2024-0283 Support Space Portfolio Coordination (NS) - WED 27 Nov

Deadline Date: Wednesday 27 November 2024

Requirement: Support Space Portfolio Coordination

Location: The Hague, NL

Full Time On-Site: Yes

Time On-Site: 100%

Period of Performance: BASE period: 2nd January 2025 – 22nd December 2025 with the possibility to exercise following option:

2026 OPTION period: 1st January 2026 until 31st December 2026

Required Security Clearance: NATO Secret

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) located in The Hague, Netherlands, is currently involved in the development and support of new and existing capabilities for NATO.

1.2 In light of these activities and in response to the NATO Overarching Space Policy as well as the declaration of Space as an Operational Domain, NATO has organised itself to keep pace with the evolving needs of the Alliance.

1.3 Within NCIA Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the Space Technology Adoption and Resilience (STAR) team, will enable the exploitation of Space technology for NATO’s defence and deterrence, ensuring NATO’s technological edge for secure, resilient and effective employment of Space technologies for the Alliance.

1.4 STAR will develop and execute a technology strategy and associated roadmap for Space (CTO) and coordinate Space business delivery from within the NCIA Business Areas (COO). The STAR Team will provide technical expertise and strategic advice on Space for the benefit of the Alliance, design Space-based future services and foster their resilient integration into Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). In line with strategic guidance and Space policy, the new STAR Team will provide the Alliance with technical expertise and strategic advice on Space, ensuring NCIA continues to provide applicable products, services and operational capability, taking resiliency from inception in line with the new NATO Strategic Concept.

2. OBJECTIVES

2.1 This Statement of Work (SOW) describes the work necessary to support the space related Portfolio, Programme and Project management activities of the STAR branch within NCIA CTO.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 The contractor will be part of a team and will work using an Agile and iterative approach using multiple sprints. Each sprint is planned for an approximate duration of 4 weeks with an average 38 hours per week. The content and scope of each sprint will be agreed with the service delivery manager during the sprint-planning meeting, in writing.

3.2 The work shall be carried out in sprints whereby each sprint is independent. The engineer will be required to respond, document, categorize and solve all the assigned tickets according to the internal processes and procedures. The work will be executed mainly onsite, but some sprints might require offsite at other NATO locations. Generally, remote work cannot be performed offsite since the nature and classification of the work requires the incumbent to be present in the office with access to classified networks.

3.3 Under the direction of the CTO-STAR Head, the service provider will provide services related to the following main sprint activities as listed below:

3.3.1 Support STAR Team: Provide STAR Portfolio/Programme/Project status and progress overview to managers across all STAR activities.

3.3.2 Establish a Document Repository: Create and maintain an organized, up-to-date repository for all portfolio project documents, ensuring proper version control and categorization for easy retrieval.

3.3.3 Prepare Status Reports: Compile and analyse project data, track key metrics, and deliver timely status reports to stakeholders, summarizing project progress, identifying risks, and highlighting critical updates.

3.3.4 Coordinate Portfolio Meetings: Schedule and organize portfolio-related meetings, including preparing Calling Notices and Agendas, ensuring availability of pre-meeting materials, recording minutes, distributing notes, and tracking action items for follow-up.

3.3.5 Facilitate Communication: Act as a liaison between portfolio managers and project teams, ensuring effective communication and timely dissemination of updates while addressing stakeholder queries.

3.3.6 Manage Portfolio Tools and Systems: Oversee the management and updating of all portfolio management tools and systems (including Rigel, Orion, and SharePoint STAR portals), ensuring they function correctly and maintain accurate tracking of project milestones, timelines, and budgets.

3.3.7 Support Awareness Initiatives: Collaborate with the STAR team to promote understanding of the importance of Space through targeted communication strategies, educational workshops, and outreach efforts to engage stakeholders.

3.3.8 Monitor Project Budgets: Track project budgets and expenditures to ensure alignment with financial goals, assisting in the preparation of financial reports and variance analyses.

3.3.9 Develop Administrative Support Materials: Create and update standard operating procedures checklists for internal and external processes, develop presentations, and prepare read-ahead packages for newcomers in the STAR team, detailing STAR activities and projects as requested by the Project Manager.

4 PAYMENT MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES

The following deliverables are expected from this statement of work:

4.1 Complete the activities/tasks agreed in each spring meeting as per sections 2 and 3 above.

1) Produce sprint completion reports (format: e-mail update), which include details of activities performed. Specifically, tasks requested for internal activities (traceable), up to date centralised digital repository with categorised folders for each project overview, quarterly APSS financial reports, monthly all project overview and status reports, real-time project tracking and visualisation via dashboard, calendar overview on upcoming events and team updates with dates, agendas and materials, overview on workshop materials and SOPs update.

Payment Schedule will be at the end of each sprint of four working weeks, following the acceptance of the sprint report.

The NCIA team reserves the possibility to exercise a number of options, based on the same scrum deliverable timeframe, at a later time, depending on the project priorities and requirements.

The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the sprint report and the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B) including the EBA Receipt number. Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (Annex B) signed by the Contractor and the NCIA POC.

4.1 2025 BASE: 02 January 2025 – 31 December 2025

Deliverable 01: Sprints

Quantity: 12

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each sprint and at the end of the work.

4.2 2026 OPTION: 01 January 2026 to 31 December 2026

Deliverable: Up to 12 Sprints

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each sprint and at the end of the work.

5. COORDINATION AND REPORTING

5.1 The Contractor shall deliver services on-site in NCIA The Hague.

5.2 The contractor shall report to the CTO-STAR Head.

5.3 The Contractor shall participate in monthly status update meetings and other meetings, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to service delivery manager’s instructions.

5.4 For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of his/her work during the sprint, first verbally during the retrospective meeting and then in writing, within three (3) working days after the sprint’s end date. A report in the format of a short email shall be sent to NCI Agency point of contact briefly mentioning the work held and the development achievements during the sprint.

6. SCHEDULE

6.1 This task order will be active immediately after signing of the contract by both parties.

6.2 The BASE period of performance is 01st January 2025 and will end no later than 31st December 2025.

6.3 If the 2026 onwards option is exercised, the period of performance is 01st January 2026 to 31st December 2026.

7. SECURITY

7.1 Performance of the services described in this SOW require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance prior to the start of the engagement.

8. CONSTRAINTS

8.1 All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on NCI Agency templates or agreed with project point of contact.

8.2 All scripts, documentation and required code will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCI Agency tools.

9. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

9.1 This is a deliverables-based contract.

9.2 The contractor shall provide services On-site NCIA The Hague, NLD. Exceptional off-site activities to support service delivery can also be arranged with the line manager’s coordination and approval.

9.3 There may be requirements to travel to other sites within NATO for completing these tasks.

9.4 Travel costs are out of scope and will be borne by the NCI Agency separately in accordance to the provisions of the AAS+ Framework Contract.

9.5 The work depicted in this SOW is expected to be carried by a single contractor.

10. QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

Requirements

7. SECURITY

• Performance of the services described in this SOW require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance prior to the start of the engagement.

10. QUALIFICATIONS

The consultancy support for this work requires following qualifications:

10.1 Technical Qualifications

• Experience in creating and managing dashboards in SharePoint;
• Experience in the management of ORION and RIGEL platforms;
• Proficient in relevant software and tools for project management and reporting;

10.2 Essential Qualifications

• Strong analytical skills with a focus on problem-solving and decision-making;
• Advanced research and analytical skills;
• Understanding of the NATO Space priorities;
• Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization;
• 5+ years of experience in Office Administration, including in-processing and out-processing, purchase requisitions, reporting, and project coordination;
• Experience working in Space Domain projects and programmes;
• Experience with ‘Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space’ programme related activities;
• Experience in organizing conferences and events and coordinating with various stakeholders;

10.3 Desirable Qualifications

• Experience or strong interest in Space technologies;
• Willingness to adapt to new technologies and processes to enhance operational efficiency;
• Certification or proven experience working in the Space Domain and Space educational workshops;
• Knowledge of NATO Space projects and programmes;
• Knowing and understanding the key players in the NATO Space enterprise for prompt coordination;

10.4 Professional Qualifications

• Motivated, good communication skills, team player;
• Strong listening, writing, and communication skills in English;
• Strong and persuasive communication and negotiation skills;
• Comfortable performing in a fast-paced, dynamic environment;
• Proactive and demonstrates a high interest in learning and continuous improvement;
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail;
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, enabling effective communication with stakeholders at senior levels;