2024-0333 Data Centre Infrastructure Installation Eng Support (NS) - MON 28 Jul

Conteúdo do emprego

Deadline Date: Monday 28 July 2025

Requirement: Data Centre Infrastructure Installation Engineering Support

Location: Mons, BE

Full Time On-Site:Yes

Time On-Site:100%

Period of Performance: 2025 Base period: As soon as possible but not later than 8 September 2025 to 31 Dec 2025, with possibility to exercise the following options:

• 2026 Option: 1 January until 31 December 2026
• 2027 Option: 1 January until 31 December 2027
• 2028 Option: 1 January until 31 December 2028
  
  

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

• BACKGROUND
  
  

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is dedicated to acquiring, deploying, and defending communication systems for NATO’s political decision-makers and Commands. It operates on the frontlines against cyber-attacks, collaborating closely with governments and industry to prevent future debilitating attacks. The NCIA plays a crucial role in maintaining NATO’s technological edge and ensuring the collective defence and crisis management capabilities of the Alliance. In pursuit of our mission, we require specialized advisory services to enhance our interim workforce capacity.

• INTRODUCTION
  
  

NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is looking for a contractor to support the work of Enable Branch: to ensure the availability, performance, and security of NATO’s data centre across multiple sites. Focus will be on setting up software or hardware to make it operational and providing technical expertise in compliance with NATO’s operational requirements and security standards.

• OBJECTIVE
  
  

The aim of this SOW is to support NCSC with technical expertise specifically related to the operation and maintenance of NATO’s DATA CENTE INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLATION ENGINEERING with a deliverable based (completion-type) contract to be executed in 2025.

The main objective is to secure advisory services that provide expert guidance and support to achieve:

• A highly efficient, scalable, and reliable data centre infrastructure that is well-organized, fully optimized for current and future needs, and aligned with industry best practices
• Standardized procedures for equipment installation, enabling faster deployments, better utilization of space, and minimized risk of error
• Systematic approach to cable management and enhanced documentation practices for the infrastructure to be easier to maintain, troubleshoot, and expand as organizational needs grow
  
  

This vision aims to transform the data centre into a model of operational efficiency, flexibility, and resilience.

• SCOPE OF WORK
  
  

Under the direction/guidance of NCIA or delegated staff, the Contractor’s Personnel will be responsible for designing, installing, managing, and optimizing NATO’s data centre infrastructure.

The role is essential in ensuring the physical installation, cable management, and maintenance of equipment across multiple sites.

The a service-based contractor will focus on delivering key technical solutions and providing expertise in equipment installation, structured cabling, and the use of Patch Manager Software to track and manage network connections.

The contractor’s personnel will ensure that all equipment and infrastructure are installed and maintained to meet NATO’s operational requirements and security standards.

This work will include the following activities:

• Expert guidance on the design and layout of data centre infrastructure: ensuring optimal placement of equipment for scalability, airflow management, and ease of maintenance
• Technical support and oversight for the installation of data centre equipment, including servers, networking devices, and power distribution units, adhering to best practices and industry standards
• Comprehensive cable management solutions: ensuring structured cabling systems are efficiently organized, labelled, and documented to support future growth and ease of troubleshooting
• Seamless integration of new and existing infrastructure through the use of Patch Manager Software: maintaining accurate records of cable connections, patch panels, and network configurations to optimize network visibility and management
• Recommendations for optimizing power and cooling systems within the data center, ensuring energy efficiency and adequate cooling to protect sensitive equipment from overheating and ensuring operational reliability
• Ongoing training and support to data centre staff, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade equipment and cabling systems effectively
• Support to the development of disaster recovery strategies by advising on the physical infrastructure needed to maintain continuity in the event of equipment failure: power outages, or environmental threats
• Expert technical assessments and audits of the data centre infrastructure: identifying areas for improvement in cable management, equipment placement, and overall operational efficiency, with a focus on aligning with industry best practices and NATO’s security and operational requirements
  
  

SERVICE DETAILS

High-Level Description of Deliverables

• Data Center Infrastructure Assessment Report
  
  

Description: The contractor will provide an initial assessment report of the current data centre infrastructure, including equipment layout, power and cooling systems, and cable management practices. This report will identify key strengths, weaknesses, and areas that require improvement or optimization to meet the organization’s operational and future scalability requirements.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for conducting a thorough evaluation of the existing infrastructure, identifying inefficiencies, and providing recommendations to improve overall performance, reduce downtime, and enhance future scalability.

• Cable Management Optimization Plan
  
  

Description: The contractor will deliver a comprehensive plan to reorganize and optimize the data centre’s cabling infrastructure. This plan will include recommendations for implementing structured cabling, clear labelling of cables, and the integration of cable management software to ensure all network connections are properly documented and easy to manage.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for assessing the current state of the cabling infrastructure and designing a detailed plan that ensures efficient cable routing, reduces clutter, and simplifies maintenance and future upgrades.

• Equipment Installation Standards and Procedures
  
  

Description: The contractor will develop and deliver standardized procedures for the installation and configuration of new data centre equipment. These standards will ensure that new hardware is installed efficiently and correctly, minimizing the risk of errors and ensuring consistent configurations across all deployments.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for establishing best practices and guidelines for hardware installations, including physical setup, power and cooling requirements, and network configurations, ensuring that all installations align with the organization’s operational goals.

• Implementation of Patch Manager Software
  
  

Description: The contractor will implement Patch Manager Software to track and manage all network connections, ensuring that cable routing and equipment connections are well-documented and easily accessible for troubleshooting and future expansion.

Responsibility: The contractor will oversee the installation, configuration, and ongoing use of Patch Manager Software, ensuring that it is effectively integrated into the organization’s workflow and used to maintain accurate records of all network and cable connections.

• Equipment Installation and Cabling Implementation
  
  

Description: The contractor will oversee the physical implementation of new cabling and equipment installations in the data centre. This includes installing new hardware based on the standardized procedures, ensuring proper cable routing and management, and updating Patch Manager Software with the new installations.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for coordinating and executing the installation of new equipment and cabling, ensuring all installations follow the established standards and procedures and are documented accurately in Patch Manager Software.

• Training and Handover of Equipment and Cable Management Systems
  
  

Description: The contractor will develop training materials and deliver sessions to the data centre team, ensuring they are equipped to maintain, troubleshoot, and expand the newly implemented systems. Training will focus on cable management best practices, equipment installation procedures, and the use of Patch Manager Software.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for preparing user-friendly documentation and delivering training sessions to ensure staff can confidently manage the data centre infrastructure, including cabling and equipment installations.

• Final Data Centre Optimization Report
  
  

Description: At the conclusion of the project, the contractor will provide a final optimization report summarizing the changes made to the data centre infrastructure, including equipment installation, cable management improvements, and software integration. The report will also include recommendations for ongoing maintenance and future expansions.

Responsibility: The contractor will be responsible for compiling a comprehensive report that highlights the project’s achievements, lessons learned, and suggestions for maintaining and optimizing the infrastructure moving forward.

The Contractor’s Personnel will be reinforcing the existing team and will work using an Agile and iterative software development approach during multiple sprints.

The Contractor’s Personnel shall participate in periodic status update meetings, sprint planning, sprint review and other meetings via electronic means using collaborative platforms. On rare occasions, there may be a requirement to attend in-person meetings at NATO offices in Mons, Belgium, as requested by the Project Manager.

Each sprint is planned for a duration of 1 week. The content and scope of each sprint, ie the deliverables, will be agreed during the sprint-planning meeting, in coordination with the NCIA and the contractor. Upon completion and validation of each sprint, the completed sprint can be submitted for payment.

Due to the AGILE approach of this project, there is a need to define a set of specific arrangements between the NCIA and the contractor that specifically defines the deliverables to be provided for each sprint as well as their associated acceptance criteria. This includes sprint planning, execution and review processes, which are detailed below:

Sprint Planning:

Objective: Plan the objectives and deliverables for the upcoming sprint;

At the start of each sprint, a sprint planning meeting will be conducted with the contractor to discuss and plan the objectives and deliverables of the upcoming sprint;

Define clear, achievable objectives for the sprint and associated acceptance criteria, including specific delivery targets and quality standards for each task, to be recorded in the sprint planning meeting minutes.

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

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

Assess and validate the status of completion of the previous sprint and sign off sprints to be submitted for payment.

Sprint Execution

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

Regular meetings: The contractor shall participate in status update meetings to review sprint progress, to address issues, and to make necessary adjustments to the processes or objectives. Those sprint meetings will be via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities. On rare occasions, there may be a requirement to attend a physical meeting in the office, or in person, as requested by the project manager.

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.

Sprint Review

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

At the end of each sprint, there will be a meeting to review the deliverables and outcomes against the acceptance criteria.

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

Sprint Payment

Progress on the above deliverables will be checked and approved on a per sprint basis.

For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of their work during the sprint, first verbally during the sprint review meeting and then in writing within three days after the sprint’s end date. The format of this report shall be an email to the NCIA Point of Contact mentioning briefly the work performed and the development achievements during the sprint against the agreed tasking list set for the sprint.

The payment of each sprint will be depending upon the achievement of agreed acceptance criteria for each task, defined at the sprint planning stage.

If the contractor fails to meet the agreed acceptance criteria for any task, the NCIA reserves the right to withhold (partial) payment for that sprint.

Invoices shall be accompanied by a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS), signed by the contractor and the project manager, and shall follow the payment milestones.

• DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
  
  

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

• Complete the activities/tasks agreed in each sprint meeting as per section 4 above
• Produce sprint completion reports (format: e-mail update), which include details of activities performed and the list of the deliverables of the week
• 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 service delivery manager
• Payment schedule will be according to the payment milestones upon completion of the respective sprint. Upon completion and validation of each sprint and at the end of the monthly milestone, following the acceptance of the sprint report
• The Purchaser (NCIA) reserves the right to exercise a number of options of one or more sprints based on the same 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 following 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 sprint report and 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
  
  

2025 BASE: 8 September 2025 - 31 December 2025:

Deliverable: 18 sprints (Number of sprints is estimated and will be adjusted based on actual starting date.)

Payment Milestones: Payment Schedule will be monthly for the completed and accepted sprints within the month and at the end of the work. Completion of each payment milestone shall be accompanied by a DAS signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact.

2026, 2027 AND 2028 OPTION: 01 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER

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: Payment Schedule will be monthly for the completed and accepted sprints within the month and at the end of the work. Completion of each payment milestone shall be accompanied by a DAS signed for acceptance by the Purchaser’s authorized point of contact.

• WORK EXECUTION
  
  

Due to the nature and classification of the working environment, all services and deliverables outlined in this Statement of Work (SOW) will be performed onsite, on client’s premises, at NCIA location in S.H.A.P.E. Mons, Belgium. The contractor will be physically present on location to conduct assessments, implement network solutions, and provide ongoing support as required throughout the project.

NCIA IT equipment will be provided (one REACH laptop will be provided). This equipment can be used by one person only and associated to that individual.

• CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
  
  

The Client will:

• Provide necessary access to systems and information required for all services
• Tools and equipment (laptop) will be provided for remote service provisioning. Access to the Agency’s tools that are used to execute daily tasks will be provided
• Designate primary points of contact for escalations and decision-making
• Early Definition: Establish criteria at the beginning of the project or sprint; Refine criteria as needed throughout the development process
• Prioritization: Identify must-have criteria vs. nice-to-have features; Align prioritization with project / service goals and constraints
• Consider Edge Cases: Include criteria for handling unexpected inputs or scenarios; Address potential failure modes and error handling
• COORDINATION AND REPORTING
  
  

The Contractor shall deliver services onsite in Mons, Belgium.

The highest level of classification that contractor may need to access is NATO SECRET (NS). As a result of this contractor must hold a valid NATO SECRET Security Clearance.

The contractor shall report to the NCIA Project Manager or designated Point of Contact (POC) assigned by the NCIA Cyber Security Service Line

The Contractor shall participate in monthly status update meetings and other meetings, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to service delivery manager’s instructions.

For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of his/her work during the sprint, first verbally during the retrospective meeting and then in writing, within five (5) working days after the sprint’s end date. A report in the format of a short email shall be sent to NCIA POC briefly mentioning the work held and the achievements during the sprint.

• SCHEDULE
  
  

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

The 2025 BASE period of performance is as soon as possible but not later than 8 September 2025 and will end no later than 31 December 2025.

If the 2026, 2027 and 2028 options are exercised, the period of performance is 01 January until 31 December of that respective year.

• CONSTRAINTS
  
  

Results of the work to be stored on NCIA NATO RESTRICTED SharePoint portal.

All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on NCIA templates and/or agreed with the NCIA service manager.

All support, maintenance, documentation will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCIA tools.

All developed solutions will be property of the NCIA.

• SECURITY AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
  
  

It is mandatory for the Contractor to be in possession of a NATO SECRET security clearance to facilitate follow-on engagements and coordination at NATO venues.

The signature of a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the contractor contributing to this task order and NCIA will be required prior to execution.

• PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
  
  

The contractor will be required to work 100% onsite in Mons / BEL as part of this engagement. The NCSC Team is located in Mons / BEL, with working hours will from 08:30 to 17:30 with 1 hour for lunch from Monday to Thursday. On Friday working hours will be from 08:30 to 15:30 with 1 hour for lunch.

The contractor will be required to work following the rules and regulations applicable for the operations of NATO CIS.

The Purchaser will provide the Contractor with the following Purchaser-Furnished Equipment (PFE):

• Access to NATO sites, as required, for the purpose of executing this SOW
• Workspace (needed business IT for both on- and off-site work, hot-desk at NCSC facility)
• NCIA "REACH" laptop to be used by the contractor for the execution of the contract
• TRAVEL
  
  

Regular travel costs to and from the service delivery location (SHAPE) are out of scope and will be borne by the contractor.

Travel costs to other NATO locations are not included in the quoted price as there is no expected travel foreseen.

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

• QUALIFICATIONS
  
  

[See Requirements]

Requirements

• QUALIFICATIONS
  
  

Services under current SOW are to be delivered by ONE resource that must have demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience as listed below:

• Security Classification: NATO SECRET
• Language Proficiency: English
  
  

Past Performance and Qualifications:

To provide a high level of service quality, the contractor supporting the Installation Engineering Team has a proven track record of successfully designing, implementing, and optimizing network and security infrastructures for a variety of organizations across multiple industries.

The engineer should provide and prove the following mandatory performance, education and qualifications:

• Minimum 4 years of experience in data centre environments with hands-on experience in installing, terminating, and testing fibre optic and copper cabling (eg, Cat5e, Cat6a, Cat7), including structured cabling systems, patch panels, and racks
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a military or NATO environment with a strong understanding of data centre operations and network architecture standards
• Proficiency in rack and stack operations (installing network, server, and storage hardware) and cable management practices to ensure organized, scalable deployments
• Experience with network testing tools such as Fluke Networks or equivalent, with the ability to perform cable certification and troubleshooting
• Experience with patch management software, such as SolarWinds Patch Manager, ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, or equivalent, to ensure proper documentation and organization of cable and equipment layouts
• Expertise in network protocols including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, and routing protocols (OSPF, BGP), ensuring seamless integration of network infrastructure in the data centre
• A valid certification such as BICSI Technician, CNet Certified Network Cable Installer (CNCI), or similar
• Knowledge of data centre power and cooling systems, including UPS, PDUs, and HVAC considerations for optimal performance
• ITIL v4 Foundation Certification to ensure understanding of service management processes and procedures for structured and efficient operations within the data centre environment