Matter + Energy's solutions are available to DoD and federal agencies through the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process — a merit-based, streamlined acquisition authority designed to bring innovative commercial technology to government at the speed government actually needs it.
What is a CSO?
Agency posts an Area of Interest
The agency defines a broadly stated problem or operational need — not a detailed statement of work. This is intentional. CSOs are designed to invite commercial solutions, not prescribe them.
Industry submits a Solution Brief
Vendors respond with a short-form solution brief, whitepaper, or pitch — not a traditional lengthy proposal. Evaluated on merit, not against other submissions.
Merit-based evaluation & selection
Government subject matter experts evaluate each submission independently. There is no competitive range requirement — multiple vendors may be selected.
Award — OTA or FAR contract
Awards may be Other Transaction Agreements (OTA) or fixed-price FAR contracts. Successful prototypes carry sole-source follow-on production rights.
Why CSO
Traditional federal procurement processes were designed for defense systems with long development cycles and detailed specifications. They were not designed for commercial software and AI platforms that already exist, already work, and can be deployed in weeks.
The Commercial Solutions Opening was purpose-built to close that gap. Under CSO authority, agencies can acquire innovative commercial solutions through a streamlined, merit-based process that bypasses the burdensome statement-of-work requirements of traditional FAR Part 15 procurements. For program managers and contracting officers looking to move quickly on a validated commercial capability, CSO is the right vehicle.
Matter + Energy's solutions — Technology Spend Intelligence and AI Adoption & Productivity — are precisely the kind of commercially proven capabilities the CSO authority was designed to bring into federal service. Both are production-grade platforms deployed in enterprise environments, fully documented, and configurable to federal data architectures and compliance requirements.
No statement of work required
Agencies define an area of interest — a broadly stated problem or need. No performance work statement or detailed SOW is required to solicit proposals, dramatically reducing acquisition planning time.
Merit-based, not comparative
Each submission is evaluated on its own merit, not ranked against competing proposals. This means the best commercial solution gets selected — not just the one that scored highest in a forced ranking exercise.
OTA or FAR fixed-price award
Depending on agency needs, awards may be issued as Other Transaction Agreements — bypassing FAR requirements entirely — or as fixed-price FAR contracts for agencies that prefer traditional contracting instruments.
Sole-source follow-on production rights
After a successful prototype, the procuring agency has sole-source justification to award follow-on production contracts without re-competing. Successful CSO engagement creates a durable acquisition relationship.
Favors small business and non-traditional contractors
CSOs were specifically designed to reduce barriers for non-traditional contractors and small businesses — giving agencies access to commercial innovation that traditional procurement procedures systematically exclude.
Flexible IP and data rights
Under OTA-based CSO awards, IP rights are fully negotiable. Companies retain ownership of assets developed during the effort, making CSO a more attractive entry point for commercial technology vendors.
Solutions Catalog
Each solution is a commercially proven platform deployed in enterprise and government environments. Both are available for CSO procurement by DoD and federal agencies — either as standalone capability acquisitions or as part of a broader digital modernization initiative.
Primary NAICS
541512Also applicable
518210 541519Included Capabilities
CSO Areas of Interest — Alignment
IT Cost Transparency & Budget Defensibility
Directly addresses agency requirements for real-time cost visibility, defensible allocation methodology, and reporting infrastructure that supports congressional and OMB budget cycles.
Cloud Cost Governance & FinOps
Responds to agency needs for cloud spend accountability, waste reduction, and multi-cloud cost management in GovCloud environments — a persistent and growing area of federal interest.
Digital Modernization Enablement
Provides the cost intelligence infrastructure required to plan, execute, and justify large-scale digital modernization investments — a cross-agency priority area eligible for CSO procurement.
Primary NAICS
541511Also applicable
541512 541519Included Capabilities
CSO Areas of Interest — Alignment
AI Adoption & Workforce Productivity
Directly addresses DoD and federal agency requirements for AI tools that demonstrably improve workforce productivity — with the measurement infrastructure to prove it to program managers and oversight bodies.
AI Governance & Risk Management
Responds to OMB and NIST requirements for AI risk tiering, responsible AI deployment frameworks, and audit-ready governance documentation — a mandatory requirement for any federal AI deployment.
Intelligent Automation & Process Optimization
Agentic workflow capabilities directly address federal AOIs around intelligent process automation, decision support, and operational efficiency — applicable across mission, administrative, and support functions.
How to Procure
CSO procurement is designed to be fast and low-friction. The steps below reflect the typical process for agencies pursuing a Matter + Energy solution through the CSO vehicle. We support your acquisition team at every stage.
Identify the need
Your contracting office posts a CSO with a broadly stated area of interest — IT cost visibility, AI productivity, cloud governance, or another operational need our solutions address. No detailed SOW required. We can help your team frame the AOI to attract the best commercial solutions for your specific challenge.
Engage us early
Before your CSO is posted, schedule a briefing with our team. We can walk your program managers and contracting officers through our solution capabilities, configuration options, deployment timelines, and compliance documentation — so your acquisition team is fully informed before the solicitation is written.
Respond to the solicitation
We respond to your CSO with a Solution Brief that addresses your stated area of interest directly — including our solution architecture, deployment approach, compliance posture, past performance indicators, and a proposed prototype scope. Solution Briefs are evaluated by your subject matter experts on merit.
Prototype phase
Following award, we deploy a scoped prototype within your environment — configured to your data architecture, tested against your success criteria, and documented for ATO purposes. Prototype scope is defined to answer the question your agency actually needs answered: does this work here, with our data, in our environment?
Follow-on production
After successful prototype completion, your agency has sole-source justification to award a follow-on production contract without re-competing. We work with your contracting office to structure the follow-on agreement — OTA or FAR fixed-price — that best fits your agency's acquisition preferences and long-term program needs.
Contracting Details
Key identifiers, certifications, and statutory references for your acquisition package. Download the full Capability Statement for a complete contracting documentation package.
Legal Entity
Matter and Energy, LLC
UEI
KFTRUXU6KYA4
CAGE Code
9TFF7
Business Location
Reston, VA 20190
WOSB / EDWOSB
SBA Certified
Woman-Owned Small Business
Small Disadvantaged Business
SBA Certified
SWaM Certified
Commonwealth of Virginia
DBE Certified
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Primary NAICS (TSI)
541512 — Computer Systems Design
Primary NAICS (AI)
541511 — Custom Computer Programming
CSO Statutory Authority
10 U.S.C. § 3458
DFARS Subpart 212.70
Award Types
OTA · FAR Fixed-Price
Fixed-Price Incentive
* NAICS codes shown are primary codes for each solution area. Additional applicable codes: 518210 (Computing Infrastructure), 541519 (Other Computer Services). Contact us to confirm applicable codes for a specific requirement.
Get Started
Whether you're writing a CSO, evaluating vendors for an active Area of Interest, or exploring whether our solutions fit an upcoming requirement — request a briefing. We'll walk your program managers and contracting officers through our capabilities, compliance posture, and deployment approach.
WOSB / EDWOSB · SDB · SWaM · DBE
UEI
KFTRUXU6KYA4 · CAGE: 9TFF7