Bidding Instructions - Technical Proposal
Bidders shall include in the Technical Proposal:
1. CV of the candidate, clearly indicating relevant experience for the requirements, section 3 and qualifications, section 9 in the Statement of work (SoW).
2. Compliance matrix referring how each candidate meets each of the stated requirements, section 3 and qualifications, section 9 of the SoW, justified by relevant (project) experience.
Deadline Date: Wednesday 3 December 2025
Requirement: Provision of JISRC As-Is, To-Be Architectures and Associated Implementation Roadmap.
Location: The Hague, NL
Full Time On-Site: See 5. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
Period of Performance: 2026 BASE: Not later than 12th January 2026 – 31st December 2026
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
1. INTRODUCTION
The JISR Centre’s (JISRC) Vision is to assure information superiority for NATO. Our Mission is to deliver, support and protect valued Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, expertise and services, to maximize operational effectiveness for NATO.
Ensuring coordination and cohesion of the multiple JISR programmes and projects from a technical perspective, the JISRC requires Solution Architect services to capture and document the as-is and to-be JISR architecture.
The services include the capturing of the current JISR architecture through the delivery of a documented understanding of all current programmes/projects/services, the capturing of the to-be architecture as well as the implementation roadmap in order to assure future programmatic technical coherence. With a focus on documenting the architecture and engagement with all JISRC key stakeholders, the services will ensure the delivery of high-quality technical products that align and will inform current and future JISR programmes.
2. SCOPE OF WORK
The purpose of this project is to provide the JISR “as-is” and “to-be” architecture and implementation roadmap. To achieve this scope, the Contractor shall:
3. DELIVERABLES
The Contractor shall deliver:
3.1. “As-Is” Architecture
The “as-is” architecture will include the current JISRC services, applications, and system capabilities, including but not limited to:
The “as-is” architecture report shall address the following areas:
3.2. Working Practices
In order to deliver the report detailed above, the Contractor is expected to:
3.3. “To-be” Architecture
The “to-be” architecture shall be based upon existing and future JISRC system/service capabilities such as:
The “to-be” architecture shall:
The “to-be” architecture and the generated report shall address the following areas:
3.4. Implementation roadmap
The implementation roadmap aims identifying the bridge between the “as-is” architecture and the “to-be”.
The implementation roadmap shall enable the ability to deliver faster, identifying quick wins as well as long-term strategies.
The implementation roadmap shall address the following areas:
3.5. Requirements
All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on NCIA templates and/or agreed with the NCIA project manager.
Architecture views/artefacts need to be captured using agreed architecture language and tools.
All support, maintenance, documentation and will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCIA tools.
The reports shall remain a high-level overview of the system/service capabilities.
Each report shall be limited to 100 pages max.
Each report (as is/to be/roadmap) shall include:
I. A first level view easily readable by chiefs and staff officers. This involves representing actors and processes, capabilities and goals, but in a simplified way. It should be readable on an A4 page (when printed), portrait or landscape.
II. A second level view for those who need to understand the main building blocks, from a systems engineering perspective.
III. A third level view, for those who need to deliver the capability, and need more details about what those building blocks really consist of, in order to procure them;
IV. A fourth level view, for those who need to create solution architectures and high-level designs for the actual implementation.
4. SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT
This task order will be active immediately after signing of the contract by both parties.
The BASE period of performance is as soon as possible but not later than 12th January 2026 and will end no later than 31 December 2026.
Payments shall be dependent upon the successful acceptance of each deliverable.
All Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS, Annex A) signed by the Contractor and project authority.
In 2026, the following deliverables are expected from the service as set in this statement of work:
T0 is the start of Contractor’s work (estimated NLT 12 January 2026).
Deliverable 01: “As-is” architecture report and model – Draft
Timelines: T0+3 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.1
Deliverable 02: “As-is” architecture report and model – Final
Timelines: T0+6 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.1
Deliverable 03: “To-be” architecture report and model – Draft
Timelines: T0+9 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.2
Deliverable 04: Implementation Roadmap – Draft
Timelines: T0+9 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.4
Deliverable 05: “To-be” architecture report and model – Final
Timelines: T0+12 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.3
Deliverable 06: Implementation Roadmap – Final
Timelines: T0+12 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW 3.4
5. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
The services should be delivered 100% on-site at NCIA, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Alternatively, they may be delivered using flexible working, with a requirement to be on-site at NCIA, The Hague, Netherlands, as agreed with JISRC (anticipated as 1-2 weeks per month), with the remainder of the services provided remotely.
Access to the relevant NCIA networks and software will be established as needed.
The services will be delivered during normal office hours following the NCIA The Hague calendar, as well as outside office hours and on weekends, if necessary.
The Contractor personnel will be part of a team under the supervision of the NCIA (project manager).
The NCIA project team and the Contractor personnel will have regular meetings to review progress, address issues, and make necessary adjustments to the processes or production methodology.
The meetings will be physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the NCIA project manager’s instructions.
The NCIA Project team will provide guidance and direction on the architecture methodology, language, tools and framework to be used.
The Contractor personnel shall establish a continuous feedback loop to gather input from all stakeholders for ongoing improvements and their subsequent implementation depending on NCIA approval.
The Contractor personnel shall use a shared dashboard or tool to track the status of the deliverables and any issues.
6. SECURITY
All Contractor personnel / Sub-contractors shall be aware of all security rules pertaining to the handling of NATO classified information.
Personnel Security Clearance (PSC):
Individuals who require access or may have access to information classified NATO Classified or above during service delivery shall have a PSC, at the appropriate level, which is valid for the duration of the authorized access. In addition, such individuals are required to:
It will be required for the contractor access to Class II areas at NATO facilities, therefore PSC at NATO SECRET level is required as from the start date of the contract.
7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
All developed reports, solutions, tools and code under this project will be property of the NCIA.
8. TRAVEL
In case of flexible working (see Section 5), travel to and from The Hague will be at the contractor’s expense.
Travel to NATO sites in support of the project, including NCIA Mons, Belgium will be required.
Once defined, travel costs will be set as a separate PO line with a not to exceed value to cover and reimburse of actual expenses upon submissions of all receipts and invoices in line with NCIA processes.
Travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the contractor and the expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.
9. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
[See Requirements]
10. GENERAL PROVISIONS
A Sole contractor must deliver these services. In the event that the contractor leaves during the contract period, a new contractor, who has the proven required qualifications and is evaluated qualified and suitable, shall replace him/her. The leaving contractor shall provide to the new contractor a training and handover of the performed history of the project. All normal NCIA Terms and Conditions apply.
NCIA Recognised Business hours/Holidays: NCIA -The Hague official holiday schedule applies and will be provided to the contractor.
NCIA Hours of Operations: Monday to Thursday 0830 – 1700 and Friday 0830 – 1500 (CET)
Contractor Furnished Services: Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform the contract except for the items specified and covered under NCIA Furnished Property and Services below.
NCIA Furnished Property and Services: Access to relevant networks can be provided by NCIA as agreed.
9. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
The Contractor personnel shall demonstrate the following qualifications: