2025-0291 Support for Modern Workplace (NS) - WED 25 Feb RELAUNCH

RFQ was launched as initial selected candidate withdrew and the ones higher priced were considered not compliant due to the following:

• Does not satisfy technical skill requirements: Extensive IT experience, but in areas not related to this job;
• No records of real experience with Power Platform or MS Fabric;
• Extensive senior IT experience, but in areas not related to this job;
• No references to any of the M365 technical areas required for the job;
• Not enough experience with Power Platform Governance; -
• Only secondary involvement with the Power Platform, as app/flow maker rather than gov/mgt;
• No proof of experience with the Power Platform;
• Limited exposure to Power Platform and MS Fabric;
• Related experience only at the last job listed (less than 2 years);
• Vague statements about involvement with Power Platform. No references of work with MS Fabric.

Deadline Date: Wednesday 25 February 2026

Requirement: Support for Modern Workplace

Location: Off-Site

Note: Please refer to your Subcontract Agreement, article 6.4.1.a, which states “Off-Site Discount: 5% (this discount is applicable to all requirements, and applies when the assigned personnel are permitted to work Off-Site, such as at- home)". Please be sure to price this discount in your overall price proposal when submitting bids against off-site RFQs

Period of Performance: BASE period: As soon as possible but not later than 01 st April – 31st December 2026

• 2027 Option: 1st January 2027 until 31st December 2027

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Special Terms and Conditions: Non-disclosure undertaking to be signed

1 INTRODUCTION

Supporting NATO throughout all its geographical locations, the NCI Agency is looking for Support for Modern Workplace, joining the journey of NATO’s modernisation of IT services, through leveraging Microsoft 365 Services, delivering managed, protected, security-centric and reliable IT Services.

NCI Agency – Cloud Operations Team

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is dedicated to supporting NATO's strategic objectives, including the ambitious NATO 2030 agenda. As part of this commitment, we are spearheading the modernization and digital transformation of NATO’s IT services. Our focus is on leveraging public cloud technologies like Microsoft 354, incorporating a security-by-design approach, and ensuring a seamless transition to a modern, collaborative workplace environment.

To achieve these goals, we are building a Cloud Operations Center team under the Cloud Portfolio, operating under the NATO Enterprise Cloud Operating Model (NECOM) and under the guidance of the Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE). The NECOM framework provides a standardized approach for cloud service management, ensuring interoperability, scalability, and security across NATO's IT infrastructure. The Cloud Center of Excellence will serve as a hub for best practices, innovation, and expertise, driving the adoption and optimization of cloud technologies within NATO. This team will play a crucial role in our journey towards providing managed, protected, and reliable End User Services.

Embracing the latest technological advancements, this initiative will foster innovation and ensure NATO remains at the cutting edge of IT capabilities. By continuously evolving and integrating new technologies, we aim to enhance operational efficiency and readiness for future challenges. This remote position offers an exciting opportunity to be at the forefront of NATO's technological evolution and contribute to the security and efficiency of our operations.

NCI Agency – Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE)

The Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) within the NCI Agency is focused on driving successful cloud adoption and maximizing the potential of cloud technologies across the organization. It serves as a central governing body, promoting best practices, enabling knowledge sharing, and ensuring alignment between business objectives and cloud initiatives. The CCoE supports various cloud-based solutions, ensuring their effective and efficient implementation and management. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, the CCoE helps the NCI Agency leverage cloud technologies to enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and agility.

The ideal service will offer expertise in managing resources in Microsoft 365 services.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills are required, along with the ability to document processes on Microsoft 365 services.

This service is critical for maintaining a secure and efficient cloud environment, supporting internal users and external collaborators.

One resource is required to perform the services described under this SOW.

2 OBJECTIVES

The NCI Agency is embracing cloud services by transitioning to Microsoft 365 Services with a security-centric design. This shift aims to enhance operational efficiency, collaboration, and security across the organization.

The objective of this statement of work is to establish a support and operating model for End User Services operating in the Public Cloud.

3 SCOPE OF WORK

Under the direction / guidance of the Modern Workplace Team technical lead or the Cloud Operations Center Manager, the contractor will perform the following activities:

1) Platform Administration & Operations:

a) Administer and configure SharePoint Online site collections, permissions, libraries, and governance policies.

b) Manage Power Platform environments (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents) including licensing, DLP policies, and environment provisioning.

c) Support Power BI workspace management, data gateway configuration, capacity planning, and dataset refresh scheduling.

d) Operate and monitor Microsoft Fabric workloads, pipelines, and dataflows for performance and reliability.

e) Maintain compliance and security settings in alignment with corporate policies and Microsoft best practices.

2) Support & Incident Management:

a) Act as Tier 2/3 support for end-user incidents and service requests related to Microsoft 365 Modern Workplace tools.

b) Support the end-users in developing and maintain automated workflows using Power Automate to streamline business processes

c) Troubleshoot complex issues, perform root cause analysis, and coordinate with cloud providers when required.

d) Monitor service health dashboards and proactively address potential performance or availability issues.

e) Maintain comprehensive documentation for Microsoft 365 Modern Workplace processes, configurations, and workflows;

3) Security and Compliance:

a) Implement and manage governance controls to ensure compliance with organizational standards;

b) Ensure compliance with internal security, data protection, and regulatory requirements.

c) Conduct regular audits and reviews of access controls and permissions.

4) Collaboration and Communication:

a) Collaborate with IT security, compliance, and other relevant teams to ensure cohesive cloud resources management strategies.

b) Collaborate with business units to identify opportunities to improve productivity using Microsoft 365 and Power Platform.

c) Communicate effectively with stakeholders to understand Modern Workplace requirements and address concerns.

4 SPRINTS PLANNING, EXECUTION, REVIEW AND PAYMENT

Due to the AGILE approach of this project, the specific deliverables and associated acceptance criteria will be defined for each sprint between the NCI Agency and the contractor. This includes sprint planning, execution and review processes, which are detailed below:

1. Sprint Planning:

Objective: Plan the objectives for the upcoming sprint

Kick-off meeting: Conduct a monthly meeting with the contractor to plan the objectives of upcoming sprints and review contractor`s manpower to meet the agreed deliverables.

Set sprint goals: Define clear, achievable goals for the sprint and associated acceptance criteria, including specific delivery targets, Quality standards as well as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each task to be recorded in the sprint meeting minutes.

Agree on the required level of effort for the various sprint tasks.

Backlog Review: Review and prioritise the backlog of tasks, issues, and improvements from previous sprints.

Assess each payment milestone cycle duration of one calendar month. State of completion and validation of each sprint status and sign off sprints to be submitted for payment as covered in Section 4.

2. Sprint Execution

Objective: Contractor to execute the agreed “sprint plans” with continuous monitoring and adjustments.

Regular meetings between NCI Agency and the contractor to review sprint progress, address issues, and make necessary adjustments to the processes or production methodology. The Meetings will be physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the NCI Agency staff instructions.

Continuous improvement: Contractor to establish a continuous feedback loop to gather input from all stakeholders for ongoing improvements and their subsequent implementation depending on NCIA approval.

Progress Tracking: Contractor to use a shared dashboard or tool to track the status of the sprint deliveries and any issues.

Quality Assurance/Quality Check: Contractor shall ensure that the quality standards agreed for the sprint deliverables are maintained throughout the sprint.

Quality Control: NCIA to perform the Final Quality Control of the agreed deliverables and provide feedback on any issues.

3. Sprint Review

Objective: Review the sprint performance and identify areas for improvement.

At the end of each sprint, there will be a meeting between the NCI Agency and the Contractor to review the outcomes against the acceptance criteria comprising sprint goals, agreed quality criteria and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Define specific actions to address issues and enhance the next sprint.

4. Sprint Payment

For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of their service during the sprint, first verbally during the retrospective sprint review meeting and then in writing within three days after the sprint’s end date. A report must be sent by email to the NCI Agency manager, highlighting all service performed against the agreed tasking list set for the sprint.

The contractor's payment for each sprint will be depending upon the achievement of agreed Acceptance Criteria for each task, defined at the sprint planning stage. This will include specific delivery targets, quality standards as well as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each task.

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 Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS)

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

If the contractor fails to meet the agreed Acceptance criteria for any task, the NCI Agency reserves the right to withhold payment for that task/sprint.

Each sprint has a duration of 5 working days. The content and scope of each sprint will be agreed during the sprint‐planning meetings as covered in Section 4.1.

The contractor will be part of a team providing Technical Level 2 and 3 support, ensuring the secure, available, managed and compliant delivery of Public Cloud Services to NATO and its Strategic Commands.

The measurement of execution for this work is sprints, with each sprint planned for a duration of 5 working days.

5 DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES

The following deliverables are expected from this statement of work:

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

2. Produce sprint completion reports (format: e-mail update) or the formal documentation required per specific task;

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 Senior Service Delivery Manager.

The Purchaser (NCIA) reserves the right to exercise a number of options of one or more sprints based on the same scrum deliverables, at a later time, depending on the project priorities and requirements, at the following cost: for base year (2025) at the same cost, for outer years (2026-2028) the Price Adjustment Formula will be applied in accordance with paragraph 6.5 of the Framework Contract Special Provisions. The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B)

Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (Annex B) signed by the Contractor and the NCIA PoC.

Payment Schedule will be according to payment milestones upon completion of 4 consecutive sprints. Upon completion and validation of each sprint and at the end of the monthly milestone, following the acceptance of the sprint report.

The following deliverables are expected from the work on this statement of work:

Deliverable: Max 36 sprints (Number of sprints is estimated and will be adjusted based on actual starting date.)

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each fourth sprint and at the end of the work. Completion of each sprint shall be documented in the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B), signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact and the Contractor

2027 OPTION: 01 January 2027 to 31 December 2027

Deliverable: Up to 46 sprints

Cost Ceiling: Price will be determined by applying the price adjustment formula as outlined in CO‐115786‐ AAS+ Special Provisions article 6.5.

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each fourth sprint and at the end of the work. Completion of each sprint shall be documented in the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B), signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact and the Contractor

6 COORDINATION AND REPORTING

The contractor shall participate in daily status update meetings, activity planning and other meetings as instructed, via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the Cloud Operation Center Manager / Team Leaders instructions. This contractor hired for this position will be part of the NCIA Cloud Operations Center Team.

7 SCHEDULE

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

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

If the 2027 option is exercised, the period of performance is 1st January 2027 to 31st December 2027.

8 CONSTRAINTS

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

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

9 SECURITY

To deliver services under this SoW a valid NATO SECRET security clearance is required.

All the deliverables of this project will be considered NATO UNCLASSIFIED, while access to networks exceeding this classification level is required.

With this role being of technical nature providing administrative support, a security clearance at the NATO Secret level is required prior to the start of the engagement.

10 PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

The contractor will be required to provide services 100% off site NCI Agency.

The contractor will be required to provide services within a NATO country, following the rules and regulations applicable for the operations of NATO CIS.

NCIA Recognised Business hours/Holidays: NCIA-Braine L’Alleud (BLA) official holiday schedule applies and will be provided to the contractor.

NCIA Hours of Operations: Monday to Thursday 0830 – 1730 and Friday 0830 – 1530 (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 and environments will be provided by NCIA

The work depicted in this SOW is expected to be carried by a SINGLE RESOURCE.

11 TRAVEL

The contractor is required to travel for on-boarding and off-boarding to NATO offices in NATO HQ or Braine-l'Alleud as part of this role, for periods not exceeding 1 week.

Travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the contractor and the expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with Article 5.5 of AAS Framework Contract and within the limits of the NCIA Travel Directive.

12 QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

Requirements

9 SECURITY

• With this role being of technical nature providing administrative support, a security clearance at the NATO Secret level is required prior to the start of the engagement.

12 QUALIFICATIONS

The Support for Modern Workplace requires an experienced Modern Workplace Engineer with the following qualifications:

1) Technical Expertise:

• At least 5 years of recent, hands-on experience in supporting Microsoft 365 environments.
• A minimum of 3 years hands-on experience with Power Apps development, Power Automate workflows, and environment governance.
• Minimum 3 years of recent hands-on experience with Power BI, including dataset modelling, DAX, gateway configuration, and workspace administration.
• Minimum 1 year of recent hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric architecture, workloads, and integration with Power BI.
• Minimum 3 years of recent hands-on experience with Microsoft 365 security, compliance centre, and identity & access management (Entra ID).

2) Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:

• Strong analytical skills to assess and improve Modern Workplace processes and workflows;
• Ability to troubleshoot complex Microsoft 365 issues and implement effective solutions.

3) Security and Compliance Knowledge:

• Understanding of security best practices and compliance requirements related to Microsoft 365 services;
• Experience conducting audits and ensuring adherence to regulatory standards.

4) Communication and Collaboration:

• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with IT teams, stakeholders, and end-users;
• Ability to document processes clearly and provide training on Microsoft 365 Services.

5) Organizational Skills:

• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively;
• Attention to detail in managing user accounts, groups, and access controls.

6) Team Collaboration:

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and share knowledge and resources;
• Willingness to collaborate with colleagues to solve complex issues.

7) Others:

• The Contractor has strong customer relationship skills, including negotiating complex and sensitive situations under pressure;
• Full proficiency in the English language. French language proficiency is of advantage.