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Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO)

A US Department of Defense method for acquiring innovative commercial solutions through a streamlined, merit-based process instead of a traditional RFP.

A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) competitive acquisition method that enables the government to acquire innovative commercial products, technologies, and services using a streamlined solicitation process instead of a traditional Request for Proposal (RFP). Authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 3458, a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) uses a general solicitation and a merit-based evaluation to identify solutions that best meet the government’s needs while reducing procurement complexity and timelines. Awards resulting from a CSO must use fixed-price contract types. CSOs are commonly used to accelerate access to commercial innovation while maintaining a fair and competitive acquisition process.

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Stage Gates, now live in VisibleThread's proposal management software, put a checkpoint at every stage boundary on your Tracked Opportunities and Proposals boards. Before a card can move forward, the person moving it has to answer the questions your team defined for that transition. The answers save against the card, permanently.

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