NATO - RFI - CIS core services

Description

1. Introduction

At the 2022 Madrid Summit, nations committed to transform and strengthen the Alliance. This included increasing investment in NATO Common Funding.
NATO has previously affirmed its ambition to be a ‘Data-Centric’ Alliance. Underpinning this ambition is NATO’s digital transformation journey and associated Digital Backbone initiative.
Digital capability is one of the foundation aspects of #NATO2030 and the strategic intent to maintain the Alliance’s technological edge.
Across NATO’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) estate, Enterprise Core Services forms a critical capability pillar foundational to these endeavours. In order to meet NATO’s strategic objectives including the increase of Common Funding investment, Allied Command Transformation (ACT) requires additional Subject Matter Expertise (SME) to enhance its Capability Development (CAP DEV) capacity.

2. Development Provider

To assist this work, ACT is seeking a development provider to provide ‘digital SMEs’ across 8 level of effort functional areas; programming, coherence, security, change management, data, costing and operational effectiveness analysis.
To leverage a synergistic effect whereby the functional areas are inherently cohesive, ACT is seeking a single supplier to deliver the required functions (by labour categories). Furthermore, ACT is seeking to select an entity that has experience in Digital Transformation. By doing so, ACT seeks to leverage secondary or supplementary benefits through both the inherent cohesiveness of the team assigned to fulfil the functional areas below, but also the ability of the appointees to drawn on the expertise and ‘tacit know-how’ of their parent organisation.

3. Relationships

ACT seeks to establish an effective and flexible working relationship that is ‘less binary’ than a traditional client/supplier relationship. Thus, the development provider role will be informal in that the relationship will not be contractually defined and binding (as would a joint venture or through other formal commercial agreements used in industry). The ‘development provider’ title reflects the open communication, flexibility and mutual trust that will be required to take forward NATO’s Enterprise Core Services programming given the technical complexity of the capability and, significantly, organisational challenges inherent to NATO (complex structures, processes, policies, legacy ICT and facilities estate, etc).

4. Synergy and Cohesion

While a single supplier delivering all functional areas (labour categories) on-site is optimal, where only one or more posts can be fulfilled, ACT will consider a split award by individual functional area. The functional posts are set out below (including their reference codes that should be used in responses):

a. Q58 Next Generation Programme Analyst
b. Q59 Capability Coherence Analyst
c. Q60 Security Architecture Analyst
d. Q61 Capability Change Management Analyst
e. Q62 Data Architect
f. Q63 Cost Model Analyst
g. Q64 Operational Effectiveness Support Analyst
h. P23 Legacy Programme Support Analyst

5. Organisation

a. Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is NATO’s leading agent for change; driving, facilitating, and advocating the continuous improvement of Alliance capabilities to maintain and enhance the military relevance and effectiveness of the Alliance. The main objectives of ACT are; providing appropriate support to NATO missions and operations; leading NATO military transformation; improving relationships, interaction and practical cooperation with partners, nations and international organisations. ACT, therefore, leads Alliance Warfare Development through undertaking concept development, capability development, training and lessons learned initiatives and provides unfettered military support to policy development within NATO.
b. DCOS1 Capability Development (CAPDEV) acts as the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation's (SACT’s) executive for guidance, direction and co-ordination of the activities and resources of the CAPDEV Directorate. CAPDEV is responsible to:
- identify and prioritize Alliance capability shortfalls from short to long term, along a continuum of holistic capability development
- lead the determination of required capabilities and prioritization of shortfalls to inform the delivery of materiel and non-materiel solutions across the doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities and interoperability (DOTMLPFI) lines of effort to enable a holistic approach to capability development, ensuring improved interoperability, deployability and sustainability of Alliance Forces
- NATO recently adopted a new Common Funded Capability Delivery Model (CFCDGM – also known as ‘the Model’) intended to enhance the speed of capability delivery of common funded capabilities. The Model includes six stages focused on through lifecycle capability delivery and includes persistent collaboration between ACT and Allied Command Operations (ACO), NATO’s two strategic commands. The Model’s focus is satisfying operational requirements with capability solutions across the spectrum of DOTMLPFI. The Model considers a range of potential courses of action to address a requirement. Cost, Operational Effectiveness and schedule analysis to determine project and programme level tolerances is a key component of the Model. Security considerations are a critical aspect that must be integrated in all stages of the Model (as an identified key factor in successful ICT programmes).
c. ACOS Capability – CIS Branch (CAP CIS). Consultation, Command and Control (C3) capabilities are the ‘central nervous system’ of NATO's political and military capacity. To deliver C3 CIS capability to meet these enduring and existential requirements, the CAP CIS outcomes are focused on:
- the support and development of NATO’s capability across the spectrum of; baseline Enterprise activities; sustaining current operational capability; through to the delivery of Maximum Level of Effort in time of crisis.
- reducing the Cyber-attack surface through the rationalisation of C3 networks.
- improving the services to the Alliance and enabling federation services with Nations.
- enabling the future power of services and infrastructure to deliver a data-centric competitive advantage for the Alliance and its warfighters through a digital transformation and the NATO Digital Backbone as an enabler.

6. Background and scope of work

a. The ACT, CAP CIS, Enterprise Core Services (CS) Programme delivers Common Funded and federated CS that supports NATO’s Digital Transformation and the Digital Backbone concept through the ability to exploit data, information and information technology. This achieves greater cost efficiency, capability effectiveness, information-accessibility, re-use, flexible delivery, pan-domain coherence and uniformity
b. The Programme includes interaction with stakeholders in the preparation and submission of user/capability-centric requirements to support the Next Generation of CS capability, through confirmation and clarification of in-place stipulated and submitted user requirements across the NATO Enterprise and the defining of CS required to support the definition of future spirals of Federated Mission Networking (FMN)
c. The CS Programme provides the ‘horizontal layers’ of a common IT platform (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)2, Platform as a Service (PaaS) and ‘common to all’ Software as a Service (SaaS)) plus end user devices for C3, business operations and collaboration across the NATO Enterprise (of approximately 25k users and 50+ core sites). The programme includes aspects of the ‘vertical pillars’ of Service Management Control (SMC) and Cyber or CIS Security. The programme interacts widely with functional services that provide specialist SaaS to Communities of Interest (COIs)

d. Of specific strategic relevance for 2023 and beyond is the Next Generation CS Programme. This includes the successor to the current IT-Modernisation (ITM) Project. The current ITM project is being ‘reset’ as part of a Bridging Solution. To address new and emerging requirements, further CS Programme level phases are under development to ‘Evolve’ Digital Services to 2030 and beyond. The CS Capability Development Plan (CDP) seeks to secure approval for capability that will contribute to NATO’s Digital Backbone and enable NATO’s Digital Transformation journey and ambition to be a ‘Data-Centric’ Alliance into the next decade.

7. Type of contract and period of performance

a. Type of contract. Firm fixed price services contract in accordance with the General and Special Terms and Conditions: as such it is a level of effort contract with a maximum limit or fraction thereof as set forth in the statement of work (SOW). All employer responsibilities for the contractor personnel performing under this contract shall lie with the contractor.
b. Period of performance. A base period of 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022. Three 12-month option periods (1 January – 31 December 2023, 1 January – 31 December 2024 and 1 January – 31 December 2025) shall be exercised at the sole discretion of the HQ SACT Contracting Officer, based on satisfactory work performance, available funding, and on-going/evolving requirements.

8. Level of effort

Eight Full Time Equivalent (FTE) personnel per annum or fraction thereof with 1800 hours of service to be rendered by each labour category of the contract personnel.

9. Surge Capability

A surge capability requirement is included to have a contract vehicle in place should emerging circumstances require a quick and temporary increase in contractor personnel or additional effort from existing personnel (to meet new requirements within the scope of the existing Statement of Work). The contractor company shall be prepared to provide support services per labour category described above. The contractor shall be prepared to evaluate requirements and submit a price proposal for any new requirement for consideration by HQ SACT but not limited to the related areas above. Surge proposals will be evaluated by the Contracting Officer for fair and reasonable pricing and should be developed based upon the same pricing structure as the original contract proposal. Surge efforts will be incorporated by formal contract modification. Requests for pricing do not constitute any commitment by HQ SACT to contract for additional work; contractor will not be reimbursed costs for preparing price proposals for consideration. HQ SACT surge efforts will not exceed 50% of the annual contract value or 50% of the cumulative contract value. However, other NATO Command Structure (NCS) entities surging against this contract shall not exceed 50% of the total value of this contract. The rate for surge effort shall not exceed the base/option year rate.

10. Place of performance

HQ SACT shall serve as the habitual residence for performance under this contract. The contractor is expected to perform the majority of the required work in Norfolk, VA, and alternate locations as per requirements specified by the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR).

11. Partial bidding

In order to generate a synergistic effect (whereby the functional areas are inherently cohesive), HQ SACT prefers a single, industry provider to supply all labour categories; however, consideration will be given to partial bidding.

12. Labour Categories

The following labour categories apply to this contract. HQ SACT reserves the right to incorporate additional labour categories, within scope, should surge requirements dictate:
a. Q58 Next Generation Programme Analyst
b. Q59 Capability Coherence Analyst
c. Q60 Security Architecture Analyst
d. Q61 Capability Change Management Analyst
e. Q62 Data Architect
f. Q63 Cost Model Analyst
g. Q64 Operational Effectiveness Support Analyst
h. P23 Legacy Programme Support Analyst

13. Operating Environment

Before setting out the principal duties, it is important to recognise the nature of the environment in which the nominees/appointees will operate as a team. The following subparagraphs set out the nature of this environment. The appointees/team require the ability to analyse varying and complex problems and, as appropriate and in the spirit of the informal partnership ACT seeks to foster, provide advice and labour to the Programme Director and higher levels of leadership to address and overcome programmatic challenges. While this SOW does not seek consultancy services (bids are for labour categories), it will be advantageous if the development provider appointees/team are able to ‘reach-back’ and draw on the wider expertise, advice and guidance of their parent organisation to shape their critical thinking and problem solving. Appointees must be able to quickly determine and execute a course of action using critical thinking and judgment given the following characteristics of the environment in which they will operate:
a. Diversity and range of duties. Appointees/team must be able operate successfully in driving business change through an architectural approach that will have strategic impact. Enterprise architecture drives capability level architecture critical to NATO Capability Development. The appointees/team will be required to work across various stakeholders to meet the objectives of CS capability and, where required, other capability areas within CAP CIS that will form the Digital Backbone. This will also likely require close cooperation with other ACT Branches contributing to the Digital Transformation effort (such as cyber, interoperability and functional area/COI Branches).

b. Type of problem/degree of challenge. The appointees/team must be comfortable working with uncertainty and ambiguity. They will need to use analytical skills and creative problem solving as a team to satisfy a wide range of business, information and application aspects of NATO CIS capability. They will frequently interact at the senior management level (Colonel/OF-5) and the executive management/‘C-suite’ level (Flag/General Officers/up to OF-8). Digital solutions will require ‘out of the box’ ideas / concepts and imaginative approaches. The appointees/team must also remain objective to advocate and provide advice that is in the best interest of ACT and NATO.
c. Degree of guidance. The appointees/team will receive only broad guidance from the OF-5 Branch Head/Capability Monitor and OF-4 Programme Director levels. The ethos of ‘mission command’ will apply. Thus, direct supervision will be minimised to that which is sufficient to accomplish given objectives. The appointees/team will exercise judgement in order to meet the spirit of the guidance and at the same time satisfy command requirements in a timely manner. The appointees/team will exercise initiative, negotiation and persuasion in order to gain ACT, Allied Command Operations (ACO (Mons)), NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), and NATO HQ (NHQ) cooperation to support the Capability Goals.

Period of performance

Base Period is on or about 1 October 2022 to 31 December 2022, with an option of additional resources for a portion of that period. Three 12-month option periods (1 January – 31 December 2023, 1 January – 31 December 2024 and 1 January – 31 December 2025) shall be exercised at the sole discretion of the HQ SACT Contracting Officer, based on satisfactory work performance, available funding, and on-going/evolving requirements.

HQ SACT reserves the right to amend or delete any one or more of the terms, conditions or provisions of the IFIB prior to the date set for bid closing. A solicitation amendment or amendments shall announce such action.

HQ SACT reserves the right to cancel, at any time, this IFIB either partially or in its entirety. No legal liability on the part of HQ SACT shall be considered for recovery of costs in connection to bid preparation. All efforts undertaken by any bidder shall be done considering and accepting, that no costs shall be recovered from HQ SACT. If this IFIB is cancelled any/all received bids shall be returned unopened, per the bidder’s request.

Prospective bidders should seek clarification at their earliest convenience. Any explanation regarding the meaning or interpretation of this IFIB, terms, clause, provision or specifications, shall be requested in writing, from the contracting officer. The contracting officer must receive such requests for clarification no later than 10 days prior to closing.

Bids shall remain valid for a period of 120 days from the applicable closing date set forth within this IFIB. HQ SACT reserves the right to request an extension of validity. Bidder shall be entitled to either grant or deny this extension of validity; HQ SACT shall automatically consider a denial to extend the validity as a withdrawal of the bid.

Proposals shall be submitted in 2 separately emailed packages, one containing a single PDF document of the technical volume and one containing a single PDF document of the price volume. Multiple files that must be pieced together to form the technical proposal will be rejected.

Opportunity closing date

19 September 2022

Value of contract

to be confirmed

The buyer is happy to talk to

manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, agents, consultants