SPECIAL NOTICE

Synchronized Persistent Army Experimentation (SPARX)

A. Description:

Synchronized Persistent Army Experimentation (SPARX) is a collaborative process between industry partners and the Army that is intended to enable collective innovation and identify novel technology capabilities that will help the Army achieve its modernization goals. It provides a structured means for collection of questionnaires about products and technologies to Government representatives for consideration to a variety of controlled and operationally relevant experimentation environments. It is part of the Army Futures Command (AFC) campaign of learning, which is designed to aggressively advance and integrate the Army’s contributions to the Joint and Multi-national force for convergence effects across all domains (air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace) in order to maintain U.S. overmatch.  SPARX is a process to match industry partners’ technologies to a series of experiments and observations in operationally realistic environments. Developed and managed by the Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), the SPARX process will allow for collective innovation and further experimentation in both applied and advanced technology developments with innovative partners.

SPARX will serve as the principal entry point for industry partners to provide information relating to their technologies for Army experimentation.  This process is designed to do the following:

1. Synchronize and streamline the information process for industry to then obtain information for Army experimentation events.  It provides an avenue for industry partners to submit information regarding their technologies via a technology overview template.

2. Make it easier for event holders to include industry technologies into their events by ensuring all submission documents are readily available with an early technology assessment.

SPARX is currently participating with multiple experimentation events. Submissions will be reviewed by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from across AFC.  The SMEs will conduct an initial informal examination of the technology DEVCOM will inform the submitting Industry Partner of the event(s) (if any) to which the technology has been aligned.  Once aligned to an experimentation event, technology submissions will be forwarded to the event planners during the event open window.  These events are developed and managed by the Army event planners  As such, if a technology is invited to an experiment the event planner will coordinate all the requirements for participation. Events are not hosted by DEVCOM HQ and if an industry partner attends such an event they should expect further guidance from the event planner or host. It is possible that further documentation (i.e. NDA, proof of liability insurance, etc.) may be required by the event host/planner.

B. Submission Guidelines:

Prospective companies are requested to submit a SPARX Technology Overview (attachment).  The submission documents into the SPARX Collection will also serve as the submission documents into the aligned Army experimentation event(s). 

Submissions of SPARX Technology Overview documents should be sent to: [email protected]

Submissions may be submitted at any time while this notice is open. If an event submission window has closed for that fiscal year, your technology submission will be considered for the following fiscal year.

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY.  This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.  This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever.  Further, the Army is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals.  Respondees are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense.  Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued.