Guide: Rapid Acquisition of CANA ENTOURAGE via Tradewinds 

CANA ENTOURAGE: Now Awardable

CANA ENTOURAGE has been deemed Awardable and is officially available on the TSM! This “Awardable” designation means our solution has met rigorous evaluation standards and is ready for rapid acquisition by DoW customers. This also signifies that ENTOURAGE has met the statutory competition requirements. Government buyers can move directly to award without additional competition or a Justification & Approval (J&A).

About Our Solution: ENTOURAGE is an agnostic desktop application that automatically generates optimized unmanned defensive barriers of unmanned systems to protect moving and/or fixed high-value units.  ENTOURAGE: 

• Evaluate thousands to millions of defensive configurations rapidly.

• Optimizes placement, scheduling, and tasking under realistic communications, energy/endurance, and timing constraints.

• Produces executable Courses of Action (COAs) and trade studies across force mixes and threat saturation levels.

• Improves Probability of Raid Annihilation (PRA) while preserving scarce missile inventories and lowering risk.

View our Awardable 5-minute pitch video here. (Note: A government login is required to view the video.)

Phase 1: Access and Research

1. Register: Create a government account at tradewindai.com.

2. Verify: Search for CANA ENTOURAGE to view the assessed video and technical merits.

3. Request Package: Email success@tradewindai.com with the subject "Assessment Materials for Award" to receive the contractor's proposal and the official TSM evaluation documents.

Phase 2: Engagement and Scoping

• Direct Discussion: Communicate directly with CANA to discuss specific requirements, deliverables, and Authority to Operate (ATO) status.

• Finalize Documentation: Collaborate to finalize the Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance Work Statement (PWS).

• Price: Request final pricing. While the solution is complete, the Contracting Officer must still determine the price to be fair and reasonable.

Phase 3: Select Your Contracting Mechanism

While the TSM supports various authorities, CANA recommends the CSO/Purchase Order pathway as the most efficient method to acquire ENTOURAGE’s commercially available capabilities.

RECOMMENDED: Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

• Mechanism: Purchase Order (SF 1449)

• Why it fits ENTOURAGE: This pathway is specifically designed for innovative commercial items. Since ENTOURAGE is a dual-use, operational-ready solution with a firm-fixed-price (FFP) structure, a Purchase Order under SAP (Simplified Acquisition Procedures) offers the fastest "click-to-buy" experience.

• Threshold: Ideal for requirements up to $7.5M.

• Key Benefit: Lowest administrative burden; no J&A required as competition was completed via the TSM.

RECOMMENDED: Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype

• Authority: 10 USC 4022

• Why it fits ENTOURAGE: Recommended if your mission requires a "Pilot" or "Prototype" phase to integrate ENTOURAGE into a specific DoD architecture or to "stress-test" the algorithms against unique data.

• Key Benefit: Allows for flexible, non-FAR-based negotiations and provides a direct path to non-competitive Production OTs or follow-on contracts once the prototype is successful.

Other Available Rapid Pathways

If the recommended options above do not meet your specific organizational needs, the following mechanisms are also pre-competed and available for ENTOURAGE:

• SBIR Phase III (15 USC 638): If the buyer has a requirement that aligns with ENTOURAGE's Small Business Innovation Research lineage, a Phase III contract can be awarded for work that derives from, extends, or completes efforts made under prior SBIR/STTR funding.

• Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA): Best for organizations that anticipate recurring orders of ENTOURAGE licenses or support services over multiple years.

• Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA): A written instrument of understanding used when specific quantities and delivery dates are not yet known, but the general terms are established.

• Single-Award IDIQ: Best for large-scale, long-term agency-wide deployments where multiple delivery orders will be issued over a multi-year period.

Pro Tip for Buyers: When drafting your Award Memo, reference the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace Announcement (v9.1) and the CANA ENTOURAGE Assessment Package to satisfy all FAR/DFARS competition requirements.

Phase 4: Execute Award

• Document the File: Include the TSM assessment materials and a Memorandum for Record (MFR) noting the post-competition status.

• Issue Award: Use standard forms (e.g., SF 1449 for Purchase Orders/BPAs or SF 26 for IDIQs/BOAs).