Request for Information: "Net-Ready" Key Performance Parameter (NR-KPP)

Requirement Description:

The United States Space Force is conducting market research for redefining "Net-Ready" Key Performance Parameter (NR-KPP): A Modern Framework for Data-Centric, Cyber-Resilient, and Continuously Delivered Capabilities

This is a Request for Information (RFI), not a solicitation for proposals. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain industry expertise, lessons learned, and innovative ideas to help shape a new framework.

Respondents are advised that the Government will not reimburse any costs associated with responding to this RFI. The Government will not pay for any response, participation, demonstration, or related expenses. All costs incurred in responding are solely at the interested party’s expense.

Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitations, should one be issued.

This RFI is issued for information-gathering and planning purposes only. The information provided is subject to change and does not bind the Government to any future acquisition strategy, solicitation, or contract award.

All submissions become the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. Interested parties are responsible for clearly marking any proprietary, sensitive, or otherwise restricted information submitted.

BACKGROUND & STRATEGIC INTENT

The legacy NR-KPP, while foundational in its time, has proven insufficient for the modern era of warfare. Its focus on point-in-time, checklist-based certification for network connectivity is fundamentally incompatible with the speed, scale, and complexity of software-centric, data-driven, multi-domain operations. This legacy process often incentivizes the creation of documentation over capability, penalizes agile development, and fails to adequately address the sophisticated cyber threats faced by space systems.

Therefore, the USSF is investigating alternative approaches to the "Net-Ready KPP" and aims to redefine the process in accordance with updated DoW requirements. The proposed USSF framework seeks to transcend simple connectivity, ensuring capabilities are interoperable, secure, and continuously evolving. This model must enable the rapid testing and fielding of warfighter capabilities and integrate “secure by design” principles from inception. Our vision is built upon three guiding principles:

1. Interoperability at the Data Layer: Shifting focus from the "pipe" to the "water." Systems must expose data via secure, discoverable, and well-documented APIs as a primary measure of interoperability.


2. Continuous Software Evolution: Replacing point-in-time certification with a model of continuous validation, leveraging DevSecOps pipelines as the source of truth for compliance and readiness.


3. Cyber Resilience by Design: Moving beyond compliance to survivability. Systems must be built on a Zero Trust Architecture, assuming breach and designed to "fight through" a contested cyber environment.

REQUESTED INFORMATION

Please provide responses to the following questions. Respondents are encouraged to provide concrete examples, use cases, and supporting data where possible.

Category A: Lessons Learned & Modern Business Models

1. From your perspective, what were the top 1-2 primary challenges or perverse incentives created by the legacy NR-KPP process? How did it impact your ability to deliver capability at speed?


2. Describe contract structures or business models (e.g., consumption-based pricing, software subscriptions, outcome-based incentives) that you believe would better align industry incentives with the Government's goals of data sharing, agility, and continuous improvement.

(Optional) Category B: Data-Centricity & Interoperability

1. What are industry best practices for managing and securing APIs at an enterprise scale? Please address API discovery (gateways), version control, and authentication/authorization.


2. Beyond APIs, what emerging technologies or standards should the USSF consider for ensuring seamless data sharing and discovery across disparate systems (e.g., data fabrics, federated query services)?


3. What metrics do you use to measure the quality, reliability, and usability of a data service or API?

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit responses to this RFI to the primary point of contact identified in this announcement no later than the deadline specified herein. Submissions shall include the respondent’s Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, Unique Entity ID (UEI), and business size status (including applicable size standard, if known).

If your submission is large, you may need to transmit it in multiple emails. Respondents are encouraged to contact the primary point of contact to confirm receipt of their submission.

INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS: The Government may elect to meet with one or more respondents to this RFI for the sole purpose of obtaining clarification of submitted information and understanding potential capabilities relevant to the requirement. Any such engagements are informational only and are not intended to constitute discussions or negotiations.