Joint AI Center preps multiple award contract for test and evaluation services

By Justin Doubleday / February 17, 2021 at 12:36 PM

The Pentagon is preparing a multiple award contract for test and evaluation services for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, according to a recent government notice.

In a Feb. 11 solicitation, Army Contracting Command said it is seeking "to form multiple Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs) with Offerors who can provide Test and Evaluation (T&E) services" to the JAIC, as well as the rest of the Defense Department and the broader federal government.

The work involves "the acquisition of commercial AI tools and services, the development of new AI tools and services, the integration of AI tools and services into environments, the operation and support of AI tools and services, and the use of AI tools and services to conduct AI testing on AI models and software application," according to a performance work statement attached to the notice.

Offers are due March 5, according to the notice.

The deal is expected to last four years and have a ceiling of $250 million, according to the JAIC's Chief of Test and Evaluation Jane Pinelis. It will allow "anyone in the department to order test and evaluation services" from industry partners.

"This is a very important step for us because the JAIC is about enabling the department to achieve scale, and the only way we can do that is if we unlock these contract vehicles that others can use as well," Pinelis said during a Feb. 9 event hosted by AFCEA.

She said the center is looking for "the entire spectrum of support along our T&E framework."

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