2024-0080 Principal BMD Operational User Experience Technologist - FRI 22 Mar

EMW, Inc.

Netherlands only

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Deadline Date: Friday 22 March 2024

Requirement: Principal BMD Operational User Experience Technologist

Location: Off-Site (Frequent travels to the NCI Agency, The Hague, The Netherlands are required. Travels to other NATO locations are possible)

Note: Please refer to your Subcontract Agreement, article 6.4.1.a, which states “Off-Site Discount: 5% (this discount is applicable to all requirements, and applies when the assigned personnel are permitted to work Off-Site, such as at- home)". Please be sure to price this discount in your overall price proposal when submitting bids against off-site RFQs

Required Start Date: No later than 29 April 2024 (Option: 1 January 2025)

End Contract Date: 31 December 2024 (Option 31 March 2025)

STATEMENT OF WORK (SoW)

The contractor will contribute to the new design of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Concept of Employment (CONEMP) product which is a product of NATO Allied Command of Transformation, by providing using user experience expertise. The aim of this work is to convert the existing BMD CONEMP to a more user-centric way and to develop a new easy-to-use product with available technologies in NATO environment.

1. INTRODUCTION

2. SCOPE OF WORK

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

4. SCHEDULE AND PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

5. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES

6. COORDINATION AND REPORTING

7. GENERAL NOTES

8. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, the NCI Agency delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems in support of consultation, command & control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO, where and when required. It includes IT support to the Alliances’ business processes (to include provision of IT shared services) to the NATO HQ, the Command Structure and NATO Agencies.

1.2 The BMD Programme Office, as part of the NCI Agency, ensures the harmonised planning, implementation, deployment, evolution and support of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capability, in a way that satisfies the operational requirements and minimizes the military risk, taking into account the NATO political, economic and schedule requirements and using the most suitable industrial and technological solutions. The Programme Office is the procurement and implementation body of the NCI Agency, charged with the effective planning, execution, delivery into service, evolution and through-life logistic support of NATO’s and assigned national and BMD systems.

1.3 In the light of these activities, the BMD Programme Office is looking for a BMD operational user experience (BMD OUX) technologist who will contribute to the design and implementation of the new BMD Concept of Employment (CONEMP) product. In depth operational knowledge and prior experience of NATO BMD as well as the NATO BMD user applications (Battle Management Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence, BMC3I systems) is required to work on assigned tasks.

1.4 The incumbent will be performing as part of an Agency led project team that executes the Allied Command for Transformation (ACT) Programme of Work (PoW) 2024 for BMD CONEMP.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

2.1 The deliverables are in the form of principal BMD OUX technologist contribution to the project work:

2.1.1 Designing and describing functional specifications of the BMD CONEMP viewer (“Viewer”) by applying OUX principles and together with operational user community and NCIA project team.

2.1.2 Developing a prototype of the “Viewer”.

2.1.3 Preparing and providing subject matter (BMD OUX) briefings and expert reports related with the project work.

2.1.4 Performing expert OUX reviews on BMD related NATO Battle Management Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (BMC3I) information systems and documenting findings in an expert review report.

2.1.5 Planning and performing subject matter (BMD OUX) training sessions to the project team members.

2.2 The deliverables will be required by various dates, as identified in Section 5, throughout the contract execution.

2.3 The contract will have an optional scope extension work-package to be executed in the first quarter of 2025, if NCIA exercises the option of a scope extension which may be required if the ACT PoW 2024 BMD project is delayed to Q1 2025.

2.4 All deliverables are to be peer reviewed within its delivery cycle. Input and guidance will be provided by NCI Agency in written from or/and during the targeted review meetings.

2.5 During the period of performance a Delivery Acceptance Sheet shall be provided to the Purchaser for each scheduled delivery, as identified in Section 5. The Template is provided in the Annex B. The Purchaser will confirm the acceptance by signing Delivery Acceptance Sheet.

2.6 The expected classification level of the deliverables is unclassified or NATO R*STRICTED.

2.7 The execution of duties may require the contractors to access information as per 2.4 up to NATO R*STRICTED therefore the incumbent will be asked to fill a Certificate of Security Obligation (CSO) form for accessing NATO R*STRICTED information throughout the contract execution.

2.8 The execution of this contract will be coordinated by the NCIA SPW019699 Project for the execution of ACT BMD Programme of Work 2024. The Agency Point of Contact for the daily execution of the contract is the NCIA PM.

2.9 The contractor shall carry out the specific tasks, as described in the Work Package table(s) below:

Work Package WP1: Designing and describing the BMD CONEMP Viewer

The incumbent will prepare a detailed design of the Viewer in an agile fashion. S/he must be able to set a clear idea of what the Viewer needs to resolve in shortfall of the CONEMP document. S/he must set the main questions that BMD operational users to answer. Having a well-defined user research goal must be set and the incumbent must choose the right methods, tools, and participants for communicating with the BMD operational community. The incumbent will be part of the NCIA project team but will be the main expert for conducting interviews, observations, workshops with BMD operational users. The incumbent will use the collected information in the design of the BMD CONEMP Viewer.

The incumbent must be able to relate the feedback received from operational community with related sections in the BMD CONEMP.

Deliverable D1 The incumbent will produce a BMD OUX design of the BMD CONEMP Viewer.

Constraint C1: The design shall describe all user interfaces, interactions between them, navigation and usage of architecture information of the BMD CONEMP and user functionalities.

Acceptance Criteria A1: This design is reviewed by the project team and NCI Agency feedbacks/corrections to the content needs to be implemented for relevant parts to be recorded in the project workspace.

Work Package WP2: Developing a BMD CONEMP Viewer prototype

The incumbent will develop a software prototype for the Viewer in an agile fashion alongside with design of the Viewer. S/he will provide own expertise for incremental development of the BMD CONEMP Viewer prototype

The incumbent will make sure that the Viewer reflects operational user experience principles and provides an easy-to-user front end to the BMD CONEMP.

Deliverable D1: The first of the BMD CONEMP Viewer prototype software. The deliverable will be provided in a progressive way through continuous elaboration subject to the NCIA project manager of BMD CONEMP team.

Constraint C1: The incumbent shall operate as directed by the NCIA project manager and provide inputs directly to the BMD CONEMP project team.

Acceptance Criteria A1: The prototype will be reviewed by NCIA project team members before finalization.

Deliverable D2: The second version of the BMD CONEMP Viewer prototype software.

The deliverable will be provided in a progressive way through continuous elaboration subject to the NCIA project manager of BMD CONEMP team.

Constraint C2: The incumbent shall operate as directed by the NCIA project manager and provide inputs directly to the BMD CONEMP project team.

Acceptance Criteria A2: The prototype will be reviewed by NCIA project team members before finalization.

Deliverable D3 (Optional in 2025, if exercised): The third version of the BMD CONEMP Viewer prototype software.

This is only relevant if the NCI Agency exercises the option of a scope extension which may be required if the ACT PoW 2024 BMD project is delayed to Q1 2025.

This deliverable is optional and it will only be requested if NCIA will exercise the option. The third version of the BMD CONEMP Viewer will be developed to address comments and feedbacks received from the BMD operational community.

It is a progressive way through continuous elaboration subject to the NCIA project manager of BMD CONEMP team.

Constraint C3: The incumbent shall operate as directed by the NCIA project manager and provide inputs directly to the BMD CONEMP project team.

Acceptance Criteria A3: The prototype will be reviewed by NCIA project team members before finalization.

Additional Notes: This is only relevant if the NCI Agency exercises the option of a scope extension which may be required if the ACT PoW 2024 BMD project is delayed to Q1 2025. This deliverable is optional and it will only be requested if NCIA will exercise the option.

Work Package WP3: BMD OUX Expert review for BMC3I

The incumbent shall perform BMD OUX reviews for selected BMC3I systems as part of the BMD CONEMP development.

Deliverable D1: BMD OUX Expert Review Report.

By done a BMD OUX expert, an expert review report involves the analysis of a design with the goal of identifying usability problems and strengths.

C1 Required comments shall be provided in a format requested to support the peer review of an expert review report as directed by NCIA project team.

Acceptance Criteria A1: Assessment by the NCIA Project Manager

Work Package WP4: BMD OUX Expert training

The incumbent shall perform BMD OUX training sessions to the NCIA project team.

Deliverable D1: BMD OUX Expert training execution

The training will contain NATO BMD specifics, terminology, examples and use-cases.

Constraint C1: Training material shall be provided 2 weeks before the training date

Acceptance Criteria A1: Assessment by the NCIA Project Manager

3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 The work shall be conducted in close collaboration between the Contractor and NCI Agency BMD Programme, as described in table below:

BMD Programme Office: Project Manager

Contractor: To provide deliverables and inputs identified under work packages above.

4. SCHEDULE AND PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

4.1 Period of performance:

The Contractor is required for the period starting not later than 29th of April 2024 through 31st of December 2024.

If the NCI Agency exercises the option of a scope extension which may be required if the ACT PoW 2024 BMD project is delayed to Q1 2025, then the Contractor will be also required for the period starting 01 st of January 2025 through 31 st March 2025.

4.2 Location:

• Primarily at the incumbent’s remote location (teleworking) as agreed with the Project Manager.

• Occasionally at the NCIA offices and other NATO locations as travel on duty.

4.3 Expected Travel:

This Task Order requires scheduled travel. This travel will be billed to the purchaser by the service provider separately in accordance with the terms and conditions of the framework agreement and is considered an addition to the overall cost of the bid.

Extraordinary travel (Purchaser Directed Travel which will be referred to as “TDY” from here on) will be required to other NATO locations as necessary so that task flexibility can be maintained. Most of the travels may be anticipated to the following locations:

• The Hague (NLD) – NCI Agency offices

• Oeiras (PRT) – NCI Academy

The schedule and extent of each visit to the above mentioned sites will be determined, for personnel to be deployed, by the Project Manager.

4.5 NATO will retain the intellectual property rights for all products developed in relation to this project.

5. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES

This is a completion-type contract which requires a Contractor with complementary skills to complete the work.

5.1 Schedule of payments. Payment will be made after the Purchaser has signed the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) (Annex B) for the respective deliverables.

5.2 The contractor shall submit an Invoice, with approved DAS attached, to the Purchaser for payment.