Requirement: ADatP-5658 Conformance Criteria and Test Reference System Design and Implementation
Location: Off-Site (Remote, with occasional on-site work at NCIA The Hague (NLD))
Not to Exceed: 2026 BASE: NTE 117,000 EUR
Period of Performance: 1st July 2026 - 31st December 2026
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:
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:
The list below defines the overarching objectives of the engagement and establishes the intended outcomes that the Contractor is expected to achieve through the delivery of the different work packages described in this document. These objectives serve as the guiding principles against which all deliverables shall be measured. The Contractor is expected to align their approach, methodology, and resource planning with these objectives throughout the duration of the engagement.
- Participate in the refinement of ADatP-5658 standard.
- Develop conformance criteria for the ADatP-5658 standard, ensuring all conformance criteria provide full coverage of ADatP-5658, and are 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 NATO interoperability events.
- 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.
- upport the utilization of the produced deliverables throughout the NATO interoperability events' conferences and execution phases.
- Ensure the documentation and maintenance of all produced deliverables.
- Update and expand the produced deliverables as necessary to accommodate new or revised requirements.
- The Contractor shall deliver services under the guidance of the INSPECT team, within the Assurance Solutions Branch.
- The Contractor shall deliver services remotely, unless the deliverable explicitly stated on-site delivery in the indicated location.
- For each work package to be considered as complete and payable, the Contractor must report the outcome of their work (Deliverable Completion Report) by email to the appointed NCIA POC.
- The Deliverable Completion Report shall be subject to review by the NCIA POC, who shall provide a response including the evaluation of the applicable KPIs for the relevant deliverable.
- Performance of the services described in this SOW require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance prior to the start of the engagement.
- It is the responsibility of the contracting company to obtain and maintain the security accreditation of all individuals working on this arrangement.
- All the documentation provided under this statement of work shall be based on NCIA templates or the format agreed with the NCIA POC.
- All scripts, documentation and required code shall be stored under NATO Software Factory platforms and tools.
- This is a deliverables-based contract.
- The Contractor shall be provided user account for access to the NATO Software Factory (Azure DevOps).
- This SOW requires scheduled travel as detailed in Section 3.F. The travel, lodging and associated expenses for travel are included in the total price of the bid, such that NCIA shall not be invoiced.
- Extraordinary Travel (Purchaser Directed Travel) may be required to other NATO or non-NATO locations as necessary. In the event of such unforeseen meetings being called, the cost of all travel and subsistence will be addressed through a contract amendment.
- Extraordinary Travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS+ Framework Contract. Such 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.
- The services depicted in this SOW are expected to be carried by either one contractor personnel or a team of contractors for the duration of the agreement. It is up to the bidder to propose the size of the team that delivers the services and produces the deliverables within the time lines allocated.
Security:
- Performance of the services described in this SOW require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance prior to the start of the engagement.
Each contractor personnel must meet the following requirements:
- At least 5 years of professional experience in the industry of software development;
- Ability to communicate in English with clarity, coherence, conciseness and engagement, both orally and in writing.
- At least 3 years of professional experience working with programming or scripting languages (knowledge of Robot Framework and Python would be desirable);
- At least 1 year of professional experience working with Docker or Podman, and building and running Linux-based containers;
- At least 1 year of professional experience defining conformance criteria for software-based standards. In the absence of such experience, proven expertise in writing acceptance criteria for software projects may be considered;
- Demonstrable knowledge of NATO digital standards (knowledge of ADatP 5658 standard would be desirable);
