Data Science, Operations, Requirements, Exploitation, and Enhanced Engineering (DORE3) - Department of Defense

In this episode, we break down the latest DORE3 RFI a major Defense Intelligence Agency initiative focused on Data Science, Operations, Requirements, Exploitation, and Enhanced Engineering. From multi-domain intelligence support to rapid-response engineering.

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Transcript

RFI vs RFP And DIA’s Aim

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the deep dive. Today we have a uh really unique opportunity. We're getting a look past the usual headlines.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Right into the planning documents.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Exactly. We are cracking open a request for information, an RFI from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the DIA.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

And it's for a massive multi-year program called DOR RE3.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

DOR E3. What does that stand for again?

SPEAKER_00 0:24

It's data science, operations, requirements, exploitation, and enhanced engineering.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Right. So our mission for this deep dive is to give you the shortcut. We want to figure out what the DIA's Directorate of Science and Technology, their ST branch, what do they actually care about right now?

SPEAKER_00 0:40

And maybe more importantly, what kind of expertise and what level of security clearance you need to even be in the room.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

So before we go any further, let's just clarify what this document actually is. Because it's an RFI, not an RFP.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Aaron Powell Yeah, that's a critical distinction. Think of it less as a job application and more like high-stakes market research. The government is planning this huge acquisition. But before they lock in the final requirements, they're just asking industry, who's out there? What can you do? And really, how good are you at it?

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Aaron Powell So just to be clear for everyone listening, this isn't a promise from the government to buy anything. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Not yet. No.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

They're just scouting the landscape, trying to find what they call the best qualified sources.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Aaron Powell It's all about finding companies that can show the absolute greatest depth and breadth of skills for their mission. It's a vital first step.

Why IDIQs And What ST Needs

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Aaron Powell And based on this RFI, it looks like they're thinking the final contract will be multiple IDIQs.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Aaron Powell Inde delivery indefinite quantity contracts.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

That that tells you they want flexibility. They want access to a lot of different specialized companies over a long period of time.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Aaron Powell All right, so let's get into the strategic why. The DIA's ST mandate is really what's driving all of this.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Aaron Powell It is. Their mission statement is very, very clear.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Aaron Powell Their job is to develop and deliver uh leading edge scientific and technical capabilities.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Aaron Powell But here's the key part. Yeah. It's all to address the most challenging intelligence gaps. They're the ones trying to turn tomorrow's tech into intelligence that you can actually use today.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Aaron Powell And the way they're doing that here is through what's called advisory and assistance services, ANAS.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

They're basically bringing in outside experts from industry to help with intelligence functions and not just for the DIA.

The Clearance Wall: TS/SCI TK

SPEAKER_01 2:22

It's for the whole intelligence community, the IC, and the Department of Defense. It's a huge support role.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Absolutely. But you know, before we even get into the list of tasks they want done, we have to talk about the security. Yes. Because the security requirement is what makes this RFI so different from almost anything else you'll see.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

This is where it gets really interesting. To even respond to this, to even be considered a qualified source.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

A company has to show they have a minimum of 15, 15 top secret DK cleared employees available.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

And that's the absolute minimum at the highest possible clearance level. That's the barrier to entry right there.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

We have to break down what TSS ITK really means. It's so much more than just top secret.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

It is. So TS is top secret. The SCI part means sensitive compartmented information.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

But the S I T K-that's special intelligence and talent keyhole. That is the key.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

And that relates to the most sensitive collection methods we have, right? Things like satellite imagery.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

That's talent keyhole.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

And highly sensitive signals intelligence. SI.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Exactly. When you see a program that needs people clear to handle the deepest secrets of satellite and signals collection, you know this is about technical collection. It's not just admin support.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Aaron Powell The fact that they demand this clearance level before they even award a contract, it just sets the tone for everything else.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

It tells you the baseline expectation for every single one of these 11 task areas we're about to discuss.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Which also explains another little detail in the RFI.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

The classified addendum.

The Eleven Support Areas Mapped

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Yeah. There's a more detailed secret and no foreign statement of work. It's posted somewhere else on the NSA ARC system.

SPEAKER_00 4:00

So you already need the clearance just to read the full scope of work. The work starts classified from day one.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Okay, so now that we get the level of secrecy, let's decode the heart of this thing. The 11 support areas for Dory 3.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Right. And these areas really map out the DIA ST's biggest needs for the next few years.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Aaron Powell I think we can group them into a few themes to make it easier to digest. Let's start with the classic intelligence cycle stuff, collection.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Aaron Powell Makes sense. So on the front end, you have support area one, collection concept development.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Aaron Powell That's the high-level strategy.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

Aaron Powell And right after that is support area two, collection planning and operations support. So the tactical side of it, how you actually do it.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Aaron Powell Then you move into the analysis piece, which everyone is focused on right now, the data.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Aaron Powell Of course. Support area three is data sciences support.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Aaron Ross Powell So machine learning, algorithms, all that applied to the massive amounts of data they're pulling in.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

And then support area four is technical exploitation support. Basically, once you get the data, how do you squeeze every last drop of intelligence out of it?

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Aaron Powell Now this is where that high clearance requirement really gets fascinating. The next area I know where you're going. It's where you see the modern pivot, right? Fusing the public world with these deep classified capabilities.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

Aaron Powell It's support area five: Internet of things, social media, and open source support.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Aaron Powell Think about that. To give advice on IoT devices and Twitter, you need a TSS ITK clearance.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Aaron Powell Which tells you they are not just looking for someone to monitor public feeds.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

No will.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

They're looking for ways to fuse that open source data with highly classified signals and imagery intelligence. They want to apply those deep collection techniques to the public data environment.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

Aaron Powell It makes perfect sense. They don't want to just read social media. They want to build tools that use SITK methods to pull out predictive intelligence from it.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

And to support that, you have support area six, application, web, and collaboration support.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Aaron Powell You need the digital backbone to run all those sophisticated new tools.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Aaron Powell Exactly. You need a modern framework so the analysts can actually use them and work together.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Okay, so our third group here is all about operations and innovation. How does the agency actually stay ahead of the curve?

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Aaron Powell Well, it starts with the basics support area seven, program and project support.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Aaron Powell Right. Even the coolest science needs good project management.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Aaron Powell You got to keep it on track, on budget. Then there's the need for speed and agility.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Support area eight, rapid response subject matter expert support.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

A quick reaction force of PhDs, basically.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

And that leads right into how they get ideas from the outside.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yep. Support area nine, academic and industry outreach and innovation.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

So the DIA knows it can't invent everything in-house.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

No agency can. You have to have a structured way to pull in ideas from outside the government firewall.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

And then the capstone, support area 10, rapid engineering and prototyping support.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

This is key. They're not looking for academic papers here. They want working tools and they want them fast.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

It's about building solutions, not just studying problems.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Aaron Powell And finally, you have the administrative glue that holds it all together.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Support Area 11, contract project management, and common tasks.

Open Source Meets Classified Tradecraft

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Aaron Powell The paperwork. No matter how cool the tech is, the invoicing and compliance have to be perfect.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Okay. So that's a crystal clear picture of the work they want. But let's circle back to the high bar for the companies themselves.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Aaron Powell Right, because having those 15 cleared people is just the start.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Aaron Powell The RFI wants very specific proof of what they call corporate knowledge.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

And this is how they weed out the companies that are just, you know, paper shuffling shell corporations.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Aaron Powell So what do they have to show?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

They have to identify up to five relevant contracts they've held in the last five years. And for each one It's not just a summary. Oh no. They want the contract number, the award amount, the agency, how many full-time equivalents FTEs were on it.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

And even a list of the subcontractors and their exact percentage of the work.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

They want to see that you've managed technical work at scale and that you have real skin in the game. And then you have to write an essay explaining how all that experience will help VACA.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

It sounds like a huge lift. I mean, it would be tough for any one company to be an expert in all 11 of those areas.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

It would. And the RFI knows that. It specifically says teaming arrangements are okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

So you can partner up.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Yeah. You can describe expertise you get through partners, even if you don't name them at this early stage. They care more about the capability than the corporate structure. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

But about whether you're solo or on a team, you have to be totally transparent about conflicts of interest.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: OCI. Organizational conflicts of interest. It's a huge deal.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

Trevor Burrus You have to proactively identify any situation where working on Dior A3 might give you an unfair advantage on a future contract.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Aaron Powell or where a financial interest might bias your advice to the government. And you have to explain how you'd mitigate that. It's all about transparency.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Aaron Powell All right, let's just nail down the final logistics for any an industry partners listening.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Aaron Powell Okay. The industry code they're anticipating is 541-990. That's all other professional, scientific, and technical services.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

And the deadline is firm.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Very firm. Thursday, October 9th, 2025, at 2359 Eastern Time.

Rapid Engineering, Outreach, And SMEs

SPEAKER_01 9:14

So they're asking for an incredible amount of detailed information, but they're also being really strict about how you deliver it.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

That's government procurement for you. The whole capability statement covering all 11 areas.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

10 pages. 10 pages. That's it, excluding the cover page. It forces you to be incredibly concise, no filler.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

And even though the final contract will likely be secret no foreign, your response to this RFI can be unclassified. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Right. You just email it to the VACA addresses they provide.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

So to sum all this up, the DoR3 RFI really paints a very clear picture of the DIA strategy.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Extremely clear. They're trying to bridge the gap between the open source, world IoT, social media, data science, and the highest levels of classified technical collection. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

And the IDIQ structure is all about bringing in that outside innovation quickly.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

But only if those outsiders already have the keys to the kingdom, they have to have those deep national security clearances from day one.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

This program really feels like it defines modern intelligence gathering.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

I think so. It's integrating rapid engineering with an absolute requirement for access to the most sensitive satellite and signals data. The contracts that come out of this will shape the DIA's core capabilities for the rest of this decade.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Which brings us to our final thought. Something for you to mull over.

Proving Corporate Knowledge And Teaming

SPEAKER_01 10:28

This RFI, as we've said, demands personnel with top secret SIC clearance for advisory work in quote, Internet of Things, social media, and open source support. Now we've established that SIT is all about highly technical satellite and signals intelligence. So given that connection, what specific technical intelligence capabilities, beyond just basic monitoring or sentiment analysis, do you think the DIA is actually expecting to develop under DOR3 to weaponize these public facing data sources? That's something to think about until our next deep dive.