The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to release a final request for proposals in August 2026 for TACTICS — Tactical Communications and Technical Investigative Comprehensive Solutions — the successor vehicle to the five-year-old TACCOM II contract that has obligated approximately $1.8 billion to date. The forthcoming solicitation will reshape the federal market for tactical radios, SATCOM accessories, maritime and airborne communications systems, and the maintenance and integration services that keep them operational across DHS's vast operational footprint.
What TACCOM II Is and Why It Matters
TACCOM II, awarded in 2019 with a $3 billion ceiling and a five-year base performance period, serves as DHS's primary procurement vehicle for commodity communications equipment and services. The contract covers the full spectrum of tactical communications needs: handheld and vehicular radios, accessories, infrastructure, maritime and airborne systems, satellite communications terminals, video and audio devices, and a range of sensor-integrated communications equipment used by DHS components including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, and FEMA.
The five awardees on TACCOM II — Tribalco, Motorola Solutions, Chartis Consulting Corp., CACI International, and ACG Systems — have collectively held the market for DHS communications procurement for half a decade. TACCOM II is scheduled to sunset in May 2027, making the TACTICS recompete one of the most significant DHS acquisition events of 2026 and 2027.
What Changes Under TACTICS
The transition from TACCOM II to TACTICS reflects both the evolution of the communications technology market and lessons learned from five years of TACCOM II task order execution. Key changes expected in the TACTICS solicitation include expanded coverage of multi-band and multi-orbit satellite communications — reflecting the rapid growth of commercial LEO SATCOM providers — and updated maintenance, installation, repair, and spectrum support service categories that align with the FCC spectrum reallocation decisions affecting public safety frequencies.
DHS has also signaled interest in strengthening cybersecurity requirements for communications equipment, a direct response to the growing recognition that tactical radios, firmware vulnerabilities, and supply chain integrity issues represent an operational security risk. Equipment procured through TACTICS will likely need to meet updated NIST and CISA standards that were not part of the TACCOM II baseline.
The vehicle structure is expected to remain a multi-award IDIQ — competition among a panel of awardees for individual task orders, rather than single-award — to preserve price competition and avoid the single-provider dependency risk that DoD and DHS have both identified as a strategic vulnerability.
The Incumbent Advantage and New Entrant Opportunity
In communications equipment IDIQs, incumbency matters enormously. Motorola Solutions and CACI, in particular, have deep DHS relationships and extensive experience supporting the specific radio platforms and protocols used by CBP and Coast Guard. Motorola's APX and ASTRO radio lines are the dominant platform across most DHS components, giving the manufacturer significant leverage in a TACTICS competition that includes equipment as a major category.
At the same time, the TACTICS recompete creates genuine opportunity for firms that were not on TACCOM II. A new vehicle typically comes with revised scope — and scope that may favor newer technology providers. Firms specializing in software-defined radio, tactical mesh networking, satellite-integrated push-to-talk, and AI-augmented spectrum management should examine whether the TACTICS requirements align with their capabilities. DHS's August 2026 RFP target gives new entrants approximately three months from now to prepare — a tight timeline that rewards early preparation.
Other Agencies and the Broader Market
TACCOM II has allowed other federal agencies to place orders under its umbrella through interagency agreements. TACTICS is expected to preserve this feature, making the vehicle accessible to other civilian law enforcement and emergency management agencies beyond DHS. This expands the total addressable revenue significantly — the $1.8 billion obligated under TACCOM II includes cross-agency usage that has grown steadily as other agencies recognized the efficiencies of the vehicle.
DOJ components — the FBI, DEA, ATF, and U.S. Marshals — have historically procured communications equipment through their own channels but have shown increasing interest in DHS-managed vehicles as their own contract recompetes become more complex. A successful TACTICS on-ramp could open doors to DOJ task order competitions for the same firms.
What It Means for Contractors
- The final RFP is targeted for August 3, 2026 — procurement teams should have draft proposals structurally ready before that date, with technical volumes and past performance packages in development now.
- Past performance will be critical; firms without direct DHS communications experience should identify teaming partners who can bring relevant references, particularly from CBP, USCG, or TSA.
- TACCOM II awardees should not assume automatic continuation — DHS has been willing to change its awardee set at recompete, and TACTICS may include evaluation criteria that reward newer technology solutions over incumbents with legacy radio expertise.
- Small businesses: check the small business set-aside structure carefully. TACCOM II had a mix of full-and-open and small business task order pools; TACTICS may alter the split based on CBP's current market research findings.
- Register on SAM.gov for solicitation W912HQ-26-R-TACTICS (or the issued solicitation number when the RFP drops) and set alerts for amendments.