Bidding Instructions -Technical Proposal
Bidders shall include in the Technical Proposal:
1. CVs and Attestations of candidates, clearly indicating relevant experience for the required qualification section 11 and desirable skills/experience, section 12 in the Statement of work (SoW).
2. Compliance matrix referring how the candidate meets each of the requirements, Scope of Work - section 2, required qualification - section 11 and desirable skills/experience - section 12 in the Statement of work (SoW).
Deadline Date: Monday 23 March 2026
Requirement: Open-Source Intelligence Standardization Specialist
Location: Mons, BE
Full Time On-Site: Yes
Period of Performance: As soon as possible but not later than 13 April 2026 until 31 Dec 2026
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
1 Introduction
The Intelligence and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) Functional Services (IIFS) programme aims to enhance and accelerate NATO’s situational awareness and decision-making by increasing and diversifying data sources, integrating new tools, and providing access to emerging and disruptive technologies.
NCIA is delivering the materiel solutions for IIFS, which include enhanced capabilities for Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Data Management, Data Acquisition, and Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) Management.
As part of this effort, ACO is tasked with delivering the Coherence Project, which ensures doctrine and processes are revised to support the implementation of the material projects in a timely manner.
To drive interoperability across the NATO Command Structure and with Nations, technical standards should be established to normalize and harmonize the formats, representations, and mechanisms by which data is shared, enabling analysts to effectively make sense of it. The data can come from existing NATO/National systems/services, Publicly Available Information (PAI), and Commercially Available Information (CAI).
2 Scope of Work
The scope of this project is to develop OSINT Technical Standardization Agreement(s), supporting standardized procedures and protocols to enable the sharing of open-source data and intelligence across the Alliance. Within this context, the applicant will be assigned to SHAPE J26 and will be responsible for the following tasks:
Close coordination of all activities with SHAPE J26, NCIA, and JCGISR, as well as strict adherence to agreed timelines, is mandatory.
3 Roles and Responsibilities
This work will be carried out at SHAPE and remotely with travel to NCIA. The work will be conducted during normal office hours, as specified in the General Provisions, following the SHAPE, Belgium calendar.
The Contractor will support the OSINT standardization project, under the supervision of SHAPE J26, with support from NCIA JISR Centre, the OSIWG Chair and the JCGISR Chair.
The Contractor shall conduct the work in close collaboration with all stakeholders, as described below:
SHAPE J26, Intelligence Systems Branch: Project lead and main stakeholder
NCIA JISR Centre: Project Manager (PM) & Subject Matter Experts (SME) inputs
OSIWG Chair: OSINT SME inputs and access to points of contact from wider Alliance OSINT community
JCGISR Chair: STANAG guidance
4 Deliverables and Payment Schedule
It is expected that the contractor will deliver 4 main documents as outlined in the table below. Templates/ guidance on structure will be provided by SHAPE at the start of the contract.
T0 is the start of Contractor’s work.
Deliverable 01: Report assessing current NATO standards relevant to OSINT data management.
Timelines: T0+1 month
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW Section 5
Deliverable 02: Report capturing: National OSINT standardization requirements; Best practices related to OSINT standardisation from Nations and industry.
Timelines: T0+3 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW Section 5
Deliverable 03: First draft of OSINT standard
Timelines: T0+7 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW Section 5
Deliverable 04: Consolidated draft of OSINT standard (post coordination)
Timelines: T0+11 months
Acceptance Criteria: IAW SOW Section 5
Specific project requirements can be found at ANNEX B – Project Aims and Requirements.
The OSINT standard shall be compliant with other NATO standards such STANAG 4545 (NATO Secondary Imagery Format, NSIF), STANAG 7023 (NATO Air Reconnaissance Primary Imagery Data Standard, NITF), as well as STANAG ADatP-03 Ed. B (Concept of NATO Message Text Formatting System). In addition, any OSINT standard must align to STANAG 4559 (NATO Standard for ISR Library Interfaces and Services) for interoperability across the Alliance.
5 Acceptance Criteria
SHAPE will use the following acceptance criteria to approve the documents:
Completeness:
Accuracy and Consistency:
Compliance and Alignment:
Usability and Clarity:
Format and Presentation:
Review and Acceptance Readiness:
If the contractor fails to meet the agreed acceptance criteria for any deliverable, SHAPE J26 reserves the right to withhold payment for that deliverable.
6 Coordination and Reporting
The Contractor personnel will be part of a team under the primary supervision of SHAPE J26.
SHAPE J26 and the Contractor personnel will have regular meetings to review 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 project team’s instructions.
The Contractor personnel shall establish a continuous feedback loop to gather input from all stakeholders for ongoing improvements and their subsequent implementation depending on SHAPE J26’ approval.
7 Schedule
This task order will be active immediately after signing the contract by both parties.
The BASE period of performance is as soon as possible but not later 13 April 2026 and will end no later than 31 December 2026.
8 Security
All Contractors/Sub-contractors shall be aware of all security rules pertaining to the handling of NATO classified information.
Personnel Security Clearance (PSC): Individuals who require access or may have access to information classified NC or above during the course of their duties shall have a PSC, at the appropriate level, which is valid for the duration of the authorized access. 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.
For this particular SOW the contractor will be required to access to NS level information.
The work will be carried out at SHAPE, remotely, with potential meetings at NATO Command Structure Sites and NCIA.
9 Constraints
All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on SHAPE J26 templates/ guidance on the structure, which will be sent to the contractor at the start of the activity.
All support, maintenance, documentation and required code will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided SHAPE tools.
All developed solutions, tools and code under this project will be property of the NATO.
10 Travel
The primary location of work is SHAPE Mons – BEL. In case of flexible working, travel to and from SHAPE will be at the contractor’s expense. The expected level of travel is listed below and shall be included in the cost:
NCIA The Hague, NLD (potential):1 travels, 3 days
JFCs (potential) or other NATO Command Structure/NATO Force Structure sites: 3 travels, 3 days
OSIWG (potential): 2 travels, 3 days
11 General Requirements
A Sole contractor must accomplish this work and is identified as the primary contractor for each deliverable. 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 them, having received training and handover of the performed history of the project. All normal NCIA Terms and Conditions apply.
12 Requirements
[See Requirements]
13 General Provisions
SHAPE Recognized Business hours/Holidays: SHAPE official holiday schedule applies and will be provided to the contractor.
SHAPE Hours of Operations: Monday to Thursday 0830 – 1730 and Friday 0830 – 1530 (CET)

Annex B – Project Aims and Requirements
1. Data Standardization and Structuring
2. Platform and Tool Compatibility
3. Access Control and Information Assurance
4. Governance and Policy Alignment (Tech-Enabled)
5. Ontology and Semantic Interoperability
6. OSINT and Cybersecurity
Additionally, any new OSINT technical standard agreements and supporting standardised procedures and protocols must support existing NATO Network and Communication Interoperability by ensuring compliance with:
Requirements
12 Requirements
Required qualifications
Desirable skills/experience: