Full-stack Software Development and Product Engineering Support - FRI 27 Mar

Bidding Instructions -Technical Proposal

In submitting their bids, bidders shall:

1. Submit documents including presentations, technical reports, CVs, and any other relevant material demonstrating bidder’s fulfilment of the required competencies.
2. Submit a compliance matrix referring how the specific personnel who will be involved in the delivery of this project have relevant experience for the required competencies in the last 3 years.
3. Clearly indicate if the specific personnel who will be involved in the delivery of this project have security clearances or, if not, if the team lead will obtain a security clearance.

Deadline Date: Friday 27 March 2026

Requirement: Full-stack Software Development and Product Engineering Support

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: As soon as PO is received until 31 July 2026

Required Security Clearance: No Security Clearance Required (See section 9 Security and Non-Disclosure Agreement)

1 Purpose

This Statement of Work (SoW) defines the activities and deliverables for providing full-stack software development and product engineering support for the further development and enhancement of an existing web-based digital platform used by NATO.

The purpose of this engagement is to support the implementation, improvement, and integration of software components required to extend the platform’s capabilities and improve its usability, reliability, and performance.

The contractor will contribute to the design, development, testing, and deployment of platform features across both the frontend user interface and backend services, working in close coordination with the platform’s technical leadership.

Development activities will follow an agile methodology, enabling iterative delivery of functional components, rapid feedback cycles, and continuous improvement of the system.

2 Scope of Work

The contractor shall provide full-stack development support covering frontend development, backend services development, system integration, testing, and deployment. Considering the required scope of work, the requestor estimates that the work will cover approximately 3 months of work.

The work will support the continued evolution of the platform through the implementation of new features, improvements to existing components, and integration of services across the application stack.

Activities shall include:

Software Development

• Enhanced and development of frontend user interfaces and reusable UI components
• Enhanced and development of backend services and APIs
• Implementation of new platform functionality according to defined requirements
• Enhancement and optimization of existing system components

System Integration

• Integration of frontend and backend services
• Integration with external APIs and platform services
• Implementation of data processing and storage mechanisms
• Support for platform interoperability and service communication

Testing and Quality Assurance

• Functional testing of developed components
• Debugging and issue resolution
• Performance improvements and system optimization

Deployment and Operations

• Support for deployment of developed features to development and production environments
• Assistance with containerized deployments and infrastructure configuration
• Monitoring and resolving operational issues during development cycles

Agile Development Support

• Participation in development planning sessions
• Regular synchronization meetings with the project team
• Iterative development cycles with continuous delivery of working components

The contractor will coordinate closely with the platform’s technical leadership and engineering team to ensure alignment with technical standards and project objectives.

NCIA staff will provide oversight and inputs that shall be taken into account in the conduct of the work but which shall not waive the contractor’s responsibility for the deliverables.

3 Required Competencies

[See Requirements]

4 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be three months, starting not later than 31 March 2026 and ending not later than 30 July 2026.

5 Deliverables & Milestones

The contractor shall undertake the necessary activities to provide the following deliverables by their respective due dates.

Deliverable 1: Kick-Off Meeting and Development Planning  

Payment Term: Project start

Payment %: 30%

Acceptance Criteria: Participation in Kick-Off Meeting and delivery of an agreed development plan

Deliverable 2: Delivery Phase 1 – Frontend and User Interface Components

Payment Term: Mid-project

Payment Amount: 30%

Acceptance Criteria: Implementation of front-end development, improvements and development of a newsletter template and the associated graphic design components.

Milestone 1: UI/UX graphical design and development of a newsletter template.

Milestone 2: Frontend/UI components improvements and final design.

Deliverable 3: Delivery Phase 2 – Backend Development and Integration

Payment Amount: 30%

Acceptance Criteria: Implementation of backend services and successful integration with system APIs

Milestone 3: Backend development work is completed and demonstrated.

Milestone 4: API integration is completed and demonstrated.

Milestone 5: Final system acceptance test

Deliverable 4: Project Closure

Payment Term: End of project

Payment Amount: 10%               

Acceptance Criteria: Project Closure Report containing the activities and recommendations for future work.

6 Payment Milestones

Payment milestones shall be aligned with the successful delivery and acceptance of the project deliverables and milestones according to the Table in chapter 5.

All reports and documentation shall be written in English and provided in PDF or Microsoft Word format.

7 Reporting and Coordination

Regular reporting mechanisms will be defined at the Kick-Off Meeting. As a minimum, the contracted team lead must provide to the NCIA:

1. Meeting minutes from progress meetings via email to the NCIA Project Manager concisely describing the discussed topics, pending actions, and an outline of the activities for the following period.
2. Weekly progress updates describing completed work and planned activities.
3. Meeting minutes shall summarize discussions and agreed actions.
4. Project Closure Report that is summarizing the activities during the period of performance at high level.
5. Coordination between the contracting authority and the contractor will primarily take place electronically using email and video teleconference meetings.

8 Bidding Instructions

In submitting their bids, bidders shall:

1. Submit documents including presentations, technical reports, CVs, and any other relevant material demonstrating bidder’s fulfilment of the required competencies.
2. Submit a compliance matrix referring how the specific personnel who will be involved in the delivery of this project have relevant experience for the required competencies in the last 3 years.
3. Clearly indicate if the specific personnel who will be involved in the delivery of this project have security clearances or, if not, if the team lead will obtain a security clearance.

9 Security and Non-Disclosure Agreement

The work will be conducted at the unclassified level. It is desirable but not mandatory to have the team lead ideally be in possession of NATO security clearance, to facilitate follow-on engagements and coordination at NATO venues. The signature of a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the contractors contributing to this task and NCIA will be required prior to execution.

10 Special Terms and Conditions

All products delivered under this contract shall be property of NATO. Travel costs are not to be included if anticipated. Any travel costs shall be incurred only with prior approval from the NCIA Project Manager and will be reimbursed by NCIA.

The contractor shall ensure that all software components and documentation are delivered in a form suitable for operational use and further development.

11 Points of Contact

Points of contact for project management and for technical leadership at NCIA will be provided with contract award.

Requirements

3 Required Competencies

The bidders must highlight their credibility and track record in the development and delivery of software through:

Overview of key personnel who will be involved in the execution of the contract including:

• Curriculum vitae of key personnel
• Sufficient and relevant expertise and experience in the relevant domain

As an indication, NCIA expects the principal full-stack developer to have:

•  8+ years of relevant in web software development, 5+ years of experience in product engineering and web platform development.
• Extensive experience designing and developing user-centric digital products, combining product design and full-stack software development.
• Proven experience developing API-based systems.
• Proven experience building interactive user interfaces and dashboards
• Experience deploying applications in cloud or containerized environments.
• Experience working within agile development environments
• Languages and Frameworks: Python, TypeScript / JavaScript, modern frontend frameworks (Vue.js, React, or similar).
• Experience with FastAPI or comparable backend frameworks, REST API design and development.
• Experience with database integration and data modelling, PostgreSQL / SQLite or similar databases.
• Docker-based development and deployment environments
• Reverse proxy configuration (nginx / Traefik).
• Search and Data Processing, search engines such as Elasticsearch or Meilisearch.
• Experience implementing efficient data querying and indexing strategies.
• Proven design and product development experience via UI/UX design tools (e.g., Figma), design systems and reusable UI component and product-oriented development workflows.