2026-0122 Provision & Support for BMD OPSLOOP Voice Services (CTS) - FRI 21 Aug

1. BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS

Technical Proposal

Bidders shall submit a proposal clearly providing the following information:

a: The proposed approach to address the required scope of work and the defined deliverables (maximum 10 pages, A4 size). The proposed approach should address the minimum:

• Sufficient details to allow assessment of the bidders understanding of the requirements.
• Previous similar experience.
• Relevant experience of the proposed team members.

b: CVs of the assigned resource(s) for the project, and related attestations. It is up to the bidder to propose the size of the team that executes the work and produces the deliverables in the time line allocated. The Purchaser may accommodate a reasonable number of personnel at the current facilities. The CVs shall clearly distinguish if the proposal is for Key Personnel or not.

Deadline Date: Friday 21 August 2026

Requirement: Provision and On-Going Support for BMD OPSLOOP Voice Services

Location: 100% onsite in Mons, BEL

Period of Performance: 2026 BASE: From September 1, 2026 (tentative) to December 31, 2026, with possibility to exercise the following options:

2027 Option: January 1, 2027 until December 31, 2027.

2028 Option: January 1, 2028 until December 31, 2028.

Required Security Clearance: NATO COSMIC TOP SECRET (NATO SECRET security clearance is accepted with CTS in progress – deadline to have CTS in place by end of October 2026).

Special Terms and Conditions: Statement of Work

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Statement of Work (SoW) is to define the services for BMD OPSLOOP Voice services in NCI Agency Mons, Belgium. The NCI Agency (hereinafter referred to as the “Purchaser”) seeks a qualified Contractor to provide continuous BMD OPSLOOP Voice services in support of Purchaser personnel based in Mons, Belgium, as well as personnel on official duty at that location.

2. OBJECTIVES

The objective of this role is to provide first level support for issues related to BMD OPSLOOP Voice Services and to ensure the optimal performance, security, and reliability of BMD OPSLOOP Voice services.

The Contractor shall also provide end-user support, including technical assistance and user guidance where required. The overall objective is to improve user satisfaction, reduce support response times, and enhance the quality and efficiency of IT service delivery.

During the performance of the contract, the Contractor shall operate as an integral part of the Purchaser’s NATO Digital Workplace Centre (NDWC), Shared Workspace Group (SWG), delivering on-site BMD OPSLOOP Voice services support.

With this SoW, the Purchaser aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Leverage industry expertise and best practices in installation, configuration, monitoring and daily operation of commercial off the shelf (COTS) technologies and software in the collaboration area.
• Ensure that BMD OPSLOOP Voice services are functional and fully operational.
• Perform first-line troubleshooting and escalate issues as required and maintain incident records and operational logs.
• Support installation of standard BMD OPSLOOP Voice Systems.
• Provide user assistance before, during, and after meetings.

Additional support may be requested to augment the baseline staff for large conferences, VIP meetings, or high-visibility events.

3. INTRODUCTION

NATO Digital Workplace Centre (NDWC), part of NCI Agency, provides simple yet innovative solutions that underpin the Digital Transformation of NATO by providing a feature-rich Digital Workplace, which enables NATO staff members to connect, communicate, and collaborate.

Shared Workspace service area delivers the following user-facing services to NATO Commands, NATO Force structure and Nations in all 32 Allied Nations:

Printing, scanning and copying services, client frontend provisioning, management, operation and lifecycle across multiple separate networks of different classifications.

Voice and Video conferencing server backend and frontend devices and rooms, maintenance, management, operation and troubleshooting across multiple separate networks of different classifications.

AV/VTC service is designed to give value-added auditory and visual experience to the customers and users while doing their consultation sessions or briefings using the latest technology available.

The services integrate with other services and enable NATO-specific functional applications higher up the software stack. Through several on-going streams of work in Q4’24 and onwards, the services are rapidly evolving from using fully on-premise to a mixture of on-premise and public cloud technologies.

4. PURCHASER SUPPORT STRUCTURE

The Purchaser support structure is organized into three levels:

Level 1 (L1): Centralized Service Desk providing virtual first-line support.

Level 2 (L2): On-site technical support, including touch-labor and specialized support provided by the CIS Support Unit or IT Service Kiosk.

Level 3 (L3): Centralized engineering support provided by specialist technical teams.

a. Deliverables

The principal deliverable of this Statement of Work (SoW) is the provision and continuous delivery of the BMD OPSLOOP Voice Service (hereinafter referred to as the “Service”).

The Contractor shall:

i. BMD OPSLOOP Voice Implementation

Provide first level of support to end users for daily business.

Ensure that BMD OPSLOOP Voice services are functional and fully operational.

Perform first-line troubleshooting, conduct daily preventive readiness checks of BMD OPSLOOP Voice systems, escalate issues as required and maintain incident records and operational logs.

Support the installation of standard BMD OPSLOOP Voice Systems.

KPI: Service availability: Measurement and target: ≥99.5% availability during agreed operational/service hours, excluding approved maintenance and external dependencies. Acceptance criteria: Availability report demonstrates achievement of target; all exclusions are documented and approved. Evidence: Monitoring report, outage records, maintenance calendar.

KPI: Daily readiness checks: Measurement and target: 100% of scheduled checks completed; ≥98% completed within the agreed daily time window. Acceptance criteria: Checklist completed for every scheduled operational day; exceptions documented, actioned and escalated. Evidence: Signed/electronic checklists, operational logs.

KPI: First-line response: Measurement and target: ≥95% of incidents acknowledged within the applicable SLA; 100% of critical incidents acknowledged within the critical-incident SLA. Acceptance criteria: Service-management records contain timestamps, categorisation, actions and status. Evidence: Incident records and SLA report.

KPI: First-line resolution: Measurement and target: ≥80% of incidents within the agreed first-line scope resolved without unnecessary escalation. Acceptance criteria: Resolution rate achieved; unresolved incidents correctly escalated with diagnostic evidence. Evidence: Incident and escalation records.

KPI: Escalation timeliness: Measurement and target: ≥95% of issues outside first-line scope escalated within the agreed SLA; 100% of critical issues escalated immediately in accordance with procedures. Acceptance criteria: Escalations include impact, priority, troubleshooting performed and supporting logs. Evidence: Tickets, escalation notices, operational logs.

KPI: Record completeness: Measurement and target: ≥98% of incidents and operational events recorded accurately; 100% of critical incidents fully documented. Acceptance criteria: Mandatory fields completed, including cause/symptoms, actions, timestamps, affected configuration items and resolution. Evidence: Incident-record quality sample.

KPI: Standard installation success: Measurement and target: ≥95% of installations accepted at first verification; 100% supported by installation and test records. Acceptance criteria: Installation follows approved baseline; functional test passed; configuration and asset records updated. Evidence: Installation checklist, test results, configuration records.

KPI: User support satisfaction: Measurement and target: ≥85% positive satisfaction or agreed equivalent score, subject to a representative response level. Acceptance criteria: Survey results meet target; material complaints are addressed through corrective actions. Evidence: Survey results and action log.

The deliverable is accepted when:

• The agreed support coverage was provided throughout the period.
• Availability and readiness-check targets were achieved.
• Incidents were handled, documented and escalated according to approved procedures and SLAs.
• Standard installations passed functional and configuration verification.
• No unresolved critical failure attributable to the contractor remains at the acceptance date, unless an approved corrective-action plan exists.

ii. Maintenance

Preventive maintenance, readiness checks, and escalation of complex issues.

Monitor BMD OPSLOOP Voice systems availability, reliability, and performance.

Analyze incident service request, and fault trends to identify recurring issues and improvement opportunities.

KPI: Preventive-maintenance completion: Measurement and target: 100% of scheduled preventive-maintenance activities completed; ≥95% completed by the planned date. Acceptance criteria: Maintenance tasks completed against the approved schedule; deferrals formally authorised. Evidence: Maintenance schedule, work orders and checklists.

KPI: Post-maintenance functionality: Measurement and target: 100% of maintained systems pass post-maintenance functional and readiness testing. Acceptance criteria: Test results demonstrate restoration to the approved operational baseline. Evidence: Test records and readiness confirmation.

KPI: System availability: Measurement and target: ≥99.5% during agreed service hours, excluding approved maintenance and accepted dependencies. Acceptance criteria: Availability report reconciles monitoring data with incident and maintenance records. Evidence: Monitoring and availability reports.

KPI: Reliability: Measurement and target: No deterioration against the agreed baseline; target reduction of ≥10% in recurring service-affecting faults where sufficient baseline data exists. Acceptance criteria: Reliability trend is stable or improving; adverse trends have documented corrective actions. Evidence: MTBF/fault-frequency trend report.

KPI: Performance compliance: Measurement and target: ≥95% of monitored components remain within agreed performance thresholds. Acceptance criteria: Threshold breaches are recorded, investigated and resolved or covered by an approved action plan. Evidence: Performance dashboard and alert records.

KPI: Maintenance-related incidents: Measurement and target: No critical incident caused by unauthorised or incorrectly performed maintenance. Acceptance criteria: All changes traceable to approved procedures; any maintenance-induced issue has completed root-cause analysis. Evidence: Change, incident and RCA records.

KPI: Trend analysis: Measurement and target: Monthly or Work Package-period analysis covering 100% of critical/high incidents and statistically significant recurring faults. Acceptance criteria: Report identifies recurring issues, causes, operational impact, priorities and recommended actions. Evidence: Trend-analysis report.

KPI: Corrective-action closure: Measurement and target: ≥90% of agreed maintenance actions completed by their due dates. Acceptance criteria: Overdue actions have approved revised dates and documented justification. Evidence: Corrective-action tracker.

KPI: Complex-issue escalation: Measurement and target: ≥95% escalated within the applicable SLA with complete technical information. Acceptance criteria: Receiving support level confirms sufficient diagnostic evidence was provided. Evidence: Escalation records and ticket audit.

The maintenance deliverable is accepted when:

• All scheduled maintenance and readiness checks were completed or formally deferred.
• Maintained systems passed post-maintenance testing.
• Availability, reliability and performance results met the applicable targets.
• Recurring faults were analysed and improvement actions proposed.
• Maintenance, incident, problem and escalation records are complete and traceable.

Continual Service Improvement

Proactive, structured and measurable continual approach ensuring BMD OPSLOOP Voice services evolve in line with the Agency’s needs while maintaining service stability and compliance.

Continuously improve the quality and efficiency of BMD OPSLOOP Voice services by monitoring and maintaining a healthy frontend environment, thus reducing the need for support.

Identify and provide opportunities for continuous service improvements.

KPI: CSI opportunity identification: Measurement and target: Minimum number established per Work Package — recommended: at least 2 substantiated opportunities per quarter. Acceptance criteria: Each opportunity includes problem statement, evidence, expected benefit, risk, effort, owner and priority. Evidence: CSI register and improvement proposals.

KPI: CSI assessment timeliness: Measurement and target: 100% of identified opportunities assessed within 20 working days or the Work Package timescale. Acceptance criteria: Opportunities are accepted, rejected, deferred or referred for approval with documented rationale. Evidence: CSI decision log.

KPI: Approved improvement delivery: Measurement and target: ≥90% of approved actions completed by the agreed due date. Acceptance criteria: Implementation and validation evidence provided; delays formally approved. Evidence: Improvement plan and completion records.

KPI: Measurable service benefit: Measurement and target: ≥80% of implemented improvements achieve their agreed success measure within the evaluation period. Acceptance criteria: Before-and-after results demonstrate the anticipated benefit or contain documented lessons learned. Evidence: Benefits-realisation report.

KPI: Support-demand reduction: Measurement and target: Target ≥10% reduction in avoidable/repetitive incidents against the agreed baseline, where statistically valid. Acceptance criteria: Reduction demonstrated using comparable periods, volumes and incident classifications. Evidence: Incident trend and baseline comparison.

KPI: Frontend environment health: Measurement and target: ≥95% compliance with agreed health thresholds; no unresolved critical health finding beyond its approved due date. Acceptance criteria: Monitoring shows stable or improving health; threshold breaches have corrective actions. Evidence: Health dashboard and action register.

KPI: Service stability after improvement: Measurement and target: 100% of changes implemented through approved change processes; no unmitigated critical incident caused by an improvement. Acceptance criteria: Change validation completed and rollback arrangements evidenced where applicable. Evidence: Change records, validation and post-implementation review.

KPI: Compliance preservation: Measurement and target: 100% of implemented improvements comply with applicable security, configuration, documentation and operational requirements. Acceptance criteria: Required reviews and approvals obtained; documentation and configuration baselines updated. Evidence: Compliance checklist and approval records.

KPI: Stakeholder acceptance: Measurement and target: ≥85% of sampled stakeholders confirm that delivered improvements provide the intended operational benefit. Acceptance criteria: Feedback collected after implementation and material concerns actioned. Evidence: Feedback and acceptance records.

The CSI deliverable is accepted when:

• A structured CSI register was maintained.
• Improvement opportunities were evidence-based, prioritised and assessed.
• Approved improvements were implemented through the appropriate governance and change processes.
• Benefits were measured against an agreed baseline.
• Service stability, security and compliance were preserved.
• Documentation, monitoring thresholds and operational procedures were updated as necessary.

Activities and tasks mentioned above will either have combinations or a single focus based on the requirements of the organization at each Work Package.

5. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

2026 BASE performance

Deliverable 01: Provision and on-going delivery of BMD OPSLOOP Voice Services.

Payment Milestones: Monthly, upon completion of monthly services in accordance with the performance indicators and service levels defined above, including SLA compliance, ticket resolution, system availability, security compliance, reporting, and user support/training activities.

2027, 2028 OPTIONAL performance

Deliverable 01: Provision and on-going delivery of BMD OPSLOOP Voice Services.

Quantity: Max. 12 Work Packages.

Payment Milestones: Monthly, upon completion of monthly services in accordance with the performance indicators and service levels defined above, including SLA compliance, ticket resolution, system availability, security compliance, reporting, and user support/training activities.

Since each Work Package may contain one, several, or all three service areas, the payment weighting should be established in the Work Package Order before execution.

a. Work Package payment model

Each Work Package defines its applicable service areas and allocates 100% of its value accordingly.

Operations-focused: 60% Implementation and operations, 30% Maintenance, 10% CSI.

Balanced service support: 45% Implementation and operations, 35% Maintenance, 20% CSI.

Maintenance-focused: 25% Implementation and operations, 60% Maintenance, 15% CSI.

Improvement-focused: 25% Implementation and operations, 25% Maintenance, 50% CSI.

Single-focus Work Package: 100% to the applicable area.

Within each service area, payment is divided as follows:

Implementation and operations payment allocation

Availability and operational readiness: 35%.

Incident response, resolution and escalation: 30%.

Operational records and reporting: 15%.

Standard installations and verification: 15%.

User satisfaction and service quality: 5%.

Total: 100%.

Maintenance payment allocation

Preventive maintenance and readiness checks: 30%.

Availability, reliability and performance: 30%.

Post-maintenance testing and configuration control: 15%.

Incident/fault trend analysis: 15%.

Corrective-action closure and reporting: 10%.

Total: 100%.

CSI payment allocation

CSI register and opportunity assessment: 20%.

Approved improvement implementation: 35%.

Measured benefits and support-demand reduction: 25%.

Stability, compliance and change control: 15%.

Stakeholder acceptance and documentation: 5%.

Total: 100%.

KPI-based payment calculation

For each payment component: Payable amount = Work Package value × component weight × performance factor.

KPI target fully achieved: Performance factor 100%.

Minor shortfall; no material operational impact and corrective action accepted: Performance factor 90%.

Moderate shortfall or repeated minor non-conformity: Performance factor 75%.

Material shortfall affecting service quality, but deliverable remains usable: Performance factor 50%.

Critical acceptance criterion not met: Performance factor 0%; payment withheld pending remediation.

Payment for each deliverable shall equal the deliverable value multiplied by the weighted achievement of its applicable KPI components. Amounts associated with remediable shortfalls shall be withheld and may be released following corrective action and successful re-verification within the agreed cure period. Failure to meet a mandatory acceptance criterion shall result in withholding of the affected component until acceptance is achieved. Critical criteria — such as operational availability, completion of daily readiness checks, correct escalation of critical incidents, post-maintenance functional testing, security compliance and configuration control — are to be treated as mandatory gates.

For recurring Work Packages, monthly payment with quarterly reconciliation will be used:

• 80% of the monthly Work Package value: paid following acceptance of the monthly operational, maintenance and CSI evidence.
• 15% performance retention: released quarterly based on aggregated KPI achievement.
• 5% final retention: released at Work Package closure following completion of outstanding actions, records, documentation and handover.

For short, milestone-based Work Packages:

• 20% upon approval of the Work Package plan, baseline and readiness arrangements.
• 60% upon completion of the operational, maintenance or improvement activities and achievement of the principal KPIs.
• 20% upon final acceptance, including reporting, documentation, corrective-action closure and handover.

7. PENALTIES AND INCENTIVES

Any penalties are subject to contract discussions.

8. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• NATO security policy compliance.
• Valid security clearance required.
• Qualified and experienced personnel.
• English language proficiency.
• Stable team with minimal rotation.
• Purchaser approval for personnel changes.
• Proper handling of PFE equipment.
• Use of ITSM system mandatory.
• Immediate escalation of blocking issues.
• End-user impact must be minimized.

9. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The Service will be delivered in Mons, Belgium in a typical office environment designated as a Class II Security Area. No travel required.

10. SCHEDULE

The BASE period of performance is September 1, 2026 (tentative) and will end December 31, 2026. If the 2027 option is exercised, the period of performance is January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027. If the 2028 option is exercised, the period of performance is January 1, 2028 to December 31, 2028.

11. SECURITY

The security classification of the service will be up to NATO SECRET, preferable in progress of upgrade to NATO Cosmic Top Secret. The contractor providing the services under this SOW is required to hold a valid CTS clearance (NATO SECRET security clearance is accepted with CTS in progress – deadline to have CTS in place by end of October 2026).

12. QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

Requirements

11. SECURITY

• The contractor providing the services under this SOW is required to hold a valid NATO COSMIC TOP SECRET clearance (NATO SECRET security clearance is accepted with CTS in progress – deadline to have CTS in place by end of October 2026).

12. QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent practical experience and industry certifications will also be considered.

Experience

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience and strong knowledge of managing OpenScape Alarm Response (OScAR) server, including Cisco Voice Technologies such as Cisco CUCM, Cisco CUBE, and Cisco UCCX, and the ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues and support software and basic associated network related problems.
• Proven experience (3+ years) and knowledge of managing call distribution lists, voice mailboxes, ISDN, and TDM technologies, and troubleshooting on Legacy TDM PABX integration to Cisco Voice Technologies.
• Proven experience (2+ years) and good knowledge of monitoring platforms such as nGeniusOne, CA Performance Management, and CA Spectrum.
• Good knowledge in managing VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter.
• Basic knowledge in JavaScript, Python, or similar scripting languages.
• Knowledge and experience either working with or being in the military IT capacity specialized on telephony service products (Cisco, legacy PABX, etc.) delivering support of exercises or operations, including knowledge of use case scenarios of telephony service products (Cisco, legacy PABX, OScAR, etc.) in exercise and operations as well as day-to-day operational requirements of military bodies.
• Proficiency in troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues.
• Knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy, and Windows Update management.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for user support and training.
• Familiarity with IT best practices (ITIL) and tools.
• Experience with IT service management (ITSM) tools.
• Familiarity with IP networking fundamentals related to OScAR servers.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of IT security best practices.

Language Proficiency

• Level 3 English language skills according to NATO STANAG 6001: Listening (3); Speaking (2); Reading (3); and Writing (2), or according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, level B2-C1/Upper Intermediate-Advanced.