USMC MCCE Operational Support Services: RFI Open

Marine Corps Systems Command, Portfolio Acquisition Executive Mission Systems, has issued RFI M67854-26-I-4208 for enterprise-scale IT Operational Support Services (OSS) supporting the Marine Corps Cyberspace Environment. This is the planned follow-on to the Marine Corps-specific operational and labor elements currently performed under a task order against the Navy SMIT IDIQ. Amendment 01 extended responses to 5 October 2026 at 1:00 PM Eastern.

The work runs under a Government-Owned, Government-Operated, Contractor-Supported (GOGOCS) model, with cleared DCWF-certified personnel as the core. Three objectives frame the requirement:

  • Cyber workforce and operational support — enterprise service desk, end user support, datacenter and network operations, cyberspace defense, and specialized engineering
  • ITIL framework implementation across service strategy, design, transition, operations, and continual improvement
  • Exploratory strategic AI integration to reduce manual touch-labor, all inside FedRAMP-authorized, IL5, and IL6 boundaries

The set-aside is undecided, and the Marine Corps is asking industry to help decide it. Area G of the RFI asks respondents directly how the Government could structure or segment this labor requirement to increase meaningful small business participation and asks large businesses which service areas are most suitable for small business partners. Responses submitted before 5 October will shape that answer.

OPPORTUNITY SNAPSHOT

  • Opportunity: Marine Corps Cyberspace Environment (MCCE) Operational Support Services
  • Agency: Marine Corps Systems Command, PAE Mission Systems / PEO Digital
  • RFI Response Deadline: 5 October 2026, 1:00 PM Eastern
  • Amount: TBD
  • Set-Aside: TBD
  • Estimated Award: TBD
  • NAICS: 541513, Computer Facilities Management Services
  • Structure: IDIQ and Multiple Award Contract
  • Environment Scale: ~170,000 NIPR and 25,000 SIPR users today, projected to 250,000 NIPR and 35,000 SIPR

WHY THIS OPPORTUNITY MATTERS

The Marine Corps states the core problem plainly: under a traditional level-of-effort construct, the only way to meet rising ticket and alert volume is to add more people, and that is financially unsustainable. Where the RFI pushes:

  • The Government will not fund or acquire new third-party software licenses. Vendors must deliver a tech-enabled workforce either through their own internally funded corporate AI and automation tools at no licensing cost to the Government, or by maximizing existing Government-owned enterprise tools such as ServiceNow and Microsoft 365 already accredited within the IL5 and IL6 boundaries

That constraint is the whole competition. The Marine Corps wants the contractor footprint and total program cost to decrease over the life of the contract without adding software licensing overhead or non-enterprise technical debt. The RFI asks for proven ticket deflection and resolution rates, a predictive break-even model expressed in months, and a five-year rough order of magnitude broken into labor, implementation, licensing, variable consumption, and O&M. Firms that cannot answer those with real numbers will not be competitive.

The RFI spans seven evaluation areas and 51 questions. Competitive respondents should be ready to address:

  • DCWF-certified cleared talent supply chain and retention
  • AI technical architecture and security inside IL5 and IL6
  • Staffing, performance metrics, and incentive structures
  • Transition and continuity of operations planning
  • Intellectual property and data rights for models fine-tuned on Marine Corps data
  • Preferred contract type and alternative acquisition strategies

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY

This requirement is built for firms delivering large-scale, cleared IT operations to DoD customers. Firms with experience in the following should assess their fit now:

  • Enterprise service desk and end user support at 100,000-plus user scale
  • Datacenter and network operations cleared for IL5 and IL6 environments
  • Cyberspace defense and DCWF-certified cyber workforce delivery
  • ITSM and ITIL practice built on ServiceNow and Microsoft 365
  • AI and automation firms with documented ticket deflection and automated remediation metrics
  • Current SMIT task order subcontractors seeking a direct prime relationship
  • Small businesses positioning for a segmented labor track, and large businesses building subcontracting strategies

HOW OST CAN HELP

With the RFI open through 5 October and the acquisition approach still being finalized, MCCE is at the stage where industry input carries real weight. OST supports firms responding to shaping opportunities with:

  • Bid/No-Bid assessment: Evaluating fit against the seven RFI areas, your clearance and scale position, and whether to pursue as prime or partner
  • Capture planning: Shaping a response that positions you for the eventual solicitation rather than merely answering 51 questions
  • Teaming strategy: Identifying complementary partners via OST’s partnering portal (200+ companies) to pair cleared labor depth with automation capability
  • Past performance strategy: Documenting large-scale IT support references with the quantitative outcomes the RFI requires
  • Proposal development: Capability statement, vendor comment matrix, and full proposal support once the solicitation releases

Responses are due 5 October 2026. The Marine Corps has said the results of this RFI will finalize the acquisition approach and select the most capable partners, and it is explicitly asking how to structure the requirement for small business participation. That is an open door, and it closes in short order. If this interests you, please book a call with OST Partner and President Bill Schalik via the button below.

Schedule a discussion today.