Deadline Date: Thursday 30 May 2024

Requirement: Software Engineer for MCM EXPERT Maintenance

Location: The Hague, NL

Full Time On-Site: Yes (Hybrid (office/home) working arrangements can be considered)

Period of Performance: BASE period: 08 July 2024 – 31 December 2024 with possibility to exercise one-year option: 01 January 2025 until 31 December 2025. Start date is as soon as possible but not later than 08 July 2024

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

1. INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), located in The Hague, The Netherlands, is currently involved in providing support and maintenance of the Maritime Command and Control (C2) Information Services.

The C2 Service Centre, having the role of Service Provider, and referred to as “Purchaser”, is looking for a software engineer, referred to as “Contractor”, with experience in software development and systems engineering to apply corrective, preventive and adaptive maintenance on the MCM EXPERT software towards meeting current and future business needs in Naval Mine Warfare (NMW).

MCM EXPERT

Naval Mine Warfare Support Application Service includes “MCM EXPERT”, which supports the NATO and national Naval Mine Counter Measures assets in carrying out naval mine clearance tasks.

The main purposes of MCM EXPERT are:

To support the compilation of information of platforms (MCM Vessels), onboard systems ( sonars, Sweeping equipment), environmental factors (applicable to Q-routes and sea bottoms), operations, mine threat (mine types and their performance in various conditions), and MCM scenarios;

To integrate calculated routes and allow seamless transition between the phases of planning and evaluation of MCM operations.

MCM EXPERT is a standalone application developed in C# with its Graphical User Interface (GUI) component developed in .NET WPF with Infragistics Ultimate components.

Interoperability with other tools and systems is based on importing and exporting of text-based files as well as GeoJSON files, and APP-11 formatted messages.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to define the work to be conducted by the Contractor in solution engineering and software development for the support of new software modules included in MCM EXPERT, maintenance of its existing software modules, and integration of components.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The work associated to software development and maintenance activities will be delivered by the Contractor in Sprints, where each sprint will have the duration of two weeks.

The Contractor is expected to act as one of the technical team members within the NCI Agency C2 Centre Support Team in the following way:

Act as part the development team by providing support on the development of, and modifications to, the software components to ensure that they are suitable for the existing architecture, applicable standards and best practices, while preserving compatibility between components;

Assist in establishing stakeholder communication;

Assist in translating the operational requirements into solutions;

Assist in developing detailed component specifications and translating them into working software components;

Ensure that appropriate standards (including industrial, international and NATO) are adhered during the development and maintenance activities;

Ensure that highest quality of the software code is delivered.

3. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENTS MILESTONES

The deliverables expected from this SOW are given in the following table:

2024 BASE DELIVARABLE AND PAYMENT MILESTONES:

Deliverable 01: 2024 BASE: 12 Sprints of Software engineering and support

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each second sprint and at the end of the work.

Subject to Contractor performance and business requirements, the Purchaser reserves the right to exercise optional sprints for 2024, within the same scope and cost.

The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex B) including the EBA Receipt number.

Payment will be provided based on these deliveries as indicated in the table.

Invoices shall be accompanied with a DAS, signed by the Contractor and Purchaser’s authority.

2025 BASE DELIVARABLE AND PAYMENT MILESTONES

The Purchaser reserves the right to exercise options for 2025, as follows Deliverables and Payment Milestones:

Deliverable 01: 2025 Option: 12 Sprints of Software engineering and support

Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each second sprint and at the end of the work.

Subject to contractor performance and business requirements, the Purchaser reserves the right to exercise optional sprints for 2025, within the same scope and cost.

The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the DAS including the EBA Receipt number.

Payment will be provided based on these deliveries as indicated in the table.

Invoices shall be accompanied with a DAS signed by the Contractor and the Purchaser’s authority.

It is foreseen that Contractor will be embedded to the Purchaser’s Support Team at the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) basis.

It is expected that the Contractor will deliver software and related documentation as assigned tasks.

4. COORDINATION & REPORTING

The Contractor shall participate in a kick-off meeting for initial coordination. This can be conducted as an on-site meeting at the Purchaser’s facilities in The Hague, Netherlands or as an on-line activity using unclassified Video Tele Conference capabilities.

During the kick off meeting, the Contractor will provide an initial working plan for executing the support tasks described in this SOW. The Purchaser and the Contractor will further discuss the plan and amend where appropriate. The Contractor will provide meeting minutes, in email, containing at least the agreed decisions and actions.

The Contractor shall participate in weekly coordination meetings, on-site or on-line. The Contractor will coordinate these meetings with the Purchaser’s Team Leader. The Contractor will provide email minutes containing, at least decisions and actions decided during the meeting.

The Contractor shall attend joint development, testing and any other technical activities.

The Contractor shall attend review meetings after each Sprint.

The Contractor shall conduct remote exception reporting via electronic means as required. Exception reporting to take place within two working days of the exception occurring and is to include, as a minimum, the reason for/ cause of the exception, the impact of the exception, proposed action plan to address the exception for approval by the Purchaser, and the residual impact. The format of the reports will be agreed between the Purchaser and the Contractor within five working days after the kick-off meeting.

The Purchaser will provide performance feedback to the Contractor at the end of every calendar quarter.

5. SCHEDULE

This SOW will be active immediately after signing of the Contract by both parties.

The Contractor shall propose a kick off meeting within one week after signing the contract.

It is expected the work starts as soon as possible but no later than 08 July 2024 and ending no later than 31 December 2024.

If exercised the options, the period of performance is 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

6. CONSTRAINTS

Part of the work may involve accessing classified networks and material; therefore, a security clearance at the specified level is expected for the Contractor undertaking this project.

The Contractor shall maintain the necessary protection of the classified information and available material.

The Contractor shall perform the development activities on the provided NATO Software Factory (NSF) Cloud.

All architecture artefacts, scripts, documentation and code will be stored under configuration management in the provided NCI Agency GIT as part of the NSF Cloud.

All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on NCI Agency templates and subject to NATO security regulations.

7. SECURITY

The security classification of the service will be up to NATO SECRET.

The contractor is required to hold a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.

8. PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

The contractor will be required to work on-site in The Hague (Hybrid WFH arrangements can be discussed).

Access to the NCIA code repositories will be provided in coordination with the NCIA Points of Contact or delegated staff.

The contractor may be required to travel to other sites within NATO for completing these tasks. Travel expenses will be reimbursed to the individual directly (outside this contract) under NATO rules.

The work defined in this SOW is expected to be carried out by ONE Contractor.

9. QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

Requirements

9. QUALIFICATIONS

For the tasks under this SOW, the Contractor shall have the following technical qualifications:

The Contractor is expected to have the following soft skills: