2026-0040 APSS ISR Data Engineering (NS) - TUE 28 Apr

Bidding Instructions: Technical Proposal

Bidders shall include in the Technical Proposal:

a. CV of candidate, focusing on qualifications defined section 10 in the Statement of work,

b. Technical execution approach for each deliverable.

c. Fixed-price quotation per deliverable (no time-and-materials).

d. Resource and schedule plan.

e. Description of similar completed projects.

f. Assumptions and dependencies, if any.

2. Compliance matrix referring how each candidate meets qualifications listed section 10 justified by relevant (project) experience to carry out the work listed section 3 in the Statement of work.

Deadline Date: Tuesday 28 April 2026

Requirement: APSS ISR Data Engineering

Location: The Hague, NL

Full Time On-Site: Yes

Time On-Site: 100%

Period of Performance: 2026: 1 June – 31 December

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

1. INTRODUCTION

SHAPE and the NCI Agency are jointly delivering the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space Programme. This programme serves NATO and the nations and presents an opportunity to enhance and accelerate situational awareness and decision making through a dedicated programme for the access to shared space data and the integration of the data into NATO systems. Through pioneering the ability of the Alliance to harness space capabilities and deliver operational effect from the Space Domain, this proposal will deliver a step change in the Alliance ability to remain informed through access to Space data.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

Under the direction of the NCI Agency, the incumbent will perform duties to include the following:

• ETL Development: Designing and implementing extraction, transformation, and loading processes to connect various data sources on different networks and domains.  (ETL: Extract, Transform, Load. ETL s a three-phase computing process where data is extracted from an input source, transformed (including cleaning), and loaded into an output data container. In the context of this SOW the data referred to is ISR data (imagery, reports, etc))
• Data Modelling & Pipelines: Developing data pipelines, transformation mappings, and data schemas to enable data centricity, and ensure data consistency and accuracy across platforms.
• System Troubleshooting: Investigating and resolving data flow bottlenecks and technical issues in production environments.
• Collaboration & Documentation: Working with cross-functional teams to define requirements and maintaining documentation for code changes and ETL processes.

3. DELIVERABLES

The contract will be managed through milestone-based deliverables as follows:

1. Deliverable 1 – Document & implement ETL requirements

• Document ETL requirements.
• Configure ETL requirements.
• Test ETL configuration

2. Deliverable 2 – Document & implement configuration control

• Document the configuration control
• Implement the configuration control

3. Deliverable 3 – Document & implement monitoring solution

• Document the monitoring solution
• Implement the monitoring solution
• Test the monitoring solution

4. Deliverable 4 – Document & implement resilience approach

• Document the resilience approach
• Implement the resilience approach
• Test the resilience approach

5. Deliverable 5 – Document & provide admin training on the entire provided solution

• Capture the requirements and approaches from deliverables 1 to 4 in a basic training package
• Provide on-the-job training to admin support engineers

4. COLLABORATION AND OVERSIGHT

The project will be executed in conjunction with the NCIA JISRC APSS team. While access, guidance, and oversight will be provided by internal staff, the vendor holds full responsibility for achieving the outcomes defined in the deliverables.

5. SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT

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

The period of performance is as soon as possible but not later than 1st June 2026 and will end no later than 31 December 2026.

Payments shall be dependent upon the successful acceptance of each deliverable.

All Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS, Annex A) signed by the Contractor and project authority.

In 2026, the following deliverables are expected from the service as set in this statement of work: T0 is the start of Contractor’s work (estimated NLT 1 June 2026). The following deliverables are expected from the work on this statement of work:

2026 Baseline: 1 June to 31 December 2026

Deliverable 01:

Timelines: T0+2 months

Acceptance Criteria: As per Section 6

Deliverable 02:

Timelines: T0+3 months

Acceptance Criteria: As per Section 6

Deliverable 03:

Timelines: T0+4 months

Acceptance Criteria: As per Section 6

Deliverable 04:

Timelines: T0+5 months

Acceptance Criteria: As per Section 6

Deliverable 05:

Timelines: T0+7 months

Acceptance Criteria: As per Section 6

6. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

1. General (apply to all deliverables)

• All activities follow the pre-defined and approved scope.
• No critical or high-severity defects remain open; medium/low issues are documented with a resolution plan.
• All work is documented (approach, scripts, configuration, test evidence) and handed over to internal staff.
• Internal product owner / project lead has reviewed and formally signed off (email or formal acceptance document).

2. Deliverable 1 – Document & implement ETL requirements

• All current ETL requirements are captured and stored in an agreed repository and reviewed by internal staff.
• All configured ETL flows run end to end with automated error handling and logging and witnessed and reviewed by internal staff.
• Performance tests will be executed and the results reviewed and approved by internal stakeholders.

3. Deliverable 2 – Document & implement configuration control

• The configuration control document is captured and stored in an agreed repository and reviewed by internal technical staff.
• The configuration control implementation will provide a visual overview of all the different ETL flows configured with all required detail. This will be reviewed by internal staff.

4. Deliverable 3 – Document & implement monitoring solution

• The monitoring solution document is captured and stored in an agreed repository and reviewed by internal technical staff.
• The monitoring implementation will provide the ability to visualize all ETL flows as well as the platform and their status and provide automated error user notification and logging. This will be reviewed by internal technical staff.
• Performance tests will be executed and the results reviewed and approved by internal stakeholders.

5. Deliverable 4 – Document & implement resilience approach

• The resilience approach document is captured and stored in an agreed repository and reviewed by internal staff.
• Implement a resilience solution. This will be reviewed by internal technical staff.
• Performance tests will be executed and the results reviewed and approved by internal stakeholders.

6. Deliverable 5 – Document & provide admin training on the entire provided solution

• The basic training package is captured and stored in an agreed repository and reviewed by internal technical staff.
• On-the-job training is provided to admin support staff

7. CONSTRAINTS

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

All support, maintenance and documentation will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCIA tools.

All developed solutions under this project will be property of the NCIA.

8. SECURITY

All Contractor personnel / Sub-contractors shall be aware of all security rules pertaining to the handling of NATO classified information.

Personnel Security Clearance (PSC):

A PSC, at the appropriate level, which is valid for the contractual period is required for the contractor personnel performing the contractual duties to access NATO Classified information. In addition, such individuals are required to: Have a need-to-know; Have been briefed on their security obligations in respect to the protection of NATO Classified Information; and Have acknowledged their responsibilities either in writing or an equivalent method which ensures non-repudiation.

It will be required for the contractor access to Class II areas at NCIA facilities, therefore PSC at NATO SECRET level is required as from the start date of the contract.

9. TRAVEL

Daily presence at The Hague, Netherlands, NCIA location is expected to deliver according to performance goals.

All travel costs associated with the delivery of the service should be included in the quoted price. No additional cost for travel (including accommodation, per diem, travel expenses, etc.,) will be claimed separately. All travel arrangements are the responsibility of the contractor.

The contractor will not be requested to travel beyond the main location of NCIA The Hague.

10. QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

11. GENERAL PROVISIONS

It is anticipated that a sole contractor can deliver these services. In the event that the contractor leaves during the contract period, a new contractor, who has the proven required qualifications and is evaluated qualified and suitable, shall replace him/her. The leaving contractor shall provide to the new contractor a training and handover of the performed history of the project. All normal NCIA Terms and Conditions apply.

NCIA Recognised Business hours/Holidays: NCIA -The Hague official holiday schedule applies and will be provided to the contractor.

NCIA Hours of Operations: Monday to Thursday 0830 – 1700 and Friday 0830 – 1500 (CET)

Contractor Furnished Services: Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform the contract except for the items specified and covered under NCIA Furnished Property and Services below.

NCIA Furnished Property and Services: Access to relevant networks can be provided by NCIA as agreed.

8. SECURITY

• It will be required for the contractor access to Class II areas at NCIA facilities, therefore PSC at NATO SECRET level is required as from the start date of the contract.

10. QUALIFICATIONS

The support for this service requires following qualifications:

• Proficiency in implementing data integration patterns with modern ETL tools (e.g., Apache NIFI, Informatica, Talend, SSIS), especially in the context of cloud services (AWS, Azure)
• Practical experience in data modelling and transformation to ingest and integrate data from heterogeneous data sources and systems.
• Experience with data sharing platforms, object stores, and various types of databases, (Relational, NoSQL, Graph, Object, Vector).
• Comfortable using command line interfaces in linux
• Strong problem-solving skills to identify, evaluate, and fix data anomalies.
• Proven ability to deliver results in a fixed, deliverable-based contract model.
• Proven ability to integrate and work in a multinational team.
• Generally, 1-3+ years of experience in data management, software engineering, or related fields.
• Fluent in Business English.