Kessel Run, a team within the Air Force that operates a scalable software factory, has unveiled its new plan to obtain commercially curated DevSecOps capabilities through September of 2027.
On Nov. 29, the software factory released an umbrella Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) “to provide a mechanism by which the government can partner with industry to deliver state-of-the-art commercial technology directly to the warfighter,” it said.
Kessel Run will use this vehicle to pursue innovative approaches to product and service offerings in the software and DevSecOps realm – a newer practice branded to ensure that security plays an equal part in both software development and operations.
Patrick Gonet, the Portfolio Software Design Lead at Kessel Run, said during a Nov. 30 ATARC event that if his team doesn’t have developers who are also operators, then they can’t do their work well. Additionally, he added that both development and operations teams need to feel it’s their responsibility to make sure that software is secure.
According to the CSO announcement, the government must broaden its horizons to bring innovative solutions required to accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Defense Department’s DevSecOps effort. Kessel Run said it will issue awards and agreements to industry partners offering “innovative solutions.”
There is no cumulative ceiling estimated for this CSO. However, individual awards are not anticipated to exceed $100 million, the announcement says.
To be considered, the solutions offered must meet the definition of “innovative.”
“For the purposes of this CSO, innovative means any technology, process, or method including research and development, that is new as of the date of the proposal submission; or any new application of an existing technology, process, or method as of the proposal date,” the announcement says.
Kessel Run will also be awarding research and development contracts ranging from basic research to operational systems development until Sept. 30, 2027.
