Deadline Date: Thursday 7 November 2024
Requirement: Resource Management for Training Delivery Branch
Location: Oeiras, PT
Full Time On-Site: Yes
Time On-Site: 100%
Period of Performance: 2025 BASE: 13 January (tentative) – 31 December 2025 with possibility to exercise the following option:
• 2026 Option: 1st January 2026 until 31st December 2026
Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET
Special Terms and Conditions: Due to the multinational aspect of NATO, part of the services in this SoW shall be delivered during national public holidays at the respective locations of performance. The contractor might be occasionally required to travel. If it is the case, separate Purchase Requisition will be raised and related travel cost will be reimbursed based on provided claim and receipt.
INTRODUCTION
The NCI Agency has been established to optimally fulfil the collective needs of NATO nations in areas of Consultation, Command and Control, Communications, Information, and Cyber Defence. This also includes streamlining the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition, and related information exchange.
As part of the NCI Agency, the NCI Academy delivers high quality, certifiable and modern vocational training on systems and services utilised within NATO. The NCI Academy is led from its flagship training delivery location in Oeiras (Portugal) and supported by staff and capabilities in The Hague (The Netherlands), Brussels and Mons (Belgium).
The Dean of Academics directly reports to the Director of the Academy and is responsible for individual-training delivery services and student performance management; in residential form (at any Agency location), for Mobile Training Teams (MTT) and training delivery in all digital forms (distance learning, micro-learning, eLearning, etc.).
The Dean of Academics is responsible for Training Delivery in Oeiras, Mons and The Hague as well as other geographical locations through Mobile Training Teams. Reporting to the Dean of Academics, the Communications and Deployable Systems Training Branch, the Cyber Defence Training Branch and the Command and Control and Functional Services (C2 & FS) Training Branch are each responsible for the management and execution of the related training provided by the NCI Academy.
The activities covered by this statement of work will support the mission and deliverables of the Communication and Deployable Systems Training Branch.
The services shall be primarily conducted onsite at the NCI Academy in Oeiras.
OBJECTIVES
This statement of work covers the functions of Resource Management for the Communications and Deployable Systems Training (CDST) Branch, as detailed in the “Scope of Work” section below.
The selected resource to provide services under this SOW will report periodically to the CDST Branch Head on the progress of the work.
SCOPE OF WORK
The following activities are expected to be performed under this SOW:
Planning and Forecasting
• Demand forecasting: Predicting future resource needs (people, classrooms and infrastructure) based on training plans, project schedules, workload, and organizational goals.
• Capacity planning: Assessing the training branch's available resources and their capacity to meet future demands.
Allocation and Scheduling
• Resource allocation: Proposing the assignment of resources to projects or tasks based on their skills, availability, and priorities.
• Scheduling: Creating and managing schedules for resources to ensure timely completion of projects, including overall training and travel plans for the branch.
Monitoring and Optimization
• Utilization tracking: Monitoring the usage of resources to identify underutilization or over allocation.
• Optimization: Identifying and proposing strategies to improve resource utilization and efficiency, including the reassessment of allocation and prioritization when new tasks are identified.
Conflict Resolution
• Resolving conflicts: Addressing issues related to resource allocation, scheduling, or performance.
• Prioritizing tasks: Proposing the order in which tasks should be completed based on their importance and urgency.
Reporting and Analysis
• Generating reports: Providing regular reports on resource utilization, project progress, and performance.
• Analyzing data: Using data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
The resource will provide the service using a sprint-based approach, with weekly sprints.
The deliverables and objectives for the following sprint will be reviewed and agreed in writing during the sprint retrospective meetings, to be held weekly, based on the activities mentioned above.
DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES
The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) – (Annex A) including the EBA Receipt number.
Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet (Annex A) signed by the Contractor and CDST Branch Head.
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.
2025 BASE: 13 January 2025 to 31 December 2025
Deliverable: Up to 48 Sprints (Number of sprints is estimated considering a starting date 13 January 2025. This will be adjusted depending on the actual start date.)
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each fourth sprint and at the end of the work.
2026 OPTION: 12 January 2026 to 31 December 2026
Deliverable: Up to 48 sprints
Payment Milestones: Upon completion of each fourth sprint and at the end of the work.
COORDINATION AND REPORTING
The contractor shall participate in status update meetings, sprint planning, and other meetings, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to service manager’s instructions.
Acceptance of each delivery completion will be documented in Annex A – Delivery Acceptance Sheet.
SCHEDULE
This task order will be active immediately after signing of the contract by both parties.
The BASE period of performance is to begin on 13 January 2025 and will end no later than 31 December 2025.
If the 2026 option is exercised, the period of performance is 12 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.
CONSTRAINTS
All the deliverables provided under this statement of work will be based on NCI Agency templates or agreed with the line manager.
All documentation will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCI Agency tools.
Part of the work may involve handling classified networks, therefore, a security clearance at the right level is expected for the contractor(s) undertaking this service.
SECURITY
The security classification of the service will be up to NATO SECRET
The contractor providing the services under this SOW is required to hold a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.
PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
The contractor will be required to provide the service on-site in NCI Academy Oeiras (PRT)
Travel costs are out of scope and will be borne by the NCI Agency separately in accordance to the provisions of the AAS+ Framework Contract. He or she will provide services under the direction and guidance of the NCI Academy Technical Capability Support Section Head or their designated representative.
This service must be accomplished by ONE contractor.
QUALIFICATIONS
[See Requirements]
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS
* Delivery of the services within this SOW requires a contractor with the following qualifications and experience:
* The candidate has a NATO SECRET security clearance, provided by the national security organization valid at the time of submission of the bid and covering the period of the contract
* Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 2+ years of experience OR 6+ years of relevant experience without a degree.
* Proficiency in project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) and tools.
* Expertise in resource allocation, scheduling, and forecasting techniques.
* Ability to analyze data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
* Understanding of budgeting, cost control, and financial analysis.
* Familiarity with resource management software and tools (e.g. ServiceNow).
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with stakeholders at all levels.
* Ability to identify and resolve issues related to resource allocation and scheduling.
* Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders.
Desirable qualifications and experience
* Knowledge of and experience with the NATO Command Structure, the NATO Force Structure, and the NATO Political Structure.
* Experience working in an International environment with Military and Civilian elements.
* Knowledge and experience working with NCI Agency.
* Knowledge and experience working with NCI Academy.
Language Proficiency
* Level 3 English language skills according to NATO STANAG 6001: Listening (3); Speaking (2); Reading (3); and Writing (2) or according to Common European Framework of Reference for Language level B2-C1/Upper Intermediate-Advanced level)