Requirement: Support for Microsoft Power BI Service Operations, Development and Training
Location: Primary: NCIA Braine L'Alleud, Belgium; Secondary: NCIA Mons (SHAPE), Belgium
Full Time On-Site: No
Time On-Site: 50%
Cost Not to Exceed: (2026 BASE) €95,850
Period of Performance: 2026 BASE: 01 August 2026 - 31 December 2026;
2027 OPTION: 01 January 2027 - 31 December 2027
2028 OPTION: 01 January 2028 - 31 December 2028
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
Please do NOT apply for any NATO contract positions unless you meet ALL the following criteria:
- Current National or NATO SECRET clearance
- Nationality of one of the NATO member countries
- Current work visa for the specific location if applying for an in-country position
Introduction:
- To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, the NCIA delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems in support of consultation, command & control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO, where and when required. It includes IT support to the Alliances' business processes (to include provision of IT shared services) to the NATO HQ, the Command Structure and NATO Agencies.
- The NATO Business Application Centre (NBAC), as part of the NCIA, and in line with the Agency's Charter and its Cloud broker role, is to provide Business Applications Capabilities & Services to the Agency, and across NATO Enterprise, and ensure their harmonization rationalisation, and coherence, with the aim to enable overall efficient day-to-day operations, support transparency, and foster internal control.
- NBAC (hereafter referred to as the "Purchaser") is seeking Support for Microsoft Power BI Service Operations, Development and Training. This support will focus on ensuring the configuration, operational support, development, documentation and training of Microsoft Power BI based solutions, including both Power BI Report Server (on-premises and SaaS), in alignment with NATO's IT Service Management processes.
- The Contractor is expected to deliver and maintain high-quality data visualization solutions, aligned with business and governance requirements, while contributing to Level 2 and Level 3 Support (incident, problem, change and service request management) in accordance with ITIL standards. The service includes coordinating with internal infrastructure service teams, documenting technical work, provisioning end-user training, and supporting secure access and authentication configurations (e.g., ADFS claims-based setup for Power BI Report Server).
- The Contractor is also expected to demonstrate flexibility to support project priorities in a dynamic operational environment and may be required to work on-site at NATO classified levels in various NATO locations, limited to NCIA Braine L'Alleud, NCIA Mons (SHAPE) and NCIA Brussels, as operationally required.
The Analytics and Core Business Applications is a Branch in NATO Business Application Centre (NBAC) consisting of multiple flavours. It provides technical, architectural, and operational support for enterprise business applications and data analytics platforms; and enables business users to access, interpret, and leverage data-driven insights across NATO entities, including ACO, NATO HQ, and NCIA.
Scope of Work:
Under the direction/guidance of the local NCIA Point of Contact, assigned Project Manager, Service Manager or NBAC Analytics and Core Business Application Head, the contractor will support the following:
Power BI Server Configuration & Performance Optimization
Provide expert-level configuration, tuning and optimization of Power BI Server to ensure high performance and reliability. The contractor will assess the current deployment, identify bottlenecks, and implement best practices aligned with Microsoft standards.
Platform Administration & Monitoring
- Deliver ongoing Level 2/3 support, including monitoring of backups, logs, and performance tuning.
- Support Level 1 support.
- Maintain compliance with ITIL processes and NATO service operation protocols, and contribute to operational resilience of BI platforms.
- Resolve Service Desk tickets in line with SLA targets and participate in change management, including impact assessments, patching, and upgrades.
- Ensure coordination with cross-service infrastructure teams.
The contractor will perform planned patching and upgrade activities for the on-premises Power BI instance in alignment with internal release authorization (A2SL) and security standards (typically 2 to 4 times per calendar year).
Cross-Service Coordination & On-Call Support
Collaborate with infrastructure and database teams under OLAs to resolve performance or upgrade-related issues.
Power BI Visualization & Dashboard Delivery
- The contractor will design and deliver four (4) interactive dashboards using Microsoft Power BI to support operational and informational reporting needs.
- Three (3) dashboards will be developed using existing data sources. These dashboards will enable users to search, filter, and visualize both current and historical workforce related data. One of the dashboards will include tabular and visual representations of duty rotations.
- One (1) dashboard will involve the redevelopment and migration of an existing dashboard from a separate reporting platform into Power BI, including replication of core functionality and necessary adaptation of underlying data structures. Existing dashboard logic will be provided.
- All dashboards should be designed with appropriate data modelling, user-friendly visualization, and standard interactivity (e.g., filtering, slicing) based on the data available in the HR data sources. If necessary, the contractor will create the optimized data structures in the workforce/personnel data warehouse with possibility for the HR admins to support SHAPE Command Group requirement.
- For the assignment in scope of the project/service for this RFQ, the aim is to empower the Power Users to build/deploy their own dashboards. Focus will be on platform provisioning and supporting the users in their endeavour.
- Contribute to the creation and maintenance of the documentation of relevant architectural artefacts, data modelling and coding guidelines, standards and best practices.
- Contribute to the creation and maintenance of relevant Standard Operating Procedures.
- Develop and deliver a Knowledge-Transfer Plan & Schedule for NBAC staff, including end-user training sessions (both remote and in-person).
- Provide clear training materials, deliver classroom and/or virtual training classes and maintain attendance records.
- Provide ad-hoc technical mentoring to Power Users as part of the Service.
- Deliver complete and accurate documentation of platform administration, operational processes, and support procedures.
- Training shall culminate in a live walkthrough where NBAC staff demonstrate independent execution of administration tasks.
- The contractor will be part of the project implementation team as well as the service delivery team (early life support and/or service operations), working closely with the Analytics and Core Business Application team, relevant project and/or service manager, ensuring the secure, available, managed and compliant delivery of Power BI services to NCIA, NATO and its Strategic Commands.
Mandatory Requirements:
- Must hold a valid NATO SECRET Security Clearance, as from the start date of the contract.
- Minimum 5 years of experience as a consultant on large-scale business application implementations, evidenced by project descriptions including scope, role, and technologies used.
- Minimum 3 years of experience with Power BI Report Server (on-premises) and Power BI Service (cloud), including configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and maintenance, evidenced by explicit tasks and environments in project experience.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in data modelling, DAX, and dashboard/report development, evidenced by delivered reports/dashboards and described responsibilities.
- Minimum 5 years of experience with MS SQL Server (2014 or higher), including complex SQL queries and ETL processes, evidenced by technologies and data-related tasks per role.
- Minimum 2 years of experience proficiency in normalized/denormalized data models and star/snowflake schemas, evidenced by data modelling activities in project descriptions.
- Minimum 2 years of experience in Level 2 and Level 3 support within ITIL-based environments (incident, problem, change, request management), evidenced by support activities and use of ITSM tools.
- Minimum 2 years of experience working in Agile environments, evidenced by Agile roles or methodologies referenced in CV.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process-oriented mindset, evidenced by troubleshooting, root cause analysis, or process improvement activities.
- Ability to communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders, evidenced by customer-facing roles or stakeholder interactions.
- Ability to work independently and in teams, and to produce technical documentation, evidenced by responsibilities and deliverables such as SOPs, runbooks, or specifications.
- Full professional proficiency in English (minimum level C1 or equivalent), evidenced in CV.
- Experience configuring Power BI Server to work with claims-based ADFS authentication.
- Knowledge of Oracle Databases.
- Knowledge of KNIME Analytics Platform.
- Experience in developing in Java.
- Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements.
- Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO and ACT.
