Contractor Support for Strategic Alternatives (SALT) and Strategic Partnership (SPART) Branches

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Headquarters (HQ SACT) intends to issue an Invitation for International Bidding (IFIB) to provide Contractor Support to the Strategic Plans & Policy Division, Strategic Alternatives (SALT) and Strategic Partnership (SPART) Branches. Potential prime contractors must 1) be pre-approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB), 2) be nominated to the bidders list by the U.S. Government, and 3) be companies that have performed two contracts within the last five years substantially similar in scope to the requirement described in the solicitation. Contractor personnel performing services under the contract must 1) be citizens of a NATO nation, 2) have committed no criminal offences, and 3) have appropriate professional training and experience in a related field. The reference for this project is IFIB-ACT-SACT-18-77 Award Type: Lowest Price, Technically Compliant Partial bidding will be authorized. REQUIREMENT Through the ongoing Functional Adaptation of the NATO Command Structure (NCS), two new branches under Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) for Strategic Plans & Policy (SPP) were created: Strategic Partnerships Branch (SPART) and Strategic Alternatives (SALT) Branch. SPART Branch advises SACT on all partnership matters in support of NATO's readiness to execute collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security. The Branch provides strategic military advice to shape long term vision and policy on future partnerships and military cooperation with partners, and develops relationships with International Organizations (IOs), Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (GOs/NGOs) using topics of mutual interest to build trust and promote interaction, and enhance SACT's vision and understanding of the broader strategic environment. It conducts open dialogue at the strategic military level with counterparts from the IS, IMS, ACO, and non-NATO actors, specifically IOs, GOs/NGOs, Academia, and the private sector; undertakes comprehensive analytical studies, identifies gaps in policy, provides regional and functional approaches for future interaction, cooperation, and partnerships. The Branch leads the coherence efforts of internal ACT work strands pertaining to NATO partnership issues, including support to ACO in the execution of Individually Tailored Roadmaps (ITRs); supports the development of SACT's Direction and Guidance and supports Command Group-related engagements regarding strategic partnerships and the Comprehensive Approach. It is responsible for the coordination of ACT's NATO Strategic Direction (South) staff contributions to ACT strands of work, in close interaction with other SPP Branches. In the execution of its work, the Branch integrates Lessons Learned (LL) in terms of requests, planning, creation, collection, staffing, and handling in accordance with the NATO LL Process. The Branch consists of the Strategic Military Partnerships Section and the Comprehensive Approach Section. SALT Branch studies complex challenges relevant to the security domain and in areas beyond NATO's traditional geographic and functional expertise. The Branch uses advanced research to improve rigor and responsiveness of transformational work. It provides scientific analysis to improve the depth and diversity of NATO's situational awareness and understanding, risk assessment, strategy, and decision making over the mid- to long-term horizon. The Branch coordinates with internal and external stakeholders including NATO Headquarters, Allied Command Operations, the public and private sectors, international and non-governmental organizations, civil society, and academia to ensure that the latest concepts, technologies, and processes are applied to relevant work. The Branch is responsible for all outputs pertaining to the Command's Strategic Alternatives Program of Work. This requirement is for a minimum of one SPART data analyst (with the small possibility of two extra personnel) and a minimum of three SALT data scientists (with the high likelihood of two extra personnel). BIDDING PROCEDURE NATO ICB requires that the U.S. Government nominate U.S. prime contractors to the bidders list. Before the U.S. Government can nominate a U.S. prime contractor to the bidders list for this procurement, the U.S. firm must be approved for participation in NATO ICB. U.S. firms are approved for NATO ICB on a facility-by-facility basis. The U.S. NATO ICB application is a one-time application. The application requires supporting documentation in the form of 1) a company resume indicating contracts completed as a prime contractor and 2) an annual report or set of financial documents indicating compilation, review, or audit by an independent CPA. U.S. firms can download a copy of the U.S. NATO ICB application from the following website: http://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/other-areas/strategic-industries-and-economic-security-sies/nato-related-business-opportunities The application and supporting documentation may be submitted as e-mail attachments. If, when submitting the application, your firm is interested in a specific NATO ICB project, please include the following in the text of your email: - the title and/or solicitation number of the project - the name/phone/FAX/email of the company employee who should receive the bid documents Upon approval of the one-time NATO ICB application, the Department of Commerce will then know to issue a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE), which is the document used to nominate an approved facility to the bidders list for a particular NATO ICB project. IMPORTANT DATES Firms should request a DOE (and, for firms new to NATO ICB, submit a completed one-time NATO ICB application) by: 26 November 2018 HQ SACT issues IFIB (target): 30 November 2018 Procurements (RFPs, IFIBs, NOIs): https://www.act.nato.int/budfin Bid closing (target): 15 January 2019 Period of performance: 15 February 2019 (estimated) - 31 December 2019, with a 12-month option period in 2020, and two six-month options in 2021