2026-0136 BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services (NS) - MON 12 Oct

PART I - BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS

1.1 Bidding Options

A single company may bid for this Statement of Work by proposing a personnel to deliver the scope of works outlined in Section 3 and who meets the required qualifications outlined in Section 8 (Qualifications). The Contractor shall provide one (1) qualified Engineering Support personnel profile to deliver the services described in this Statement of Work. Such profile must meet all mandatory technical, professional, and soft skill requirements. The profile shall ensure continuous service delivery, technical consistency, and the ability to support the production, testing, and validation of technical documentation and Service Instructions for the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services across NATO Nations, in accordance with interoperability requirements, relevant STANAGs, and the target architecture defined in BRE1TA.

All work shall be performed as service-based deliverables, with measurable outputs and documented technical artefacts produced under NCIA's supervision and in close coordination with the relevant NATO stakeholders.

1.2 Technical Proposal

Bidders shall include in the Technical Proposal:

The CV of the proposed candidate, clearly indicating relevant experience that demonstrates compliance with the required qualifications (Section 8).

A compliance matrix for the proposed profile, demonstrating how the proposed candidate meets all required qualifications (Section 8), supported by evidence from their professional experience.

As part of the technical evaluation, the proposed candidate shall be interviewed prior to contract award to verify the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and technical competencies against the requirements specified in the Statement of Work.

The interview may be conducted either virtually or in person, as agreed between the Purchaser and the Contractor. Where the interview is conducted in person in Belgium, all travel and related expenses incurred by the candidate shall be borne solely by the Contractor.

The interview shall be conducted by an interview Board appointed by the Purchaser which shall consist of at least two (2) qualified evaluators. Members of the Interview Board shall declare any actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest before participating in the evaluation.

During the interview, the proposed candidate shall be required to respond verbally, in English to questions relating to the technical and managerial aspects of the duties and responsibilities described in the SOW. Follow-up questions may be asked for clarifications but shall not materially alter the scope of the assessment.

The Interview Board shall individually assess whether the proposed candidate demonstrates the qualifications, experience, and competencies required to perform the services. Individual assessments shall be consolidated into a consensus evaluation in accordance with the Purchaser’s evaluation procedures and shall be on the basis of compliant / non-compliant.

If the Purchaser determines, based on the interview, that the proposed candidate does not satisfactorily meet the requirements of the SOW, the associated bid may be determined to be technically non-compliant and may be excluded from further consideration.

1.3 Price Basis

Bidders shall provide a monthly fee for the services required during the Base Period (Year 1). All prices shall be quoted in EUR. The monthly fee shall be all-inclusive, incorporating all costs necessary for the delivery of the services, including any travel costs as described in Section 3.

Deliverable: Monthly Fee – Provision of BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services. Unit Price in EUR (Bidder Provided): [Bidder to complete]. Quantity for Evaluation: 1.

1.4 Technical compliance

Each bid will be assessed for technical compliance on a per‑profile basis. A bid is considered technically compliant only if the proposed candidate passes the compliance assessment. If the proposed profile i

3.7 SECURITY CLEARANCE
- The assigned personnel by the Contractor shall possess valid NATO-SECRET Personal Security Clearance for the duration of the Period of Performance.

8. QUALIFICATIONS

8.1 Specific Technical Qualifications
- Assigned personnel shall possess a University Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, with at least two (2) years of post-related experience; or Higher Vocational Training with a minimum of five (5) years of post-related experience.
- Assigned personnel shall possess a minimum of two (2) years of practical experience in the engineering, implementation, configuration, or support of military or secure communications systems.
- Assigned personnel shall have a solid scientific background and a proven track record of technical management work in the area of IP over HF services based on STANAG 5066.
- Assigned personnel shall possess demonstrated knowledge of STANAG 5066 Ed 3 and Ed 4, including its protocol stack, implementation considerations, and interoperability aspects.

- Assigned personnel shall possess knowledge on the usage of standards associated with IP over HF services, namely STANAG 4538 and STANAG 4539.
- Assigned personnel shall possess knowledge on the usage and interfacing commercial and/or open-source application clients with STANAG 5066, namely in the areas of formal messaging (ACP127, STANAG 4406 Annex E, ACP142), e-mail, chat and web services.
- Assigned personnel shall possess expertise in developing STANAG 5066-based testbeds and test setups applying the different STANAG 5066 configurations and modes of operation.
- Assigned personnel shall possess demonstrated capability in performing interoperability testing activities, namely in international forums, using STANAG 5066 testbed. This includes experience in coordinating interoperability test scenarios and performing interoperability analysis reporting.

- Assigned personnel shall possess demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Use Cases applying STANAG 5066, namely in the NATO Maritime Forces domain.
- Assigned personnel shall possess strong knowledge of IP networking principles, communication protocols, and network architectures, including protocol stack configuration and interoperability considerations.
- Assigned personnel shall possess experience in the preparation of technical documentation, engineering specifications, implementation guidance, or Service Instructions for communication systems.
- Assigned personnel shall possess experience in testing, validation, and troubleshooting of communication systems, including analysis of technical issues and implementation of corrective actions.

- It is desirable that assigned personnel possess experience in developing or supporting engineering test environments and interoperability testing activities for communication systems.
- Assigned personnel shall possess a good understanding of interoperability principles, configuration management, and engineering practices supporting multinational or multi-vendor communication environments.
- Assigned personnel shall possess familiarity with relevant NATO communications standards, STANAGs, and secure communications architectures.
- It is desirable that assigned personnel possess experience working with laboratory environments, reference systems, or engineering test platforms for the validation of communication services.

8.2 General Technical Qualifications
- It is strongly desirable that personnel demonstrate experience in NATO or multinational military environments.
- Personnel shall demonstrate a solid understanding of NATO operational standards, procedures, and communication protocols.
- Personnel shall demonstrate experience supporting engineering activities related to military communication systems, technical documentation, interoperability, or implementation of communication services.
- Personnel shall demonstrate strong analytical capability applied to tec