2025-0356 Conformance Criteria and Test Reference System (NS) REMOTE - 19 Jan

Please do  NOT  apply for any NATO contract positions unless you meet ALL the following criteria:

 Any applications that do NOT meet all the above - and do not CLEARLY show these on the CV - will be deleted.

Bidding Instructions
Bidders shall submit a proposal (all three parts in one (1) document) clearly providing the following information:
Cover page with the following information:

• Company name,
• Name(s) of assigned contactor personnel,
• Role(s) assigned to each profiled contractor personnel.

Evidence of successfully delivering one to three projects of similar scope to the statement of work within the last five years. Each evidence shall demonstrate proof of performance and be comparable in size and scope to the requirements of this role. Additionally, ensure to include a detailed case study that highlight the Purpose, Objective, Output and Outcome(PO3) mentioned in the table (Annex B). Evidence shall display the ability to manage and deliver standard conformance criteria and test reference components for ADatP-5658 by following customer requirements.
 
CVs of the proposed contractor personnel for the project.
 
Introduction:
The NATO Information and Communication Agency (NCIA) located in The Hague, The Netherlands, is the Interoperability Assurance Authority for NATO. In the light of this responsibility, the Assurance Solutions Branch (ASB) of the Chief Quality Office is looking for a service contract which can provide NCIA with a complete definition of ADatP-5658 conformance criteria, plus a design and a prototype of ADatP-5658 test reference components.
 
Objectives:

• Develop conformance criteria for the ADatP-5658 standard.
• Ensure all conformance criteria provide full coverage of ADatP-5658 and consistent with the standard and the agreed format.
• Establish a comprehensive understanding of ADatP-5658 intended use cases.
• Deliver an ADatP-5658 test reference system prototype capable of supporting the execution of interoperability tests with other capabilities for all ADatP-5658 intended use cases during CWIX 2026.
• Provide ADatP-5658 test reference components compatible with the NCIA ASB INSPECT platform for Systems-to-Standards testing, enabling the execution of future conformance tests across all ADatP-5658 intended use cases.
• Support the utilization of the produced deliverables throughout the CWIX conferences and during the CWIX execution phase.
• Ensure the documentation and maintenance of all produced deliverables.
• Update and expand the produced deliverables as necessary to accommodate new or revised requirements.
• Provide support in the development of additional standard artefacts for use within the NCIA ASB INSPECT platform.

 
Deliverables Compatiblity:
The expected deliverables shall be fully compatible with the INSPECT platform and its underlying technology stack. Accordingly, the following requirements shall be met:

• It is strongly recommended to implement the ADatP-5658 test reference system using .NET technology. Any other technology selection shall be agreed with the NCIA POC.
• The test reference components can be implemented in any suitable technology, if previously agreed with the NCIA POC.
• The test reference components shall be delivered as one or more Linux-based Docker containers.
• The deployment instructions shall be delivered as a Docker Compose file.
• All conformance test samples shall be implemented using Robot Framework.
• Any custom Robot Framework libraries shall be implemented in Python version 3.14 or higher.
• All the deliverables shall comply with the security requirements instructed by the NCIA POC.

Coordination and Reporting:

• The Contractor shall deliver services remotely. The occasional on-site, at NCIA The Hague, service delivery will be duly notified by the NCIA point of contact (POC).
• The contractor shall deliver services under the guidance of the INSPECT team, within the Assurance Solutions Branch.
• The contractor shall report to the Head of Assurance Solutions Branch.
• The Contractor shall participate in the planning activities meetings, as well as any other required meeting, workshops, events and conferences related to the supported services, as requested by the NCIA POC.
• For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of his/her work during the sprint within three (3) working days after the sprint's end date. A report in the format of a short email shall be sent to the appointed NCIA POC briefly mentioning the work held and the development achievements during the sprint.

Practical Arrangements:

• This is a deliverables-based contract.
• The Contractor shall deliver services remotely. The occasional on-site, at NCIA The Hague, work needs will be duly notified by the NCIA POC.
• The Contractor will be provided user account for access to the NATO Software Factory (Azure DevOps).
• There may be requirements to travel to other sites within NATO for completing these tasks.
• Travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the contractor, and the expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of the AAS+ Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.
• The services depicted in this SOW are expected to be carried by one or a team of contractors for the duration of the agreement.
• Short periods of non-delivery are acceptable as long as deliverables within the established targets are completed. Planned and unplanned non-delivery must be communicated as soon as possible to the service delivery manager.

Qualification:
The services described in this SoW must be delivered by one or more Subject Matter Experts (SME) that will be considered as Key Personnel for the performance of this Contract. In addition to the generic qualification requirements established in the Contract, contractor personnel must have:

• At least 5 years' experience in the development of software;
• Demonstrable knowledge of programming or scripting languages (knowledge of Robot Framework and Python would be desirable);
• Demonstrable knowledge of Docker or Podman;
• Demonstrable experience in building and running Linux-based containers;
• Demonstrable experience in defining conformance criteria for software-based standards. In the absence of such experience, proven expertise in writing acceptance criteria form software projects may be considered;
• Demonstrable knowledge of NATO digital standards (knowledge of ADatP 5658 standard would be desirable);
• Ability to communicate in English with clarity, coherence, conciseness and engagement, both orally and in writing.