DoW Proposal Submission Changed October 1: What Contractors Need to Know About PIEE

As of October 1, 2026, Department of War (DoW) contracting officers must publish unclassified solicitations and receive offers through the Solicitation Module in the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE), unless an exception applies. If you bid on a solicitation that goes through PIEE, your team needs an active PIEE account with the right role to submit.

But the change is narrower than it sounds. Task and delivery orders under IDIQs, BPAs, and BOAs can't go through PIEE yet, and neither can broad agency announcements.

What changed in DoW proposal submission on October 1?

The change comes from DFARS PGI 205.102-70, the procedures and guidance companion to the DFARS. It isn't a new DFARS clause. It directs contracting officers to use one system, the PIEE Solicitation Module, for unclassified DoW solicitations.

For contractors, three things follow:

• One place to submit. For covered solicitations, the contracting officer receives offers through PIEE, so plan to submit there unless the solicitation says otherwise.
• Electronic time stamps. The module records when your offer arrives, and that record goes in the contract file. Upload early, because a large package can take time.
• SAM.gov still matters. The module posts the required notice to SAM.gov automatically, so you'll still find opportunities there. You just submit in PIEE.

Does every DoW bid have to go through PIEE?

No. Here is how the rule sorts DoW actions:

The rule binds contracting officers. Your submission instructions come from each solicitation.

What can't go through PIEE yet?

The rule lists two kinds of actions that may not go through the Solicitation Module until DoW builds the capability:

• Task and delivery orders under indefinite-delivery contracts (IDIQs), blanket purchase agreements (BPAs), and basic ordering agreements (BOAs)
• Broad agency announcements (BAAs)

Task orders are the part to watch. The rule text lists them as excluded: those orders stay out of the module for now.

If most of your pipeline is task orders on vehicles you already hold, keep following each order request's instructions as you do today. For help spotting those orders in the first place, see our guide to finding IDIQ contracts and task order opportunities. Watch for DoW to announce when the module adds this capability.

When is PIEE optional?

For four kinds of actions, the contracting officer may use PIEE but doesn't have to:

• Requests limited to a single source
• Actions under simplified acquisition procedures (FAR subpart 13.3)
• Actions using emergency acquisition flexibilities (FAR subpart 18.2)
• Actions to be awarded outside the United States

Optional means you can't assume either way. Some of these will come through PIEE and some won't. The solicitation's submission instructions are what count.

What should contractors do now to get ready for PIEE?

Set up access before you need it. Registration and role approval aren't instant, and a deadline is a bad time to find a gap.

• Set up your company in PIEE at piee.eb.mil. Your SAM.gov registration needs to be active first. New vendors start with the vendor activation steps under Getting Started on PIEE's Help/Training page.
• Have each user self-register for your company's CAGE code and request the Proposal Manager role for the Solicitation Module. Only that role can submit an offer. The other vendor role, Proposal View Only, can't. Each account must be activated before it works.
• Match your email to SAM.gov. Solicitations commonly state that the email on your PIEE account must match the email in your SAM.gov registration.
• Have more than one Proposal Manager. One person out sick on deadline day shouldn't block a submission.
• Do a practice run with PIEE's web-based training before your first live upload.
• Read every solicitation's submission instructions. Between the optional cases and the task order gap, PIEE won't apply everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a PIEE account to bid on DoW contracts?

For unclassified DoW solicitations published on or after October 1, 2026, generally yes, unless an exception applies. You need an active PIEE account with the Proposal Manager role to submit.

Does the PIEE requirement apply to task orders?

Not yet. Task and delivery orders under IDIQs, BPAs, and BOAs can't go through the Solicitation Module until DoW adds that capability. Broad agency announcements are also excluded.

Are there other exceptions?

PIEE is optional for single-source requests, simplified acquisitions, emergency acquisitions, and awards outside the United States. The contracting officer decides, so check each solicitation.

Will DoW opportunities still appear on SAM.gov?

Yes. The Solicitation Module posts required notices to SAM.gov automatically. Only submission moves to PIEE.

Which PIEE role do I need to submit a proposal?

Proposal Manager. The Proposal View Only role can view solicitations but can't submit an offer.

Is this a new DFARS clause?

No. It's in the DFARS Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) at 205.102-70, which tells contracting officers how to run the process.

The bottom line

Get PIEE access set up now, with more than one Proposal Manager, so a solicitation never catches you without it. But don't overhaul your process around a change that, for now, skips the task orders much of your pipeline may depend on.

Federal buying rules are shifting on several fronts at once. For another change that affects who can bid, read our breakdown of the SBA small business size standards changes.

Find the DoW bids worth submitting

Getting into PIEE is the easy part. The harder part is knowing which DoW solicitations deserve your submission. HigherGov, Procurement Sciences' market intelligence platform, helps you find, track, and research DoW opportunities in one place, so your team's time goes to the bids that fit.

Request a demo to learn more about Procurement Sciences.

Sources

• DFARS PGI 205.102-70, Availability of DoD solicitations (acquisition.gov): the October 1, 2026 requirement and both sets of exceptions
• Army Contracting Command-New Jersey pre-solicitation notice: an example of solicitation language on the Proposal Manager role and SAM.gov email matching
• USACE Omaha District pre-solicitation notice: an example of solicitation language on vendor activation, self-registering for CAGE codes, and account activation