NATO Business Opportunity: Provide Multi-Band Person-Pack & Fly-Away Satellite Terminals

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Contract Opportunity

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) intends to issue an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the establishment of an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Framework Contract for the procurement of SATCOM on-the-Pause (SOTP) terminals of different sizes and capabilities during a period of five years. These Flexibly Assigned SATCOM Terminals (FAST), corresponding to specific RF capability and approximate reflector sizes, identified as Very Small Fly-Away (VSFA), Small Fly-Away (SFA), Medium-Fly Away (MFA) and Large Fly-Away (LFA), will cover a range from Person Packs to 2.4m fly-away terminals.

Potential U.S. prime contractors must 1) maintain a professionally active facility (office, factory, laboratory, etc.) within the United States, 2) be pre-approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB), 3) be issued a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) by the Department of Commerce (DOC), and 4) register with the NCI Agency’s eProcurement tool, Neo: https://www.ncia.nato.int/business/procurement/neo-eprocurement

The reference for the IFB is IFB-CO-423291-PPFA and all correspondence concerning the IFB should include this reference.

The NCI Agency is establishing this framework agreement to serve as the preferred vehicle for SATCOM Fly-away Terminals on an “as needed” basis. A single award IDIQ contract is planned with an initial Task Order placed at contract award (as Firm-Fixed-Price) against this IDIQ Framework Contract.

The NCI Agency plans to issue an IFB using the ICB Procedure for Best Value evaluations. The successful bid for this project will be the bid that offers the best value in accordance with predefined evaluation criteria prescribed in the IFB. The top-level criteria weighting will be 60% Technical and 40% Price. A single, firm-fixed price contract is planned for the entire scope of work.

Considering possible upcoming similar procurements, authorization was granted to issue an IFB covering the initial procurement of 10 VSFA and 10 SFA GEO terminals with X and Ka capability and an IDIQ Framework Contract for similar terminals as described in the Summary of Requirements. As a result of the IFB, the NCI Agency will establish an IDIQ Framework Contract for a period of validity of 5 years and a ceiling price of EUR 65 million providing for a pre-competed family of terminals. The current project will constitute the first Task Order (with a bid ceiling of 125% of 6,138,000 EUR) to be placed under this IDIQ Framework contract, on the basis of Firm-Fixed-Price.

The NCI Agency will issue a Request for Bidder Views (RFBV). The RFBV will provide the eligible firms with a comprehensive insight into the technical factors, criteria, and/or problems that they should consider - as a minimum - in preparing their initial response. It will also indicate the basis on which preliminary discussions with potential bidders will be conducted and also that on which evaluation of their final technical proposals will be carried out. This will help to ensure that all eligible firms solicited have a common understanding of the requirement and of the way in which the NCI Agency intends to conduct the preliminary round of discussions and handle the final evaluation of bids.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS

A Summary of Requirements (3 pages total) is attached. These requirements are being refined and will be included in further details as part of the IFB.

BECOMING ELIGIBLE TO BID

NATO ICB requires that the U.S. Government issue a DOE for potential U.S. prime contractors interested in this project. Before the U.S. Government can do so, however, the U.S. Government must approve the U.S. firm for participation in NATO ICB. U.S. firms are approved for NATO ICB on a facility-by-facility basis.

The U.S. NATO ICB application is a one-time application. The application requires supporting documentation in the form of 1) a company resume or capability statement indicating contracts completed as a prime contractor and 2) an annual report or set of financial documents indicating compilation, review, or audit by an independent CPA.

U.S. firms can download a copy of the U.S. NATO ICB application from the following website:

https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/other-areas/strategic-industries-and-economic-security-sies/nato-related-business-opportunities

DOC is the U.S. Government agency that approves NATO ICB applications. Please submit to the email address provided your application and supporting documentation (as attachments). If your firm is interested in a specific NATO ICB project at this time, please also include the following in the TEXT of your email:

- the title and/or solicitation number of the project

- the name/phone/email of the company employee who should receive the bid documents

After approval of your one-time NATO ICB application, DOC will then know to follow up by issuing a DOE for the project. DOC will transmit the DOE to the NATO contracting agency.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Request a DOE (and, for firms new to NATO ICB, submit the completed one-time NATO ICB application): 28 October 2024

NCI Agency distributes the IFB (planned): 30 June 2025

Bid closing (anticipated): 30 November 2025

Contract Award (estimated): 31 July 2026

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