Netherlands onlyDeadline Date: Wednesday 26 March 2025
Requirement: Delivery of IER to MTF Transformations
Location: Off-Site
Note: Please refer to your Subcontract Agreement, article 6.4.1.a, which states “Off-Site Discount: 5% (this discount is applicable to all requirements, and applies when the assigned personnel are permitted to work Off-Site, such as at- home)". Please be sure to price this discount in your overall price proposal when submitting bids against off-site RFQs
Period of Performance: 2025 BASE: from 07 April 2025 to 31 December 2025, with the possibility to exercise following options:
• 2026 OPTION: from 01 January 2026 to 31 December 2026
• 2027 OPTION: from 01 January 2027 to 31 December 2027
• 2028 OPTION: from 01 January 2028 to 31 December 2028
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
1 OVERALL PROJECT SCOPE
The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is providing technical support to the Digital Standardization and Interoperability (DSI) Branch of the NATO Digital Staff (NDS) to develop and maintain data & information exchange solutions underpinning the consultation and command & control functions of the Alliance.
The NATO Infrastructure Services Centre (NISC) is looking for support to deliver subject matter expert (SME) services to the DSI Branch on behalf of the NCI Agency in relation to the NDS/DSI Programme of Work (POW) for 2025. The Contractor shall deliver services in the area of Information Exchange Requirements (IER) (as defined by APP-15) and in Message Text Format (MTF) message formatting to convert proposed IERs to deliver MTF products.
2 OBJECTIVES
MTFs are character-oriented messages used in NATO operations and exercises to exchange structured textual information between allied forces. Many NATO messages are also used to exchange information nationally. The messages are built on the underlying technical standard ADatP-03 which specifies the rules that govern the construction of the messages.
These services are required to respond to requests from NATO committees, often at urgent, short-notice battle rhythm, for definition and formatting of new or modified ADatP-03 messages.
3 HIGH LEVEL DESCRIPTION OF DELIVERABLES
The Contractor is required to deliver following services:
3.1. Activities
• Select, design, develop and maintain NATO MTF and other information exchange solutions in accordance with relevant NATO’s architectures and technical publications. Participate in testing and validation events as needed;
• Engage with operational communities of interest (COI) and IER Panels to assist in defining their IERs, as directed by the NDS, through the application of structured information analysis techniques;
• Produce Change Proposals, produce meeting reports, and deliver formatted MTFs from the COI IERs, and other tasks, as directed by the NDS.
• Contribute to techniques and procedures improving the efficiency of the development of data & information exchange solutions in NATO;
• Keep abreast of the latest technological developments in the field of automated data & information exchange solutions;
• Provide NDS and NCIA staff expert advice and briefings on related technologies and concepts to senior management and committees;
• Contribute to the work of the NATO Digital Policy Committee (DPC) and its substructure regarding data & information exchange standardization. In particular, it is foreseen that, over a 12 month period, travel will be necessary up to 1 x MTF Capability Team meetings (less one in 2025), 1 x IER Harmonization Working Group (IERHWG) meeting and up to 12 x IER Panel (for MCJSB, MCMSB, MCLSB, MCASB) meetings. These will generally be in Europe with up to 2 being in North America.
• Develop, staff and maintain policies, directives, guidance, standards, plans, and other documents necessary to the enhancement of NATO’s data & information exchange solutions capabilities;
• Engage with multiple technical and operational communities, in and outside of NATO as necessary; and
• Represent the NDS in operational and technical fora regarding data & information exchange, and/or represent the NDS MTF formatter team in MTF CaT meeting(s).
The contractor will be part of a virtual team and will work using an Agile and iterative approach across multiple sprints. Each sprint is planned for a duration of 1 week.
The content and scope of each sprint will be agreed during the sprint-planning meeting with NDS DSI and NCIA.
4 DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES
All of the defined deliverables are briefings, reports, designs (proof of concept demonstrators), IERs or message specifications using the relevant NATO format. The deliverables will be required by various dates between 07 April 2025 and 31 December 2025.
All deliverables are to be peer reviewed within the deliverable cycle, by NDS and relevant committees/working groups/CaTs, with trip and status reports submitted for acceptance by the NCIA Project Manager using provided NCIA report template. Continual input and guidance will be provided by NDS DSI, as agile business ambassador, in written from or/and throughout the sprints.
The following specific deliverables are expected from this statement of work in 2025:
Deliverable: 35 sprints of message formatting and IER standardization support
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each eighth sprint and at the end of the work
Outcome: Report on CP backlog and acceptance status; IER panel/working group/CaT trip report
The sprints are composed of 5 working days, not necessarily consecutive. The Sprints will be exercised in 2025 and the time plan will be decided during the planning meetings.
The Purchaser (NCIA) reserves the right to exercise a number of options of one or more sprints based on the same scrum deliverables, at a later time, depending on the project priorities and requirements, at the following cost: for base year (2025) and for outer years (2026-2028) at the same cost .
In case of completion less than 100% due to non-performance, there will be no payment for the period. Non-performance reasons will be documented in writing (via email).
Payment will be made after the Purchaser has signed the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) (Annex A) for the respective deliverables.
2026, 2027 and 2028 OPTION: from 01 January through 31 December
Deliverable: 48 sprints of message formatting and IER standardization support
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each eighth sprint and at the end of the work
Outcome: Report on CP backlog and acceptance status; IER panel/working group/CaT trip report
5 COORDINATION AND REPORTING
• The contractor shall participate in a kick-off meeting within five working days after the signing of this contract. This will be a virtual meeting executed via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities. The contractor will provide email minutes containing, at least decisions and actions decided during the meeting.
• The contractor shall participate in regular sprint meetings, either in-person (where possible) or via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities. The contractor will initiate these meetings and provide email minutes containing at least decisions and actions decided during the meeting.
6 SECURITY CLEARANCE
The expected classification level of the deliverables is NATO UNCLASSIFIED. However, in some particular circumstances it might be decided that a part of the deliverables will be classified as NATO RESTRICTED.
The execution of duties may require the consultants to access information, as well as CIS systems, classified up to NATO SECRET.
Any resource providing services under this SOW must be in possession of a valid security clearance NATO SECRET or above.
7 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
The contractor’s services are required for the period starting 7 April 2025 through 31 December 2025.
In case the options are exercised, the period of performance is:
• 2026 OPTION: from 01 January 2026 to 31 December 2026
• 2027 OPTION: from 01 January 2027 to 31 December 2027
• 2028 OPTION: from 01 January 2028 to 31 December 2028
8 PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
This is a Completion-type contract which requires ONE contractor with complementary skills to complete the work.
Services will primarily be delivered off-site. Office space and computer equipment will be provided at NATO HQ in Brussels for access during scheduled visits for the duration of this contract; the contractor is responsible for office space and computer equipment at their own facilities.
9 TRAVEL
This Task Order will require scheduled travel. The travel, lodging and associated expenses for meetings stated under 3.1 Activities are included in the price of the bid (NTE), such that the purchaser shall not be invoiced separately.
Extraordinary travel (Purchaser Directed Travel) may be required to other NATO or non-NATO locations as necessary. In the event of this unforeseen meeting being called, and subsequently approved by the NDS, the cost of all travel and subsistence will only be authorized if the budget of this contract can support it. It will require advanced coordination with the customer and would have to be identified 4 weeks in advance of such travel.
Extraordinary Travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.
10 CONSTRAINTS
NATO will retain the intellectual property rights for all products developed in relation to this project.
All scripts, documentation and required code will be stored as directed by NDS.
All deliverables will be stored as directed by NDS, with copies of status and trip reports also submitted to NCIA.
11 SPECIFIC EXPERTISE REQUIRED
[See Requirements]
Requirements
6 SECURITY CLEARANCE
- Any resource providing services under this SOW must be in possession of a valid security clearance NATO SECRET or above.
11 SPECIFIC EXPERTISE REQUIRED
Services under the current SOW are to be delivered by ONE contractor that must meet the following essential experience, qualities and qualifications:
- Senior expertise in data modeling with experience specifically in both IER creation and MTF Message definition along with maintenance processes and MTF Message creation techniques.
- Expert knowledge of military messaging, including developing message headers and bodies.
- Expert knowledge of ADatP-03 specifications and relevant NATO STANAGs.
- Demonstrated experience in creating or updating NATO IERs in accordance with (IAW) APP-15.
- Demonstrated experience in creating and maintaining MTF-formatted messages IAW ADatP-03.
- Demonstrated experience of working in NATO technical and operational committees and working groups, including direct experience with the MTF CaT, MCJSB IERHWG, and domain/functional area IER panels of the Maritime, Land, Air, Joint, Electronic Warfare, Tactical Data Link, Logistics and Intelligence communities of interest.
