions are generally reviewed biweekly.”
“ONI anticipates rapid down-select within 30–45 days of posting.”
No final submission deadline is specified in the solicitation. No award start date or funding disbursement timeline is specified.
Where does this funding come from?
The effort is being managed through ONI and states that awards will be made under “ONIX OTA in coordination with ACC-RI.”
Who is eligible to apply?
The solicitation states the opportunity is:
“Open to U.S.-based industry, academic, and nonprofit organizations.”
Respondents must:
Register on https://gocolosseum.org to submit
What companies and projects are likely to win?
The Government appears to be prioritizing solutions that can rapidly demonstrate operationally relevant capabilities rather than lengthy requirements-driven development efforts.
Competitive submissions are likely to include:
Existing prototype capabilities rather than conceptual-only approaches
Demonstrated data fusion and entity resolution capabilities
Explainable analytics and traceable reasoning
Automated monitoring and alerting functionality
Configurable architectures that do not require rearchitecture for new missions or regions
Strong approaches to analyst usability and operational iteration
Clear implementation schedules, milestones, and deliverables
Relevant past performance in intelligence analytics, network analysis, threat detection, or related mission systems
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
The solicitation includes the following submission requirements and constraints:
Responses should be 2–10 pages maximum
Respondents must include:
Technical concept
Implementation approach
Company information
Point of contact
Past performance
Proposed period of performance
Proposed applicable documents
Proposed technical approach
Proposed deliverables
Proposed schedule with milestones
Proposed payment schedule
Proposed patents and data rights
Proposed milestone-based costs or ROM pricing
The solicitation also notes that formatting guidance is suggested rather than mandatory, and ONI may pass along submissions regardless of formatting compliance.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
Because the Government is requesting relatively short submissions (2–10 pages maximum), companies with existing capabilities or prior prototype work may be able to prepare a response relatively quickly.
However, the solicitation requires:
Technical approach details
Milestone schedules
Payment schedules
Cost estimates
Past performance information
Data rights and patent considerations
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO can help your team:
Position your capability around the Government’s stated operational gaps
Translate technical platforms into mission-focused prototype language
Build concise OTA-style white papers optimized for rapid evaluation
Develop milestone-based scopes, schedules, and ROM pricing
Strengthen differentiation around explainability, entity resolution, and operational deployment
Prepare submission materials aligned to ONI evaluation expectations
