How toJoin.
Joining connects your organization directly with critical national security missions. Our three-step onboarding process minimizes administrative friction, giving you rapid access to collaborate with Government personnel on our secure portal.
Three steps to membership
A process designed to minimize administrative friction and get your capabilities in front of DoW stakeholders quickly.
Step 1
Submit Application
Complete our secure online membership application, providing your corporate capabilities, CAGE code (if applicable), and primary points of contact.
Step 2
Vetting & Verification
Our compliance team conducts a rapid security and eligibility review to verify your organization's alignment with Consortium standards and federal regulations.
Step 3
Engage & Compete
Upon approval, gain immediate access to our secure portal to view active solicitations, submit prototype proposals, and collaborate with DoW stakeholders.
Who can join
We maintain broad acceptance criteria to capture innovation, emphasizing companies that operate outside the traditional defense industrial base.
Non-Traditional Defense Contractors
A "non-traditional" partner is defined as any private-sector entity or small business that has not been subject to full Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) coverage on a DoW contract within the last fiscal year. This category explicitly includes venture-backed startups and established tech companies.
Academic & Research Institutions
Universities, non-profit research foundations, and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are designated as eligible members, fostering early-stage research and development and providing a pipeline of talent and breakthrough concepts.
Traditional Defense Contractors
Established defense primes are eligible for membership. For any given project, a traditional contractor must either team with a non-traditional entity or provide at least one-third of the project's cost share, ensuring they do not dominate the ecosystem.
Declare your sectors
Your application captures your corporate capabilities. These are the six sectors the Consortium invests in — a prototype proposal should map cleanly to at least one of them.
Unmanned & Autonomous Systems
AI-Powered ISR & Targeting
Resilient Communications & Datalinks
Counter-UAS Technologies
Advanced Onboard Payloads
Expeditionary & Additive Manufacturing
Get a Head Start: Sample Templates
You don't have to wait for an active solicitation to start preparing. We provide example templates and draft proposal guides so your team can understand formatting, compliance, and technical response structures in advance. Align your capabilities early to submit winning bids the moment a Request for Proposal goes live.