Deadline Date: Friday 28 March 2025
Requirement: Asset Management Process Design and Implementation Support
Location: Mons, BE
Full Time On-Site: Yes
Time On-Site: 100%
Period of Performance: 2025 BASE: As soon as possible not later than 1st May 2025 – 31st December 2025 with possibility to exercise the following options:
2026 Option: 1st January 2026 until 31st December 2026
2027 Option: 1st January 2027 until 31st December 2027
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
1 BACKGROUND
The NCIA has been established with a view to meeting the collective requirements of some or all NATO nations in the fields of capability delivery and service provision related to Consultation, Command & Control as well as Communications, Information and Cyber Defence functions, thereby also facilitating the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition functions and their associated information exchange.
2 INTRODUCTION
This is a position within the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Chief Service Operations (CSO)
CSO is accountable for the day-to-day oversight of CIS services throughout the Area of Responsibility (AOR). We are responsible for CIS operational situational awareness to the GM and Chief of Staff (COS) and act as CIS operational coordination authority for day-to-day in-service support across the Agency's portfolio.
NCIA Asset Management Branch (AMB) Team
The Asset Management Branch facilitates and accounts for all lifecycle aspects of the Asset Management and Logistics within the NCIA. It coordinates all asset management aspects with internal and external entities and provides a full in-depth view on all related data to enable command and control within NATO Organizations. The asset Management Branch supports NCI Agency's ability to account accurately for all assets in operational requirements and financial statements, support services and operations.
3 OBJECTIVES
Support AMB in the execution of the migration and implementation plan and complete the data migration as designed by overarching outsourced Asset Management Process design project.
4 SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of this Contract includes the verification and implementation of selected level 4 Asset Management Life Cycle Processes, through Subject Matter. This shall comprise the preparation of detailed designs and the implementation of selected processes in coordination with other NCIA entities:
The selected Contractor’s personnel will be working under the guidance and as an integral part of the Purchaser’s team, within the scope of work this Contract. The work is executed in sprints, 4 sprints a year are planned, with every sprint requiring similar deliverables as described below. The content and scope of each sprint will be agreed with the project manager and technical staff during the sprint-planning meeting, in writing.
Each sprint (type 1) has a duration of 3 months.
Each sprint (type 2) has a duration of 1 Month
High Level Deliverables:
1. Verification and implementation of selected level 4 Asset Management Life Cycle Processes.
2. Preparation of detailed designs and the implementation of selected processes in coordination with other NCIA entities.
3. Align with NCIA staff on the coordination and steering of other overarching and related projects.
Detailed Sprint Deliverables:
D.1 Project Guidance and Coordination
D.1.1 The Contractor shall produce detailed Asset Management Process Design Document, including:
• process maps,
• workflows,
• KPIs
linked to the contractors progress on the overarching outsourced process design project.
D.1.2 The Contractor shall produce a detailed design for the Enterprise SMC Access Management toolset. Coordinate the implementation of updated layer 4 processes into Asset Management System when provided by the contractor of the overarching outsourced process design project.
D.1.3 Execute the migration plan and completed data migration as designed by overarching outsourced process design project.
D.1.4 Review the user training materials and Admin training materials as provided by overarching outsourced process design project
D.1.5 The Contractor shall produce a detailed design for the Change Management toolset.
D.1.6 The Contractor shall provide Post-implementation Support.
D.1.7 The Contractor shall coordinate the process change management
D.2 Implementation
D.2.1 The Contractor shall clarify, document, review, prioritise and coordinate the Asset Management Improvements/Issues List.
D.2.2 The Contractor shall plan, drive and lead/support multiple Process improvement work streams and activities within the Asset Management branch and proactively monitor progress, resolve roadblocks and initiate appropriate corrective action.
D.2.3 The Contractor shall plan, organise and (co-)facilitate workshops with key stakeholders across the Agency to establish detailed process understanding and requirements for improvement
D.2.4 The Contractor shall organise and lead the necessary business scoping and design activities to arrive at pragmatic solutions that enable the implemented successfully in the Agency’s ERP context
D.2.5 The Contractor shall ensure business and other Agency stakeholders are aware of the implications of planned changes, and that they are sufficiently well informed to prepare their business areas, revising procedures and staff guidelines as necessary.
D.2.6 The Contractor shall initiate extra activities and other management interventions wherever gaps in the processes are identified or issues arise
D.2.7 The Contractor shall monitor the issues / improvements and reporting on the progress of the different work streams at regular intervals to the branch/project.
D.2.8 The Contractor shall assign tasks to team members to ensure work stream objectives are completed.
D.2.9 The Contractor shall be able to cover the above in the domain of the list of areas / improvements to be coordinated, prioritized and tackled at the level 4.
• Local Stock management
• Asset Write-off / Disposal process
• Procure-to-Pay Process
• Spare Parts / Consumables / Urgent Needs
• Asset Management Principles
• Roles & Responsibilities
• Communication & Alignment
D.3 Handover Sprints
D.3.1 The Contractor shall handover to Purchaser team all developed designs, installation, configuration files and their related documentation of the completed Tasks related to the implementation of Enterprise SMC toolsets
D.3.2 The Contractor shall handover to Purchaser team all documentation, developed designs, installation, configuration files and their related documentation of the completed Tasks related to the integration of Federated Mission Network
Due to the AGILE approach of this project, there is a need to define a set of specific arrangements between the NCI Agency and the contractor that specifically defines the deliverables to be provided for each sprint as well as their associated acceptance criteria. This includes planning, execution and review processes, which are detailed below:
• Planning
• Planning session (Kick-off) in the first week of every sprint
• Agree on the required level of effort and scope of the various deliverables
• Execution
• Bi-weekly updates on progress, planned in the overarching project plan
• On-demand evaluation or review sessions to coordinate progress and mitigate impacting topics
• Review
• Contractor performance and areas of improvements review (monthly)
• Sprint review session in the last week of every sprint.
• Payments
• For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of their work during the sprint. Verbally during the above execution updates and in writing as preparation for the sprint review session.
• Annex A and Annex B below must be sent by email to the NCIA AMB Branch mailbox (email) listing all the work achieved against the agreed tasking list sent for the sprint.
• The contractor’s payment for each sprint will be depending upon achievement of agreed Acceptance Criteria for each task, defined at the beginning of each planning stage, in line with the deliverables.
• The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance as set in the above planning/review meetings. This will follow the payment milestones that shall include a completed Deliverable acceptance Sheet (DAS) – Annex B
• Invoices shall be accompanied with the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – Annex B, signed by the contractor and project authority.
• If the contractor fails to meet the agreed Acceptance Criteria for any task, the NCIA reserves the right to withhold payment for the task/sprint
5 DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES
5.1 The following deliverables are expected from this statement of work:
1) Complete the activities/tasks agreed in each sprint planning meeting as per sections 2 and 3 above.
2) Produce task completion reports (format: e-mail update), which include details of activities performed and the list of the deliverables of the week.
3) The Contractor will participate in the daily reporting and planning activities (daily stand-ups) as well as the required participation in workshops, events and conferences related to the supported services, as requested by the Service Delivery Manager.
5.2 Payment Schedule will be according to payment milestones upon completion of every individual sprints. Upon completion and validation of each sprint and at the end of the quarterly milestone, following the acceptance of the sprint report.
5.3 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.
5.4 The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the sprint report and the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B)
5.5 Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (Annex B) signed by the Contractor and the NCIA POC.
Deliverable: Sprint Type 1 (Max 4 sprints per full calendar year; Number of sprints will be adjusted based on actual starting date): Project Guidance and Coordination D1.1 – D1.7; Implementation D.2.1 - D2.9
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of a sprint. Completion of each sprint shall be accompanied documented in Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B), signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact and the Contractor
Comments: In case, due to starting date, first or last sprint in the calendar year will not be a full sprint (3 months) then partial payment of a sprint will be allowed – in this case related payment for this partial sprint will be calculated pro-ratio.
Deliverable: Sprint Type 2 (1 sprint per calendar year – see comments column): Handover D3.1 – D3.2
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of a sprint. Completion of each sprint shall be accompanied documented in Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B), signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact and the Contractor
Comments: Handover Deliverables are applicable for the last sprint: Sprint 3 of 2025; Sprint 4 of 2026; Sprint 4 of 2027
6 COORDINATION AND REPORTING
6.1 The Contractor shall deliver services 100% on site at NCI Agency HQ, Mons, Belgium.
6.2 At the NCI Agency or other NATO sites, the highest level of classification that contractor may need to access is NATO SECRET (NS). As a result of this contractor must hold a valid NATO SECRET Security Clearance.
6.3 The contractor shall report to the CSO Head Asset Management.
6.4 The contractor shall participate in weekly status update meetings, activity planning and other meetings as instructed, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the Team Leaders instructions.
6.5 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 end date. A report in the format of a short email shall be sent to NCI Agency POC briefly mentioning the work held and the achievements during the sprint.
6.6 For Each Sprint, during execution, the contractor shall submit Annex A – Monthly Progress Report.
7 SCHEDULE
7.1 It is expected the service starts as soon as possible but no later than 1st May 2025 and ending no later than 31st December 2025.
7.2 If the 2026 option is exercised, the period of performance is 01st January 2026 to 31st December 2026
7.3 If the 2027 option is exercised, the period of performance is 01st January 2027 to 31st December 2027
7.4 The work will be conducted during normal office hours following the NCIA Mons calendar, as well as outside office hours and on weekends, if necessary.
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 support, maintenance, documentation and required code will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCI Agency tools.
8.3 All developed solutions, tools and code under this project will be property of the NCI Agency.
9 SECURITY
9.1 The performance of these services require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.
9.2 The expected classification level of the deliverables is NATO SECRET.
9.3 The execution of the services may require the consultants to access information, as well as CIS systems, classified up to NATO SECRET
10 PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
10.1 This is a deliverables-based contract.
10.2 The contractor will be required to provide the service 100% on site at NCI Agency HQ, Mons, Belgium. Exceptional teleworking form location country activities to support service delivery can also be arranged with the line manager’s coordination and approval.
10.3 NCIA will provide access to relevant networks and resources as required by the project.
10.4 The work depicted in this SOW is expected to be carried by a single contractor.
10.5 Contractor will be part of the NCIA CSO Asset Management Branch team.
11 TRAVEL
11.1 There may be requirements to travel to other sites within NATO for completing these tasks.
11.2 Travel costs are in scope and are included in the cost ceiling indications.
12 QUALIFICATIONS
[See Requirements]
13 LANGUAGE OF PERFORMANCE
[See Requirements]
Requirements
9 SECURITY
* The performance of these services require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.
12 QUALIFICATIONS
12.1 The consultancy support for this service requires following qualifications:
12.2 Essential qualifications
* A university degree in computer science or a related scientific or engineering discipline. The lack of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of particular abilities or experience of interest to the Agency;
* Extensive relevant and recent experience (at least 10 years) all;
* IT Service Management experience in a military service provider environment;
* Knowledge of applying ITIL or corresponding service management industry framework;
* Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements;
* Experience working within process/system transformation initiatives in the areas of (IT) Asset Management, Finance and Procurement;
* Experience in delivering and driving transversal change programs finance, procurement or Asset Management world, coordinating and prioritizing issues / improvements, driving complex changes throughout the full Asset lifecycle using a pragmatic/agile approach;
* Experience with setting up projects and work streams, documenting and analysing issues, preparing cross functional workshops,… following through execution of those projects and work streams with a history of achieving results;
* Experience with design and implementation of new or improved processes, procedures or organizations using a pragmatic approach while securing buy-in and support from key stakeholders;
* Prior experience working at NATO Communication and Information Agency. Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements; Knowledge of asset management lifecycle processes and best practices;
* Knowledge in the area of stock management, procure-to-pay process, obsolescence management, asset disposal, asset impairment, barcode scanning solutions, software assets, cryptographic assets, and assets under constructions;
* Prior experience with Oracle ERP (EBS) and Business Intelligence;
12.3 Desirable qualifications
* Project Management, Prince 2;
* Experience in defining and maintaining Enterprise Architectures;
* ITIL Process development;
* Microsoft SharePoint;
* Prior experience working with external contractors for delivery of services and following budget execution;
* Prior experience with Atlassian Jira;
* Proven experience in customer focused roles and customers relationship management;
* Able to operate autonomously under time pressure, and able to multitask continuously;
* Ability to independently produce project documentation in English, including comprehensive Price Proposals and Statements of Work, Memoranda of Decision, etc;
* Ability to interact and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders (including customers) as per the principles and best practices for stakeholder management;
* Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO, ACT;
* Technical management and leadership experience;
* Knowledge of NATO’s secondary language (French);
13 LANGUAGE OF PERFORMANCE
* All work under this contract, both oral and written, is conducted in English. Proficiency in the English language (listening, speaking, reading and writing) is required.
* Knowledge of the second NATO language (French) appreciated.