NSATU Routing & Switching Level 3 Engineering Support

Scope of work: 

The NATO Integrated Mission Services Centre (NIMSC) is responsible for the coordination,
planning, and delivery of engineering and operational support capabilities across NATO
Enterprise Architecture and Mobile CIS Infrastructure, including Deployable CIS Services
(DCIS), Dispersible Systems, Highly Mobile Systems, SATCOM, and Wireless
Communications; supporting NATO Missions. To ensure the sustained availability,
performance, and resilience of these mission-critical capabilities, NIMSC requires structured,
continuous Engineering, Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support, aligned with NATO
governance, processes and operational priorities.
Through this Statement of Work (SoW), the NIMSC seeks industry support to deliver technical,
operational, engineering and service-governance activities for the NATO Security Assistance
and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), and its NATO Enterprise Architecture and Deployable CIS
(DCIS). The objective is to ensure uninterrupted service delivery, effective incident and change
management, accurate and auditable reporting, and continuous service improvement across
all NSATU functional locations. The Contractor, through the selected personnel, will provide
Routing and Switching Level 3 service technical support, infrastructure maintenance, system
documentation management, Engineering service reporting, and participation in on-call and
operational coordination activities, ensuring that NSATU NATO Enterprise Architecture and
Deployable CIS (DCIS)capabilities remain fully operational, secure, and aligned with NATO
standards.

Duties

• 3rd Level Technical Support: Supporting the delivery of advanced (3rd level) technical support for NSATU NATO CIS Services and architecture and IT/Data Management Services, ensuring service availability is maintained in accordance with defined targets.
• Fault Diagnosis and Troubleshooting: Supporting fault diagnosis activities using the IT and Data Management Services Management System, including both local and remote diagnostic capabilities.
• Infrastructure Maintenance: Supporting the supervision and execution of routine maintenance activities for infrastructure, management appliances, and associated NSATU IT/Data Management equipment.
• System Documentation Management: Supporting the maintenance and updating of system documentation to reflect changes, configurations, and operational procedures.
• Backup and Restore Operations: Supporting the execution and validation of backup and restore procedures for IT and Data Management Services devices.
• Remote Support Capabilities: Supporting remote fault diagnosis and intervention activities as required to ensure service continuity.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Supporting collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective coordination of support, maintenance, and service activities.
• Process Execution (ITSM): Supporting the execution of: Incident Management, Change Management, Release Management.
• The Contractor shall produce monthly Service Performance Reports, including, as a minimum: KPI performance (MTTI, MTTR, MRT); Incident summaries and analysis (P1 P4), including volume, classification, and resolution status; Service availability across all service domains; Major incidents and outages, including impact assessment; Root cause analysis for critical incidents (P1/P2); Preventive and corrective actions implemented or planned; Change and maintenance activities performed during the reporting period; Identified risks and associated mitigation measures; Recommendations for service optimisation and improvement.
• For high-priority incidents, the Contractor shall provide: Initial notification; Regular status updates; Post-Incident Reports including root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• The Contractor shall provide: KPI measurement data and supporting evidence; Identification of KPI breaches; Calculation of applicable service credits.
• If applicable, the Contractor shall provide dashboards showing: Service status and availability; Active incidents; Performance trends.
• The Contractor shall ensure that all reports are completed and submitted no later than the fifth (5th) working day following the end of the respective reporting period, unless otherwise agreed.
• The Contractor shall establish and operate a structured Governance Model to ensure effective oversight, control, and continuous improvement of the services delivered under this Statement of Work.
• The governance structure shall include the following levels: Operational Level (Day-to-Day engineering Management) with focus on service execution and operational coordination; Service Review Level (Engineering Performance Management) with focus on KPI performance, service quality, and reporting.
• The Contractor shall: Identify opportunities for service and efficiency improvements; Propose and track corrective and preventive actions; Monitor trends and recurring issues to drive long-term improvements.
• The primary place of performance shall be the premises of NSATU Headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany.
• The services shall be performed during standard working hours from Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00. Where required for operational reasons, the Contractor shall perform night work and weekend activities in support of the services.
• The Contractor shall be prepared to undertake travel that may include, but is not limited to, NSATU functional locations and NCIA locations in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Service credits shall be calculated on a monthly basis as follows: Total Service Credit (%) = Sum of the percentages assigned to each KPI that is Not Met; The monetary value of the service credit shall be: Service Credit Value = Total Service Credit (%) × Monthly Service Fee.
• The Contractor shall submit invoices on a monthly basis in arrears.

Requirement

• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) - (Code 200-301) or equivalent qualifications.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: In-depth knowledge of Cisco routing and switching technologies.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in configuring and troubleshooting Cisco routers and switches.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: In-depth knowledge of network security principles and practices.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in fault diagnosis utilizing a number of management platforms (e.g. HP Openview, Netscout, Cisco Works).
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in configuration and operation of HP Network Automation or equivalent network automation and orchestration systems.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in configuration and operation of Network Monitoring and Event Management systems (ideally CA Spectrum, HP Openview and Splunk).
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Familiarity with IP Diffserv QoS in Networks.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: In-depth knowledge of OSPF and BGP to include (Multi-area architectures, BGP Confederations and Route Reflectors).
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Familiarity with EIGRP and IS-IS.
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in implementing and operating LAN technologies (e.g. HSRP, STP, Switching, VLANs, DHCP snooping, ARP Inspection, Port-Security).
• Assigned personnel shall possess the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Proficiency in implementing and operating network authentication and authorization systems and technologies (e.g. Secure ACS 5.x, 802.1x, 802.1ae MACSEC, RADIUS, TACACS ).
• Personnel shall possess: Shall be able to listen, speak, read and write in English to or above the NATO SLP 3333 (= good/minimum professional) in accordance with STANAG 6001.
• Personnel shall possess: Proven English language ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, including the ability to deliver clear briefings and articulate complex technical matters;
• Personnel shall possess: In depth practical understanding of NATO Command structures, roles, and organisational context.
• Personnel shall possess: In depth practical Knowledge of NATO Enterprise Architecture and DCIS services, covering OSI Layers 1-7.
• Performance of the services requires a valid NATO COSMIC TOP SECRET. NATO SECRET personal security clearance can be accepted, prior to the start of the engagement with COSMIC TOP SECRET clearance in process.

Preferences

• It is desirable that the assigned personnel have the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) - One core exam (CCNP Enterprise) and one additional concentration exam).
• It is desirable that the assigned personnel have the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: Cisco Certified Technician (CCT) Routing and Switching (Code 100-490 RSTECH).
• It is desirable that the assigned personnel have the following qualifications and have at least three (3) years of experience in the following areas: The Computing Technology Industry Association- CompTIA Network certification (Code N10-008).