The Department of Defense (DoD) has paused efforts by its Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO) to re-compete a $15 billion artificial intelligence multiple award contract, casting uncertainty over the future of the DoD’s Advana flagship enterprise data and analytics platform.
“This draft solicitation has been canceled as the Advancing Artificial Intelligence Multiple Award Contract (AAMAC) program is currently on hold,” reads a special notice published on July 23.
Advana – short for “Advancing” and “Analytic” – serves as the DoD’s enterprise data and analytics environment. Launched in 2021, the platform integrates information from across the department to support data-driven decision-making.
Booz Allen Hamilton was awarded a five-year, $674 million contract that same year to build and expand the system.
DoD had already signaled a shift away from the single-vendor model, aiming to open the contract to a broader pool of participants, including small businesses and non-traditional contractors.
In fall 2024, senior defense officials introduced plans to potentially allocate up to $15 billion over 10 years to new contractors as part of a follow-on strategy. A draft request for proposals intended to inform the development of the AAMAC solicitation was released in November of last year.
AAMAC was designed to scale the department’s core data infrastructure, modernize its digital tools, and foster a more inclusive vendor ecosystem. It was expected to support expanded use of Advana by a wider swath of users, improve mission delivery, and promote innovation across the enterprise.
The decision to suspend the program leaves the timeline – and future configuration – of Advana’s continued development in question. But according to a defense official Advana will continues to mature technically and programatically.
“[Advana] serves as foundational enterprise capability,” the official told Meritalk, adding that the department plans to “initiate activities in the coming months to leverage best of industry support to meet department requirements.”