Contract · Federal
Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) 2026 Announcement
DEPT OF DEFENSE / DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA) ARLINGTON, VA
- Status Closes in 62 days
- Amount Amount not listed
- Set-aside None (open competition)
Scope
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) seeks innovative approaches to address challenges related to quantum computing.
The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) aims to examine approaches for constructing a utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer and computational workflows that include quantum compute steps.
Proposed research should investigate approaches that enable revolutionary advances in design, engineering, test, and evaluation of such systems.
Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.
To rapidly capitalize on new opportunities, DARPA announces the QBI 2026 opportunity, which seeks specific solutions to targeted challenges related to developing utility-scale quantum computers, as defined in specific QBI topic (QBIT) calls.
Each QBIT will (1) outline specific details regarding the research topic of interest and (2) provide proposal and submission instructions, including the due date for proposal submission, in addition to those outlined in this PA.
Proposals must only be submitted in response to a QBIT.
Proposals submitted directly to this PA will not be considered.
Typical award value
No award history yet for this category (NAICS 541715).
Timeline
-
Posted
Jul 29, 2026
-
Listing updated
Oct 20, 2026
-
Status
Open now
How to bid on this
This is a contract solicitation, not a grant. To bid, you submit a proposal (usually a price and a description of how you would do the work) directly to the government, through the channel the official listing specifies, not through Oppward.
- Make sure your business has an active SAM.gov registration. You cannot be paid on a federal contract without one.
- Read the full solicitation on the official listing above, especially the scope of work, not just this summary. Our guide to reading a solicitation walks through what to look for.
- This listing has no set-aside restriction ("full and open competition"), meaning any business, large or small, can bid.
- Submit your proposal by the deadline, using the exact submission method the official listing states. A technically on-time bid sent the wrong way is often treated as late.
Get contracts like this one matched to your business, free.