IFIB-ACT-SACT-25-23.pdf

NATO UNCLASSIFIED

IFIB-ACT-SACT-25-23

w

NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION

HEADQUARTERS SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER TRANSFORMATION

7857 BLANDY ROAD, SUITE 100

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, 23551-2490

Invitation For International Bidding

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT

TO

TASK FORCE X MARITIME AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FLEET

http://www.act.nato.int/

TABLE OF CONTENTS BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS

General

Classification

Definitions

Eligibility

Duration of Contract

Amendment or Cancellation

Bidder Clarifications

Bid Closing Date

Bid Validity

Content of Proposal

Proposal Submission

Late Proposals

Bid Withdrawal

Bid Evaluation

Proposal Clarifications

Award

Communications

Points of Contact:

Enclosure 1: Proposal Content / Checklist

Enclosure 2: Compliance Statement

Enclosure 3: Past Performance/References Information Form

Enclosure 4 – Mandatory Price Proposal Excel Spreadsheet

ANNEX A: STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) TASK FORCE X MARITIME

AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FLEET

Introduction

Background

Scope

MAS Fleet Components:

General MAS requirements for all components:

Compliance matrix essential/desirable requirements for each component:

Required enabling services for contractor MAS:

Type of Contract and Period of Performance (See Bidding Instructions above)

Tasking and Deliverables

Schedule of Delivery

Acceptance Criteria

Contractor Performance Requirements and Reporting

Place of Performance

Furnished Materials and Services

Physical Security

Security Consideration for the Deliverables

ANNEX A: Grading Matrices

General compliance criteria

ANNEX B: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 1: Unmanned Aerial Systems

ANNEX C: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 2: Unmanned Surface Systems for Interception

ANNEX D: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 3: Unmanned Surface Systems for Patrolling

ANNEX E: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 4: Unmanned Underwater Systems

ANNEX F: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 5: Unmanned Surface Attritable systems

ANNEX G: Acronyms

TABLE OF CONTENTS BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS

General

a. This is a Firm Fixed Price Deliverables contract in accordance with the HQ SACT General Terms and Conditions;

b. HQ SACT General Terms and Conditions Dated March 2024 are applicable to this procurement and can be located on the ACT Website at;

WWW.ACT.NATO.INT/CONTRACTING under Contractor Information.

c. Contract Award is contingent upon funding availability; Partial bidding is allowed.

Classification

d. This Invitation for International Bidding (IFIB) is a NATO UNCLASSIFIED document.

Definitions

e. The “Prospective Bidder” shall refer to the entity that has indicated thereon its intention without commitment, to participate in this IFIB.

f. The term “Bidder” shall refer to the bidding entity that has completed a bid in response to this IFIB.

g. The term “Contractor” shall refer to the bidding entity to whom the contract is awarded.

h. The term “Contracting Officer” designates the official who executes this IFIB on behalf of HQ SACT.

i. “Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative” or “COTR” is the official who is appointed for the purpose of determining compliance of the successful bid, per the technical specifications.

j. The term “HQ SACT” shall refer to Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander

Transformation.

k. The term “ACT” shall refer to Allied Command Transformation.

l. The term “NATO” shall refer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

m. The term “days” as used in this IFIB shall, unless otherwise stated, be interpreted as meaning calendar days.

http://www.act.nato.int/CONTRACTING

Eligibility

a. This IFIB is open to governmental or commercial entities:

b. Established in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alliance member nation.

c. Working in the required field of study and legally authorised to operate in the country and countries in which this contract is to be performed, at the time of bidding. Has performed the desired past performance including size, cost and scope, as described in this IFIB.

d. All proposed key personnel on this requirement must be citizens of a NATO member nation.

Duration of Contract

e. The contract(s) awarded shall be effective upon date of award.

f. Period of Performance:

Work Package 1 (contract awards all pending availability of funds) Period of Performance: on or about Date of award – 28 June 2025.

Period of Operations: 09 Jun – 27 Jun 2025

Work Package 2 (option) (contract awards all pending availability of funds) Work package Period of Performance: Date of award – 27 September 2025

Period of Operations: 08 Sep – 26 Sep 2025

g. Option periods shall be exercised at the sole discretion of the HQ SACT Contracting Officer, based on satisfactory work performance, availability of funding, and ongoing evolving requirements.

Amendment or Cancellation

h. HQ SACT reserves the right to amend or delete any one or more of the terms, conditions or provisions of the IFIB prior to the date set for bid closing. A solicitation amendment or amendments shall announce such action.

i. HQ SACT reserves the right to cancel, at any time, this IFIB either partially or in its entirety. No legal liability on the part of HQ SACT shall be considered for recovery of costs in connection to bid preparation. All efforts undertaken by any bidder shall be done considering and accepting, that no costs shall be recovered from HQ SACT. If this IFIB is cancelled, any/all received bids shall be archived.

Bidder Clarifications

j. Prospective Bidders should seek clarification at their earliest convenience. Any explanation regarding the meaning or interpretation of this IFIB, terms, clause, provision or specifications, shall be requested in writing, from the Contracting Officer. All Contracting Officers listed on this IFIB must receive such requests via email for clarification no later than 05 March 2025.

k. In lieu of a bidder’s conference, HQ SACT invites bidders to submit technical and contractual questions not later than 05 March 2025.

l. Information in response to all inquiries / requests for clarification to a prospective bidder shall be furnished to all prospective bidders at the following link:

http://www.act.nato.int/contracting as a Question and Answer addendum. All such addendums and any necessary solicitation amendments shall be incorporated into this IFIB. Verbal Interpretations shall not be binding.

Bid Closing Date

Bids shall be received at HQ SACT, Purchasing and Contracting Office, no later than 26 March 2025, 0900 hours, Eastern Time, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. No bids shall be accepted after this date and time. No hard copy proposals will be accepted. Please see Proposal Submission for more details.

Bid Validity

a. Bids shall remain valid for a period of one hundred and twenty days (120) from the applicable closing date set forth within this IFIB. HQ SACT reserves the right to request an extension of validity. Bidder shall be entitled to either grant or deny this extension of validity. HQ SACT shall automatically consider a denial to extend the validity as a withdrawal of the bid.

b. HQ SACT will not accept supplier proposals prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. HQ SACT reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at HQ SACT’s sole discretion, and HQ SACT reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

http://www.act.nato.int/contracting

Content of Proposal

The proposal shall consist of two (2) separate documents (Technical / Price) sent via e-mail as per the instructions. No hard copy proposals will be accepted. The E-mailed documents shall be received no later than 26 March 2025, 0900 hours, Eastern Time, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

The company description portion of its technical proposal shall be limited to 10 pages.

a. Technical Proposal shall be a Signed PDF document and contain:

1) A table of contents for the entire proposal (See Enclosure #1):

2) The bidder’s full name, address, Point of Contacts, Telephone, Fax number;

Internet site;

3) Compliance statement (See Enclosure #2);

4) Past performance (See Enclosure #3);

5) List of key personnel;

6) Provision of technical volumes;

7) Compliance matrix (See Annex A to Statement of Work).

b. Price Proposal shall be submitted using the excel workbook provided. Bidders are encouraged to submit a second PDF proposal for pricing if the excel workbook is provided as well. (See Enclosure #4).

1) Shall be in U.S. Dollar Currency. Contractor may request payment post award in alternate currency based on agreed conversion rate.

2) Prices shall be on a Firm Fixed Price Basis and include any relevant discount schedule.

Proposal Submission

m. Proposals shall be separate e-mail submissions to:

Technical proposal: hqsact.techproposal@nato.int mailto:hqsact.techproposal@nato.int

Price proposal: hqsact.priceproposal@nato.int

n. E-mail subjects shall include the solicitation information along with company name (for example: IFIB -ACT-SACT-25-23 Tech_ABC Inc. / IFIB -ACT- SACT-25-23 Price_ABC Inc.). Allow sufficient time in sending your submission should you encounter e-mail size challenges.

o. No verbal bids or verbal modifications or telephonic bids shall be considered.

p. It is the ultimate responsibility of a prospective bidder prior to submission that all proposal submissions are reviewed to ensure they meet the technical, contractual and administrative specifications and that offers meet the limitations and expressed conditions.

Late Proposals

q. It is solely the bidder`s responsibility that every effort is made to ensure that the proposal reaches HQ SACT prior to the established closing date and time. No late bids shall be considered.

r. A delay in an e-mail exchange due to server or size restrictions does not constitute a delay by NATO.

Bid Withdrawal

A bidder may withdraw their bid up to the date and time specified for bid closing. Such a withdrawal must be completed in writing with attention to the HQ SACT Contracting Officer.

A bid withdraw will be annotated on the Contract Award Report.

Bid Evaluation

s. The evaluation of bids and determination as to the responsiveness and technical adequacy or technical compliance, of the products or services requested, shall be the responsibility of HQ SACT. Such determinations shall be consistent with the evaluation criteria specified in the IFIB. HQ SACT is not responsible for any content that is not clearly identified in any proposal package.

t. HQ SACT reserves the right conduct pre-award discussions with proposed key personnel to accurately assess identified technical competencies. Discussions will be limited to scope of this IFIB and the evaluation criteria identified.

u. Proposals shall be evaluated and awarded taking into consideration of the following factors:

mailto:hqsact.priceproposal@nato.int

1) Successful administrative submission of bid packages as requested in the

Bidding Instructions of this IFIB.

2) Successful determination of compliance. (Compliant/non-compliant).

3) Technical factors / pricing factors rated the following:

Technical / Price = 70/30 (Best Value).

4) The proposed daily operational price per MAS unit per component in the solicitation will be the basis of the Price Evaluation. Any transportation costs to the locations (Work Package 1 & Work Package 2) will not be a consideration for the award.

5) Technical clarifications as determined may be conducted.

6) Acceptance of HQ SACT General Terms and Conditions.

Proposal Clarifications

During the entire evaluation process HQ SACT reserves the right to discuss any bid with the order to clarify what is offered and interpretation of language within the bid, to resolve in potential areas of concern.

Award

v. HQ SACT intends to award a firm fixed price deliverables contract(s) to the Offeror(s) whose proposal(s) represents the Best Value offer to NATO. Partial awards are authorized. HQ SACT intends to award a minimum of one award per component but reserves the right to award multiple contracts per component based on the technical requirements and fair and reasonable pricing and technically compliant offers.

Contractors may receive an award comprising of multiple components.

w. HQ SACT will collect information from references provided by the Offeror in regard to its past performance. Contractors must provide HQ SACT authorization to contact references.

x. HQ SACT reserves the right to negotiate minor deviations to the listed General

Terms and Conditions to this IFIB.

Communications

All communication related to this IFIB, between a prospective bidder and HQ SACT shall only be through the nominated HQ SACT Contracting Officer. Designated contracting staff shall assist the HQ SACT Contracting Officer in the administrative process. There shall be no contact with other HQ SACT personnel in regard to this IFIB. Such adherence shall ensure Fair and Open Competition with equal consideration and competitive footing leverage to all interested parties.

Points of Contact:

(PLEASE INCLUDE ALL FOUR BELOW ON ALL CORRESPONDENCE)

Catherine Giglio, ACT Contracting Officer, 757-747-3856, catherine.giglio@nato.int

Jessica Pilla, ACT Contracting Officer, 757-747-4414, jessica.pilla@nato.int

Robert Friend, ACT Contracting Officer, 757-747-4433, robert.friend@nato.int

Robert McMaster, ACT Contracting Support, Email only: robert.mcmaster@nato.int

Tonya Bonilla, ACT Contracting Officer, 757-747-3575, tonya.bonilla@nato.int mailto:catherine.giglio@nato.int mailto:jessica.pilla@nato.int mailto:jessica.pilla@nato.int mailto:robert.mcmaster@nato.int mailto:tonya.bonilla@nato.int

Enclosure 1: Proposal Content / Checklist

PROPOSAL CONTENT / CHECKLIST

Table of Contents

□ Bidder’s name, address, POC, Contact numbers, email address.

□ Compliance Statement.

□ Past Performance (including References).

□ List of Key Personnel.

□ Technical Proposal.

□ Price Proposal (Excel worksheet – Enclosure 4 - provides mandatory price proposal format).

Enclosure 2: Compliance Statement

COMPLIANCE STATEMENT TO SEALED BID

It is hereby stated that our company has read and understands all documentation issued as part of this IFIB. Our company proposal submitted in response to the referenced solicitation is fully compliant with the provisions of this IFIB and the intended contract with the following exception(s); such exemptions are considered non-substantial to the HQ SACT solicitation provisions issued.

Clause Description of Minor Deviation.

(If applicable, add another page)

Company:

Signature:

Name &Title: Date: ________________

Company Bid Reference:

Bidder’s proposal must be based on full compliance with the terms, conditions and requirements of the IFIB and all future clarifications and/or amendments. The bidder may offer variations in specific implementation and operational details provided that the functional and performance requirements are fully satisfied. In case of conflict between the compliance statement and the detailed evidence or explanation furnished, the detailed evidence/comments shall take precedence/priority for the actual determination of compliance. Minor or non-substantial deviations may be accepted. Substantial changes shall be considered non- responsive.

Enclosure 3: Past Performance/References Information Form

Company is required to submit minimum of one past performance or at least two references to meet the requirements of past performance and/or reference enclosure. Contract and/or reference information must include a detailed description of the work performed relevant to the requirements outlined in the SOW. Generic or vague references to the contract awarded without clear connection to work performed will be disqualified.

(a) Contracting Entity:

(b) Contract No:

(c) Type of Contract (Firm Fixed Price, IDIQ, Requirements):

(d) Title of Contract:

(e) Description of Work Performance and Relevance to Current Acquisition (Type of facility, capacity, estimated patronage, summary of staff used):

(f) Contract Dollar Amount:

(g) Period of Performance:

(h) Name, Address, Fax and Telephone No. of Reference:

(i) Indicate Whether Reference Acted as Prime or Sub-contractor:

(j) Comments regarding compliance with contract terms and conditions:

(k) Complete Contact Information for client:

(l) Permission to contact client for reference: Yes / No

Name/Signature of Authorized Company Official: _______________________________ This Enclosure is designed to assist the respective company provide HQ SACT with all necessary documents/information required. For clarification, please refer to bidding instructions in part 1 of subject solicitation.

Enclosure 4 – Mandatory Price Proposal Excel Spreadsheet

Pricing shall be submitted using the excel workbook provided. Bidders are encouraged to submit a second PDF proposal for pricing if the excel workbook is provided as well.

Proposals not submitted in the proper format will not be considered.

Formulas have been added for convenience; however, it is the company’s responsibility to ensure that the formulas are correctly reflecting your expected bid proposal value.

Instructions extracted from Mandatory Price Proposal Excel Spreadsheet

*Bidders are requested to complete and submit this document as submission of their financial offer.

*Bidders declare and agree that they have proposed the firm fixed binding unit rates per the instructions given below.

*All the unit rates and prices shall be fully inclusive of any materials, works, tooling, maintenance, equipment, and any other cost elements (such as overheads, profits, contingencies, and insurances needed) which may be needed to supply the required TASK FORCE X MARITIME AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FLEET in accordance with:

IFIB-ACT-SACT-25-23 including Bidding instructions and SOW *Bidders are requested to fill in and sign PRE-AMBLE TAB and complete TAB 1 -DELIVERABLE PRICE SCHEDULE AND TAB 2 - COST BREAKDOWN as a submission of their financial offer *This spreadsheet is provided for ease/consistency of price submission only. It is the sole responsibility of the proposing company to ensure that the formulas accurately reflect the proper total proposed value.

*It is the bidders sole responsibility to ensure that all costs have been duly and substantially considered and included under their price breakdown.

HQ SACT cannot be responsible for any omission on the part of the bidders.

* The bidders shall fill in the yellow highlighted cells only

ANNEX A: STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

TASK FORCE X MARITIME AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS FLEET

Introduction Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to engage with Industry on Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) capabilities.

The intention is to assemble a fleet of MAS, to be designated as Task Force X to augment existing NATO maritime capabilities. This includes surface, underwater and aerial systems. Optionally there is a requirement to establish a smaller fleet, that includes attritable MAS, to participate in the NATO Dynamic Messenger exercise. Industry will provide full services, including but not limited the MAS, logistical support, operation, maintenance and transportation in order to meet NATO needs for CUI protection in the Baltic Sea.

Background The strategic significance of the sea to the Alliance cannot be overstated. It serves as a vital thoroughfare for trade, energy transportation, and communication, making it central to our prosperity and security. The maritime domain is undergoing an enormous change due to the new threats and opportunities that are being introduced by autonomous systems.

Recent events have shown how easily the Critical Underwater Infrastructure in the NATO Alliance can be disrupted or even destroyed. NATO should maintain and enhance its ability to operate effectively in the Maritime domain to prevent, detect, counter and respond to the full spectrum of threats using all available necessary instruments. To address these hybrid threats, NATO has established a Baltic Sentry Maritime Task Force. This Task Force will be augmented with MAS to increase their capabilities and to contribute to the general deterrence efforts.

As a priority, NATO is seeking industry solutions that can be used to augment existing capabilities in the surface, underwater and air domain.

Scope

Fleet as a Service in this SOW consists of one or more components (see below) that can be fulfilled by the Contractor(s). Multiple components are encouraged to reduce integration efforts.

All of the components (with a minimum of two MAS in each component) must be available on the start of the period of operations at the specified locations.

The services will include:

Components (minimum of two MAS) that operate without an onboard crew (unmanned systems) in the air, surface and undersurface domain. The contractor can bid for one or more components in its bidding, with each component having a minimum of two MAS made available at the start of the operations period at the specified locations.

MAS Fleet Components:

i. component 1: Unmanned Aerial Systems

ii. component 2: Unmanned Surface Systems for interception

iii. component 3: Unmanned Surface Systems for patrolling

iv. component 4: Unmanned Underwater Systems

v. component 5: Unmanned Surface attritable Systems

General MAS requirements for all components:

The MAS components shall be designed to operate in a maritime environment, in weather conditions for the Baltic Sea (Work Package 1) / coast of Portugal (Work Package 2).

i. The MAS shall be equipped with tracking systems and self-deployment capabilities to facilitate recovery in the event of loss or unauthorized use.

ii. The MAS shall be operated in a fully remote-control way

iii. The MAS shall have collision avoidance capabilities

iv. The MAS shall be able to provide camera feeds by day and night and telemetry data.

v. The MAS shall have an ISR sensor payload (radar, sonar, SIGINT, etc), additional to the visual sensor

vi. The MAS shall have secure remote communication systems for any data that is transmitted

Compliance matrix essential/desirable requirements for each component:

Component 1: Unmanned Aerial Systems Essential Requirements

i. The systems shall weigh less than 150 Kg (in total).

ii. The UAV shall operate in a remote-controlled way, independent of the host MAS.

iii. The UAV shall transmit sensor information independently of the host MAS, including speed, altitude and other relevant telemetry.

iv. The UAV shall fly at altitudes of at least 100 feet AGL

Component 1: Unmanned Aerial Systems Desirable Requirements

v. The UAV is allowed to use energy provided by the USV.

vi. The UAV MAS should be able to take off and land autonomously on an USV platform in weather conditions for the Baltic Sea and remain airborne for prolonged periods. Tethered UAV systems are accepted.

vii. The UAV should be able to operate for at least 12 hours without the need to land

Component 2: Unmanned Surface Vessels for interception and shadowing COIs (Contacts of interest) Essential Requirements

i. The USV shall be a minimum of 8 feet in length;

ii. The USV shall be able to operate for at least 24 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

iii. The USV shall be able operate at a minimum speed of 32 knots.

iv. The USV shall have Over the Horizon communication capabilities that provide near-real time and position, speed & heading and other relevant telemetry with a maximum average delay of 30 seconds

v. The USV shall be able to stream real-time/near real-time the sensor payload data (video and others) OR be equipped with on-board capabilities to process the data and send the results with a maximum delay of 30 seconds

Component 2: Unmanned Surface Vessels for interception and shadowing COIs (Contacts of interest) Desirable Requirements

vi. The USV should be operated with an emitting AIS transponder

vii. Integrated USV and UAV should be able to provide power to the UAV following industry standards for maritime use

viii. The USV should be able to operate for at least 6 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

Component 3: Unmanned Surface Vessels for Patrolling & monitoring Critical Underwater Infrastructure Essential Requirements

i. The USV shall be a minimum of 8 feet in length;

ii. The USV shall have Over the Horizon communication capabilities that provide near-real time and position, speed & heading and other relevant telemetry;

iii. The USV shall be able to stream real-time/near real-time the sensor payload data (video and others) OR be equipped with on-board capabilities to process the data and send the

Component 3: Unmanned Surface Vessels for Patrolling & monitoring Critical Underwater Infrastructure Desirable Requirements

iv. The USV should be able to operate for at least 6 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

v. The USV should be operated with an emitting AIS transponder.

Component 4: Unmanned Underwater Vessels Desirable Requirements (no Essential requirements)

i. The UUV should be able to operate for at least 36 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

ii. The UUV should have Over the Horizon communication capabilities that provide near-real time and position, speed & heading and other relevant telemetry

iii. The UUV should be able to stream real-time/near real-time the sensor payload data (video and others) OR be equipped with on-board capabilities to process the data and send the

iv. The UUV should be operated with an emitting AIS transponder.

Component 5: Attritable Unmanned Surface Vessels Essential Requirements This component of the MAS fleet will be used for training NATO maritime forces. This training will include live fire exercises on USV to evaluate the on-board capabilities and techniques, tactics and procedures. The attritable USVs will be used during DYNAMIC MESSENGER in Sep 25. The contractor will be responsible for operation & recovery of the systems.

i. Contractor shall be able to provide a minimum of 8 systems.

ii. The systems shall have a speed of at least 40 knots or be launched from a MAS that can reach a speed of a minimum of 40 knots.

iii. The systems shall be equipped with beacons and other similar equipment to facilitate recovery

iv. The systems shall facilitate exercise reviews by providing video images, heading, location and speed and other relevant telemetry. The minimum standard for data retrieval is asynchronous, but real-time/near real-time is preferred.

Component 5: Attritable Unmanned Surface Vessels Desirable Requirements

v. The systems should be able to operate autonomously during the attack phase

Required enabling services for contractor MAS:

a. Operators to control the MAS on a permanent basis during day & night, for the entire duration of the performance period.

b. Personnel to liaise with the operational Task Force. The liaison activities will start 10 days prior to the designated operation periods to prepare the deployment and use of the MAS Fleet. Designated personnel holding security clearances is desirable.

c. Personnel to sustain these MAS, including refueling, battery swaps and on-site maintenance and any other supporting activity. The contractor is fully responsible for the maintenance of its MAS.

d. Transportation, customs, including compliance, documentation, duties, taxes, fees, expenses, and the like, associated with the import or export, and all other enabling activities to deliver the MAS to the operation zone.

e. Full recovery and/or disposal responsibility of its MAS.

f. IT infrastructure to securely provide data streams (video, location, telemetry, additional available sensor data) to HQ SACT IT infrastructure.

g. Insurance and Indemnification: The Contractor shall be responsible to ensure that the

MAS and associated operations and activities are properly insured, to include personal injury, physical damage or liability insurances related to any claims, including maritime, and with coverages appropriate for the intended operation and use. Within three (3) business days of award, Contractor shall provide a current certificate of insurance, issued by its insurance company or broker as evidence of coverage, valid for the required service periods while providing its Fleet as a Service capability. Failure to provide proof of insurance can result in the contract being rescinded by HQ

SACT.

Further, the Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless NATO HQ SACT from any and all claims, liabilities whatsoever, losses, damages, expenses, costs, fees, and fines arising out of or in connection with their respective performance, including but not limited to personal injury, property damages, environmental contamination, or any responsibilities arising under applicable laws, consequential loss, regardless of fault, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct by NATO HQ SACT.

Type of Contract and Period of Performance (See Bidding Instructions above)

Tasking and Deliverables The contractor will perform the required services to provide a Fleet as a Service capability to HQ SACT. Those services contain the provision of the MAS Fleet components, the enabling services, and personnel.

Schedule of Delivery Schedule for Work Package 1: components 1,2,3 and 4 that will participate in ISR activities.

Period of Performance Date Deliverable Phase 1: Integration & Deployment 09 – 15 Jun 2025 MAS are ready for use at the port of our choosing in the Baltic Sea.

Operators & liaison elements are present and ready for integration Phase 2: Period of Operation 16 – 27 Jun 2025 MAS’ sensor data streams are operational, the data streams are being sent to designated HQ SACT CIS and the controllers are ready to operate the

MAS.

USVs & UAVs are integrated if this capability is delivered.

Liaison elements are integrated with the TF and have communication means with their operators;

Phase 3: Closing 28 Jun 2025 Systems are recovered

Schedule for Work Package 2: components 1,2,3,4 and 5 for Dynamic Messenger participation Optional Period of Performance Date Deliverable Phase 1 - Integration & Deployment 08 – 14 Sep 2025

MAS are ready for use at the port of our choosing in Portugal Operators & liaison elements are present and ready for integration

Phase 2 – Period of Operation 15 - 26 Sep 2025

Exercise and demonstration activities with live fire exercises Liaison elements are integrated with the TF and have communication means with their operators;

Phase 3: Closing 27 Sep 2025 Systems are recovered

Acceptance Criteria

Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) will confirm within 5 days from the beginning of each phase the acceptance of the service delivery in accordance with the requirements for the MAS Fleet components and enabling services. If it is determined that the service is not acceptable because of deficiencies in phase 1 the Contractor will have five days to remedy those deficiencies. In phase 2, two days will be accepted to remedy those deficiencies.

Contractor Performance Requirements and Reporting The COTR shall be assigned by the Contracting Officer. The COTR shall provide direction, guidance, and support information as needed for all technical and content areas of the SOW.

The COTR shall:

a. Resolve outstanding disputes, problems, deficiencies, and/or questions on the technical aspects of the SOW.

b. Review (and approve) all Contractor duties for completeness and accuracy.

c. Review the Contractor’s work at a minimum of monthly, or more often if needed.

The COTR’s written approval of work reported and deliverables submitted is mandatory for Contractor invoices to be successfully processed. The COTR shall receive a letter of appointment from the Contracting Officer that describes in detail his roles and responsibilities to which he shall sign formal acceptance.

Place of Performance The place of performance for Work Package 1 is to be determined in the Baltic Sea.

The place of performance for Work Package 2 is TROIA – Portugal

Furnished Materials and Services

a. NATO Supplied: No

b. Contractor Supplied: MAS fleet components and enabling services

Physical Security Contractors’ personnel do not require security clearances. Contractors’ Designated liaison personnel holding security clearances is desirable.

Security Consideration for the Deliverables All work supporting the development of the narrative will be NATO non-classified. The deliverables will not contain any sensitive information, will not be classified and, therefore, will not bear any classification markings.

ANNEX A: Grading Matrices Best Value Grading Matrices to STATEMENT OF WORK Contractor technical proposal will be assessed based on criteria mentioned in the following table.

HQ SACT reserves the right to conduct technical discussions with contractor. Ultimately, companies shall clearly demonstrate by providing unequivocal explanation to where and how it meets the criteria set forth in this solicitation. The Contractor must demonstrate their experience and expertise in the subject matter, in which will be graded in accordance with the Grading Matrix.

A score of “0” in any of the criteria categories will result in the bidder’s proposal as being “Technically Non-Compliant” unless otherwise specified.

General compliance criteria

SER ITEM

COMPLIANT or

NOT

COMPLIANT

Contractor is headquartered in a NATO nation and all personnel supporting this contract must be a citizen of a NATO member nation. If individuals have dual citizenship that includes a non-NATO nation, their citizenship must be provided.

Contractor is to provide a minimum of one past performance citations or two references (for work within the past five years) to show that it has successfully completed work that is similar to or directly traceable to the requirements outlined in this SOW.

Contractor can provide at least one component of the MAS Fleet (2 MAS in each component)

4 Contractor is insured to operate MAS 5 Contractor can provide experienced operators to remote operate the

MAS, so that every platform remains under human control

6 Contractor can provide personnel to liaise with the operational Task Force. Designated personnel holding security clearances is desirable.

7 Contractor can provide personnel and resources to sustain these MAS, including refueling, battery swaps and on-site maintenance and other enabling activity.

8 Contractor can provide transportation, finalize customs protocols and all other enabling activities to deliver the MAS to the operation zone

9 Contractor can provide secure means of communication of data from the MAS to a HQ SACT CIS

10 Contractor can provide MAS that have automated collision avoidance and additionally safety protocols to minimize risks to the platform and its surroundings in case of loss of communication

11 The MAS must meet applicable environmental regulatory standards, including emissions, noise generated, and waste discharge.

12 For attritable USV – Contractor must be able to recover the MAS and safely dispose of them

13 General MAS requirements for all components have been met 14 Identified essential requirements for each proposed component has been met

ANNEX B: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 1: Unmanned Aerial

Systems

SERIAL

# Criteria

Maximum point Range

1 Contractor Level of Experience with

UAV 18

0 points - no experience or familiarity 1 - 6 points - any practical experience less than 5 years 6 - 18 points – Military / National / Governmental Practical experience 5 years or more

The number of MAS per component that the Contractor can provide

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: 2 MAS

5 points: 3 MAS

10 points: 4 or more MAS

Contractors partnering under the form of a consortium with other contractors from a NATO nation with each contributing a minimum of 2 MAS per component

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

8 0 points not partnering

1-4 points partnering with up to 4 partners

5-8 points partnering with up to 8 partners

4 MAS visual sensor capability 15

0 points – no visual sensor

OR

3 points – visual sensor asynchronous data collection capability

OR

8 points – daytime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

OR

15 points – daytime and nighttime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

5 MAS telemetry data 10

0 points - no telemetry 4 points – asynchronous telemetry data 10 points – near/real-time streaming of telemetry data

MAS ISR package (excluding visual)

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: no ISR package excluding visual

OR

1-3 points for any additional OTH near/real-time streaming

OR

5 points – 1 sensor for COIs location, regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

OR

10 points – 1 sensor for OTH near/real-time COIs location streaming regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

MAS endurance without energy source replenishment at cruising speed. The UAV should be able to operate for at least 12 hours without the need to land

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 pts: less than 3 hours 1-3points: up to 12 hours 4-6 points – up to 24 hours 7-15 points – more than 24 hours

The UAV uses energy provided by the

USV

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

Yes - 4 points

No - 0 points

The UAV is able to take off and land autonomously on an USV platform in weather conditions for the Baltic Sea and remain airborne for prolonged periods. Tethered UAV systems are accepted

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

Yes - 4 points

No - 0 points

UAV is integrated with the USV

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

Yes – 6 points for organic UAV capability

No - 0 points

Total maximum points 100

ANNEX C: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 2: Unmanned Surface Systems for Interception

SERIAL

# Criteria

Maximum point Range

1 Contractor Level of Experience with

USV 15

0 points - no experience or familiarity 1 - 6 points - any practical experience less than 5 years 6 - 15 points – Military / National / Governmental Practical experience 5 years or more

The number of MAS per component that the Contractor can provide

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: 2 MAS

5 points: 3 MAS

10 points: 4 MAS

15 points: 5 MAS or more

Contractors partnering under the form of a consortium with other contractors from a NATO nation with each contributing a minimum of 2 MAS per component

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

8 0 points not partnering

1-4 points partnering with up to 4 partners

5-8 points partnering with up to 8 partners

4 MAS visual sensor capability 13

0 points – no visual sensor

OR

3 points – visual sensor asynchronous data collection capability

OR

8 points – daytime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

OR

13 points – daytime and nighttime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

5 MAS telemetry data 10

0 points - no telemetry 4 points – asynchronous telemetry data

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: no ISR package excluding visual

OR

1-3 points for any additional OTH near/real-time streaming

OR

5 points – 1 sensor for COIs location, regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

OR

10 points – 1 sensor for OTH near/real-time COIs location streaming regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

MAS endurance without energy source replenishment at cruising speed. The USV shall be able to operate for at least 6 hours without refueling or battery swaps

0 pts: less than 6 hours 1-3points: up to 12 hours 4-6 points – up to 24 hours 7-10 points –up to 36 hours 11-15 points –more than 36 hours

Scoring Compliance with Component 2 specific requirements for speed

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

5 1-5 points for maximum speed higher than 32 knots.

The USV is operated with an emitting AIS transponder

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points No - 0 points

Integrated USV and UAV is able to provide power to the UAV following industry standards for maritime use

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points No - 0 points

USV and UAV integration (a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes: 3 points for organic UAV capability No : 0 Points

ANNEX D: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 3: Unmanned Surface Systems for Patrolling

SERIAL

# Criteria

Maximum point Range

1 Contractor Level of Experience with

USV 18

0 points - no experience or familiarity 1 - 6 points - any practical experience less than 5 years 6 - 18 points – Military / National / Governmental Practical experience 5 years or more

The number of MAS per component that the Contractor can provide

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: 2 MAS

5 points: 3 MAS

10 points: 4 MAS

15 points: 5 MAS or more

Contractors partnering under the form of a consortium with other contractors from a NATO nation with each contributing a minimum of 2 MAS per component

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points not partnering

1-4 points partnering with up to 4 partners

5-8 points partnering with up to 8 partners

4 MAS visual sensor capability 13

0 points – no visual sensor

OR

3 points – visual sensor asynchronous data collection capability

OR

8 points – daytime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

OR

13 points – daytime and nighttime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

5 MAS telemetry data 10

0 points - no telemetry 4 points – asynchronous telemetry data

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: no ISR package excluding visual

OR

1-3 points for any additional OTH near/real-time streaming

OR

5 points – 1 sensor for COIs location, regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

OR

10 points – 1 sensor for OTH near/real-time COIs location streaming regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

MAS endurance without energy source replenishment at cruising speed. The USV should be able to operate for at least 6 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 pts: less than 6 hours 1-3points: up to 12 hours 4-6 points – up to 24 hours 7-10 points –up to 36 hours 11-18 points –more than 36 hours

The USV should be operated with an emitting AIS transponder

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points No - 0 points

USV and UAV integration (a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

5 Yes: 5 points for organic UAV capability No : 0 Points

ANNEX E: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 4: Unmanned Underwater Systems

SERIAL # Criteria Maximum point Range

1 Contractor Level of Experience with UUV 18

0 points - no experience or familiarity 1 - 6 points - any practical experience less than 5 years 6 - 18 points – Military / National / Governmental Practical experience 5 years or more

The number of MAS per component that the Contractor can provide

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: 2 MAS

5 points: 3 MAS

10 points: 4 MAS

15 points: 5 MAS or more

Contractors partnering under the form of a consortium with other contractors from a NATO nation with each contributing a minimum of 2 MAS per component

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

8 0 points not partnering

1-4 points partnering with up to 4 partners

5-8 points partnering with up to 8 partners

MAS visual sensor capability

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points – no visual sensor

OR

3 points – visual sensor asynchronous data collection capability

OR

8 points – daytime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

OR

12 points – daytime and nighttime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

5 MAS telemetry data 10 0 points - no telemetry 4 points – asynchronous telemetry data 10 points – near/real-time streaming of telemetry data

MAS ISR package (excluding visual)

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: no ISR package excluding visual

OR

1-3 points for any additional OTH near/real-time streaming

OR

5 points – 1 sensor for COIs location, regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

OR

10 points – 1 sensor for OTH near/real-time COIs location streaming regardless of sensor medium (EM or acoustic)

MAS endurance without energy source replenishment at cruising speed. The UUV should be able to operate for at least 36 hours without refueling or battery swaps;

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 pts: less than 12 hours 1-3points: up to 24 hours 4-6 points – up to 36 hours 7-10 points –up to 48 hours 11-18 points –more than 48 hours

The UUV has Over the Horizon communication capabilities that provide near-real time and position, speed & heading and other relevant telemetry

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points

The UUV is able to stream real-time/near real-time the sensor payload data (video and others) OR be equipped with on-board capabilities to process the data and send the results with a maximum delay of 30 seconds

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points No - 0 points

The UUV is operated with an emitting AIS transponder.

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

3 Yes - 3 points

ANNEX F: EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMPONENT 5: Unmanned Surface Attritable systems

SERIAL # Criteria Maximum point Range

1 Contractor Level of Experience with USV attritable 18

0 points - no experience or familiarity 1 - 6 points - any practical experience less than 5 years 6 - 18 points – Military / National / Governmental Practical experience 5 years or more

The number of MAS per component that the Contractor can provide

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points: 8 MAS

5 points: 9 to 12 MAS

10 points: 13 to 18 MAS

15 points: 19 MAS or more

Contractors partnering under the form of a consortium with other contractors from a NATO nation with each contributing a minimum of 2 MAS per component

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

8 0 points not partnering

1-4 points partnering with up to 4 partners

5-8 points partnering with up to 8 partners

MAS visual sensor capability

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 points – no visual sensor

OR

3 points – visual sensor asynchronous data collection capability

OR

8 points – daytime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

OR

12 points – daytime and nighttime visual sensor with OTH streaming near/real-time capability

5 MAS telemetry data 12 0 points - no telemetry 4 points – asynchronous telemetry data 12 points – near/real-time streaming of telemetry data

MAS endurance without energy source replenishment at cruising speed

(a score of 0 does not make this serial non-compliant)

0 pts: less than 12 hours 1-3points: up to 24 hours 4-6 points – up to 36 hours 7-10 points –up to 48 hours 11-18 points –more than 48 hours

The systems have a speed of at least 40 knots or be launched from a MAS that can reach a speed of a minimum of 40 knots.

12 0 pts: less than 40 knots 1-12 points : higher than 40 knots

The systems is equipped with beacons and other similar equipment to facilitate recovery

5 0 points: no beacons or similar equipment Yes : 5 points

ANNEX G: Acronyms Acronym Definition COI Contact of Interest CIS Communication & Information System