2025-0340 SATCOM Engineering Support Services (NS) WED 4 Mar RELAUNCH

Deadline Date: Wednesday 4 March 2026

Requirement: SATCOM Engineering Support Services

Location: Norfolk, VA, US or Hybrid from Mons, Belgium or Remote from Canada [See Section 5.1. We have asked NATO for more details regarding the work arrangements for this RFQ.]

Period of Performance: 2026 Base: As soon as possible but not later than 1 May 2026 – 31 December 2026, with the possibility to exercise following options:

• 2027 Option: 01 January 2027 – 31 December 2027

• 2028 Option: 01 January 2028 – 31 December 2028

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

1 PROJECT SPECIFICS

1. Scope

This Statement of Work (SOW) defines the provision of specialized SATCOM Engineering Support Services to assist NATO entities in the definition, assessment, and evolution of future SATCOM capabilities.

The Contractor shall provide expert engineering services to support the strategic planning, design, and definition of NATO SATCOM systems, ensuring alignment with operational requirements, interoperability standards, and emerging technologies within the Alliance’s communication and space domains.

All work shall be performed as service-based deliverables, with measurable outputs and documented technical artefacts produced under NCIA’s supervision and in close coordination with Allied Command Transformation (ACT), ACO, and other NATO stakeholders.

2. Objectives

The objective of this engagement is to provide engineering and analytical support to ongoing NATO activities related to the definition, harmonization, and modernization of SATCOM capabilities, including:

• Assessment of current and future SATCOM architectures;
• Identification of capability gaps and dependencies;
• Development of engineering baselines and system-level requirements;
• Analysis of interoperability with NATO, national, and commercial SATCOM assets;
• Technical input to strategic planning, feasibility studies, and decision-making documents.

3. Tasks and Activities

The Contractor shall perform, but not be limited to, the following tasks:

3.1 Engineering Analysis and Studies

• Conduct technical assessments of SATCOM networks, terminals, and anchoring systems across NATO strategic, operational, and tactical domains;

• Support system architecture definition, including integration of MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM resources;

• Perform trade-off and feasibility analyses addressing performance, resilience, spectrum efficiency, and cost-benefit aspects;

• Contribute to the development of future-oriented SATCOM system concepts, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) integration, software-defined payloads, and multi-orbit architectures;

• Create Analysis of Alternative documents for different options considered.

3.2 Requirements and Interface Definition

• Develop and maintain system-level functional and technical requirements for future SATCOM systems and related ground infrastructure;

• Support interoperability and standardization activities (e.g., STANAGs, NATO interoperability profiles, SATCOM reference architectures);

• Provide interface control documentation (ICD) and configuration baselines for engineering reference.

3.3 Capability and Architecture Modelling

• Contribute to modelling and simulation of SATCOM service delivery architectures and integration with existing Networks;

• Assess the impact of emerging technologies such as AI-driven resource management, optical links, and protected waveforms;

• Provide recommendations for technology insertion and obsolescence mitigation.

3.4 Stakeholder Coordination and Reporting

• Liaise with ACT, ACO, and NCIA technical authorities, providing engineering inputs and consolidated documentation;

• Prepare technical briefings, reports, and data packages supporting NATO capability planning;

• Participate in workshops, technical meetings, and industry engagement events as required.

2 DELIVERABLES

The contractor shall produce the following deliverables:

Deliverable D1: Engineering Analysis Report(s) on SATCOM architectures, capabilities, and integration options, Analysis of alternatives documents

Frequency: Quarterly or upon request

Deliverable D2: Draft and final versions of system-level requirements and interface documents

Frequency: As scheduled

Deliverable D3: Technical briefings, presentations, and meeting minutes

Frequency: As required

Deliverable D4: Contribution to capability assessment documentation and technology surveys

Frequency: As required

3 SERVICE KPIs AND PENALTIES

The penalties defined below will apply to the payment amount based on the performance results measured through Annex B - Monthly Service Performance Report

Objective KPI01: Deliverables submitted on schedule

Standard: % of Deliverables

Performance Threshold: 99.9% of the measured period

Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%

Objective KPI02: Technical quality of documentation (clarity, completeness, accuracy)

Standard: % of Deliverables

Performance Threshold: 99.9% of the measured period

Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%

Objective KPI03: Responsiveness to tasking and change requests

Standard: % of Completion

Performance Threshold: 100% of the scheduled tasks

Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%

Objective KPI04: Contribution to stakeholder coordination

Standard: % of Completion

Performance Threshold: 99.9% of the measured period

Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%

Objective KPI05: Customer satisfaction (feedback from ACT/NCIA leads)

Standard: 4/5 average rating

Performance Threshold: 4/5 average rating

Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%

4 PAYMENT MILESTONES

1. The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the Monthly Service Performance Report Acceptance (Annex B) signed by the SATCOM Operations Manager.

2. Invoices shall be accompanied by the Monthly Service Performance Report (Annex B) signed by the SATCOM Operations Manager.

3. Payment schedule will be according to payment milestones upon completion. Upon completion and validation of each milestones and at the end of the monthly milestone, following the acceptance of the Monthly Service Performance Report.

Payments will be made according to the following schedule:

2026 BASE performance – 1 May 2026 (tentative) to 31 December 2026

Associated Deliverables: Provision of SATCOM System Management Services

Completion Deadlines: 31 May, 30 Jun, 31 Jul, 31 Aug, 30 Sep, 31 Oct, 30 Nov, 31 Dec

Monthly Payment Amount: 1/8 total cost for calendar year

Monthly Payment Document: Completion of milestone shall be accompanied documented Monthly Service Performance Report Acceptance (Annex B) signed by the Station Commander or authorized point of contact and the Contractor. This document will accompany the invoice.

The deadline’s split is calculated considering a starting date 1 May 2026. This will be adjusted based on actual starting date.

2027, 2028 OPTIONS: 01 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2027/2028

Associated Deliverables: Provision of SATCOM System Management Services

Completion Deadlines: 31 Jan, 28 Feb, 31 Mar, 30 Apr, 31 May, 30 Jun, 31 Jul, 31 Aug, 30 Sep, 31 Oct, 30 Nov, 31 Dec

Monthly Payment Amount: 1/12 total cost for calendar year

Monthly Payment Document: Completion of milestone shall be accompanied documented Monthly Service Performance Report Acceptance (Annex B) signed by the Station Commander or authorized point of contact and the Contractor. This document will accompany the invoice.

5 PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
Place of Performance: Work will be conducted hybrid (From Canada or Belgium) with visits to the customer on ACT Norfolk USA in designated as Class I and II Security Area.

Travel Requirement: Travel may be required to other Purchasers’ locations on exceptional basis. 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.

Hours of Operation: The Contractor is expected to follow the Purchaser’s working hours — Monday to Thursday from 08h30 until 17h30 and Friday from 08h30 until 15h30 (USA Eastern time zone).

Reporting: The Contractor shall produce Monthly Service Performance Report completion reports (format: e-mail update), which include details of activities performed, the list of the KPI completion and penalties if it is applicable.

Safety and Compliance and other arrangements:

• Follow all safety protocols to prevent accidents and injuries.
• Ensure compliance with agency, industry standards and regulations.
• The Contractor shall manage and be responsible for all activities mentioned in the Section 2.
• Install and operate the equipment following the manufacturer’s requirements.
• Minimize the impact to the service during the execution of the work.
• Bring immediately to the attention of the Purchaser Point of Contact on-site any issues preventing the execution of the work.
• The Contractor shall: Strive to lower the rotation of Contractor’s personnel and maintain the same staff Contractor working under this SoW.
• The Purchaser will support the Contractor with access to the IT systems as required.

6 SERVICE DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

[See Requirements]

Requirements

SERVICE DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS

One resource is required to deliver the services under this SOW, with the below requirements:

The Contractor shall fulfil the following requirements:

• Security Clearance: The Contractor shall possess valid NATO SECRET Personal Security Clearances for the duration of the Contract performance.
• Language Proficiency: English: C1

Qualifications:

• Education: University Degree in Telecommunications, Electronics, or a related field, with at least two years of post-related experience; or Higher Vocational Training with a minimum of five years of post-related experience.
• SATCOM Expertise: Minimum of three years of practical experience in SATCOM systems, including UHF and SHF.
• Technical Expertise: Familiarity with modern military communication networks, including interfaces, protocols, and experience with SATCOM Operations.
• Deep knowledge of SATCOM architecture principles, including link budget analysis, modulation schemes, error correction coding, satellite network topologies
• Strong understanding of RF engineering, antenna systems, propagation modelling in SATCOM bands, cybersecurity architecture for SATCOM, including encryption
• Familiarity with SATCOM related standards, such as DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, MIL-STD-188, experience in Software Defined Networking (SDN) in SATCOM
• Customer Service and Incident Management: Familiarity in service management (incident, problem management, etc.) and a customer-focused approach in a control centre environment.
• NATO Environment: prior experience working in a NATO or multinational military setting, with a solid understanding of NATO operational standards and protocols.