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 is assessed as non‑compliant, the bid will be deemed technically non‑compliant and will not proceed to price evaluation.

Deadline Date: Monday 12 October 2026

Requirement: BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services

Location: Offsite and laboratorial work on NATO sites with the policy and under agreement with NCIA. The Purchaser reserves the right to modify the required on-site and remote work ratio during contract execution, based on operational or business requirements.

Period of Performance: Base Period: Commencing as soon as possible, but no later than 1st November 2026, until 31st December 2026.

Year 1: A period of twelve (12) months immediately following the completion of Base Period and continues until 31 December 2027.

Year 2: A period of twelve (12) months immediately following the completion of Year 1 and continues until 31 December 2028.

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Part Ii - Statement Of Work

1. Introduction And Background

This statement of work (SoW) describes the work to be contracted for Subject Matter Expert (SME) support on the development of joining instructions for the national BLOS APs delivering IP over HF based services to NATO.

The NATO Integrated Mission Services Centre (NIMSC) is responsible for the coordination, planning, and delivery of engineering and operational support capabilities across Mobile CIS Infrastructure, including BRASS services.

To ensure the successful implementation, interoperability, and harmonized delivery of BRASS Enhancement 1 services across NATO Nations, including the deployment of national Beyond Line-of-Sight Access Points (BLOS APs), NIMSC requires specialized Engineering Support Services aligned with NATO governance, interoperability requirements, relevant STANAGs, and operational priorities.

Through this Statement of Work (SoW), the NIMSC seeks industry support to deliver Engineering Support Services. The Contractor, through the selected personnel, will provide dedicated engineering support for the preparation, testing, validation, and maintenance of technical documentation and service instructions required for the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services.

The support shall ensure alignment with operational requirements, interoperability standards, relevant STANAGs, and NATO policies, while ensuring that BRASS Enhancement 1 services are implemented consistently across Nations, minimizing interoperability risks and supporting harmonized service delivery. Where required, the support shall also include engineering activities related to interoperability assessments and the integration of national solutions to facilitate seamless service delivery across NATO.

The NCIA has been acting as a focal entity for the technical co-ordination to ensure a coherent realization of the Wireless implementations of the CP 9A0101 life-cycle, taking the assigned responsibilities of coordinating the efforts of the various Territorial Host Nations (HNs).

Those include consultancy, management and engineering activities in direct support to Strategic Commands (SCs) and the 18 Territorial Host Nations (HNs); as well as, the development of specific tasks considered foundational for a harmonized, integrated, interoperable and security accredited implementation of the capabilities included in the CP 9A0101 activities.

The implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 and deployment of national BLOS APs will require a deep understanding about NATO HF based service delivery management and its different interdependencies, both to NATO and National infrastructure.

In addition to the challenges associated with the deployment of BRASS IP Enhanced System (BRIPES), there will be more demanding ventures related with the integration of non-BRIPES solutions, which require skilled and unbiased consultation and support from NCI Agency to ensure ultimate harmonized and seamless service delivery to MARCOM.

As the service management sophistication and complexity is increasing, with BRASS Enhancements, SCs and MARCOM shall rely on the NCI Agency to support service delivery advice and interoperability related support to harmonize potential inconsistencies and non-conformities on national BLOS APs.

Within this context, Wireless Implementation Management Authority (Wi IMA) requires external engineering support to undertake a set of activities encompassing the configuration, testing, and optimization of the full BRIPES protocol stack under a variety of use cases, together with the development of supporting documentation for Service and Procedural Instructions to ensure consistent and interoperable service delivery.

In addition, given that some Nations may implement solutions other than BRIPES, the required support shall also encompass interoperability testing and integration-related investigations to assess and facilitate coexistence with such alternative solutions.

2. Intended Business Outcome

The intended business outcome of this Statement of Work is to ensure the effective delivery of Engineering Support Services, through specialized engineering support, technical documentation, testing and validation activities, and the production of Service Instructions supporting the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services.

Specifically, the main objectives are:

• Ensure the successful preparation of technical documentation containing the required full protocol stack parameters and configurations for the implementation of the services described in BRE1TA (BRASS Enhancement 1 Target Architecture).
• Support the testing and validation of the proposed configurations using NCIA reference systems and laboratory equipment to address STANAG 5066 interoperability challenges, other BRIPES-related standards and vendor implementation specificities.
• Enable harmonized implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services across NATO Nations through the production of Service Instructions for BRIPES and non-BRIPES user Nations, in line with the requirements for inclusion in ACP 176 NS1.
• Support interoperability and operational effectiveness by providing engineering analysis, technical recommendations, and validated implementation guidance that minimizes interoperability risks and ensures consistent service delivery across Nations.
• Strengthen governance and compliance by ensuring that all engineering activities, technical deliverables, and Service Instructions are developed in accordance with NCIA processes, NATO standards, relevant STANAGs, and applicable governance frameworks.

The successful delivery will result in validated technical documentation, tested service configurations, and comprehensive Service Instructions supporting the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services, ensuring interoperability, harmonized service delivery, and alignment with Alliance operational requirements.

3. Scope Of Work

The scope covers BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services, including the preparation of technical documentation, engineering analysis, testing and validation of service configurations, interoperability assessments, and the development of Service Instructions supporting the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services across NATO Nations.

The Contractor shall deliver the services in a structured and proactive manner, ensuring alignment with operational priorities, interoperability requirements, relevant NATO standards, and NCIA governance processes. The services shall be delivered through the assignment of one (1) qualified personnel as set out in Section 8.

The assigned personnel shall perform the activities defined herein and contribute to the achievement of the agreed objectives, technical deliverables, and performance targets. The Contractor shall ensure that the assigned personnel:

• Possesses the required qualifications and experience
• Performs the tasks in accordance with NCIA processes and procedures
• Maintains continuity and quality of service delivery.

3.1 Engineering Support Services

The Contractor shall provide BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services contributing to the preparation, testing, validation, and harmonized implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services across NATO Nations.

This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Technical documentation development

• Characterization of BLOS AP use cases, in accordance to the BRIPES service delivery concept, and definition of configuration baselines
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation containing the STANAG 5066 complete protocol stack parameters and configuration required for the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services
• Interoperability analysis on different implementations of STANAGs, namely STANAG 4538 and 5066, and documentation of discrepancies found in the configuration of different Editions of those STANAGs.
• Optimization of configuration baselines based on identified performance criteria
• Ensure technical documentation is complete, consistent, traceable, and aligned with applicable NATO standards and NCIA engineering practices
• Identify configuration dependencies resulting from different STANAG editions, vendor implementation specificities, and national implementation approaches
• Maintain version control and configuration management of all engineering documentation and technical artefacts.

Testing and validation activities

• Setup of a testing environment for verification and validation of configuration baselines, including modems back-to-back, usage of HF channel simulators and over-the-air transmission
• Analysis on interoperability and interfacing challenges between STANAG 5066 and interfacing modules part of the IP over HF architecture. This includes troubleshooting of identified standard interface issues and conformance testing.
• Develop testing approaches and validation plans supporting the implementation of BRASS Enhancement 1 services
• Participation, as requested, in experimentation and demonstration activities in events held within NATO countries. Configure and validate service parameters using NCIA reference systems and laboratory equipment, simulated HF environments, and, where required, over-the-air testing capabilities
• Support the establishment and maintenance of representative testing environments for the verification and validation of BRASS Enhancement 1 service configurations
• Perform technical testing and interoperability validation of service configurations prior to publication of implementation guidance
• Analyse test results, identify interoperability issues, configuration inconsistencies, and implementation risks
• Recommend corrective actions and optimized service configurations where required
• Document testing activities, validation results, engineering findings, and recommendations.

Service Instructions development

• Development of Service Instructions for BRIPES, including full protocol stack for the different information services, i.e. formal messaging (ACP 127 and STANAG 4406 Annex E), e-mail, chat and web services
• Ensure Service Instructions are aligned with the technical documentation, validated configurations, and applicable NATO standards
• Maintain consistency between Service Instructions, technical documentation, and approved implementation baselines
• Update Service Instructions following validation activities, stakeholder feedback, or changes to technical requirements.

Engineering analysis and technical support

• Perform engineering assessments of proposed service configurations and implementation approaches
• Analyse interoperability impacts associated with differing STANAG 5066 editions, vendor-specific implementations, and national deployment environments
• Analyse interoperability and interface challenges affecting the BRIPES architecture and provide recommendations to resolve identified issues
• Provide engineering recommendations supporting harmonized implementation across NATO Nations
• Support technical coordination with NCIA stakeholders and other NATO organizations involved in BRASS Enhancement 1 implementation
• Contribute engineering expertise to implementation planning, technical reviews, and working groups as required.

Stakeholder coordination and reporting

• Liaise with NCIA technical authorities and relevant NATO stakeholders, providing engineering inputs and consolidated technical documentation
• Prepare technical reports, engineering analyses, implementation guidance, and briefing material
• Participate in technical meetings, workshops, validation activities, and engineering reviews, technical demonstrations, and experimentation activities as required
• Report progress, technical risks, issues, and recommendations in accordance with NCIA governance processes.

3.2 Engineering Support Services Deliverables

The Contractor shall produce and maintain the following deliverables as part of the BRASS Enhancement 1 Engineering Support Services:

• Report on the characterization of BLOS AP use cases, in accordance with the BRIPES service delivery concept, and definition of configuration baselines.
• Support in experimentation and demonstration activities in events held in NATO countries, through the setup and operation of systems, coordination of test events with other participants, reporting of test results in the appropriate platforms and presentation of test results in meetings.
• Technical Documentation for BRASS Enhancement 1 services, including the required full protocol stack parameters and configurations for the implementation of the services described in BRE1TA (BRASS Enhancement 1 Target Architecture) – Draft and final versions (templates will be provided by the Purchaser, where applicable).
• Service Instructions for the defined use cases, in accordance to the BRIPES service delivery concept
• Report on interoperability analysis and interfacing challenges between STANAG 5066 and interfacing modules part of the IP over HF architecture
• Report on interoperability analysis on different implementations of STANAGs, namely STANAG 4538 and 5066, including analysis on discrepancies found in the configuration of different Editions of those STANAGs.
• Joining instructions for the national BLOS APs delivering IP over HF based services to NATO, including recommended verification testing.
• Configuration baseline documentation, test plans, validation reports, engineering analyses, interoperability assessment reports, and technical recommendations documenting the testing and validation of service configurations using NCIA reference systems and laboratory equipment.
• Reports documenting configuration optimization activities, interoperability analyses, interface assessments, and engineering findings related to BRASS Enhancement 1 service implementation.
• Technical briefings, reports, presentations, and meeting minutes supporting engineering activities, stakeholder coordination, technical discussions, experimentation activities, and interoperability assessments.
• Update