N -- Provide Functional Services to Support Joint Operations Planning & Force Generation

Tool for Operational Planning, Force Activation and Simulation Phase-2 SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS Objective: The requirement is to provide NATO operational planners engaged in the analysis of force requirements for new missions with software tools to support operational planning activities. Those tools will provide capabilities required to support the preparation and evaluation of planning products in accordance with MC 133/3, NATO's Operational Planning System, 8 March 2000, and to conduct concurrent collaborative and distributed operational planning by multiple HQs and staffs from different functional areas. The overall objective is to enhance information sharing, improve the availability, quality, and timeliness of information exchanges, and to achieve common situational awareness and improved operational synergy and planning synchronization. These software tools will constitute a component of the Bi-Strategic Command's Automated Information System Operations Functional Services (BI-SC AIS OPS FS), to be deployed on the NATO SECRET Wide Area Network (NS WAN) and installed at the various NATO Command locations. Context: The development of TOPFAS has been undertaken in phases. A prototype was first developed in order to analyze the requirements and potential solutions. This prototype was originally developed in the laboratory, and after successful field trials with users, was approved in February 2003 as an operational prototype by the NATO C3 Board (NC3B). In parallel, a two-phase project was launched in July 2002 in order to expand the capabilities of and to industrialize the existing TOPFAS Prototype. The Phase-1 (Specification Phase) of this project has produced the Implementation Specification Package (ISP), which will be used as a requirements baseline for the Phase-2 implementation. The requirements specified in the ISP (Operational Concept Description, Technical Concept Description and Software Requirements Specification) are fully consistent with the TOPFAS Prototype. The Phase-2, which consists of the Implementation of TOPFAS as an industrial product, will be performed in two increments: Increment-0: The prototype software is to be enhanced to industrial standards and an underlying component-based architecture developed to serve as the basis for further development. This will result in TOPFAS Version 3.0 which can be used both in stand-alone mode on a workstation or in client-server mode on a Headquarters LAN. Increment-1: Additional functionality will be developed, enabling distributed collaborative operational planning process across Commands and between functional areas within the Commands. The addition of these capabilities and database replication between Headquarters will enhance TOPFAS to Version 4.0 which will be a distributed application on the NATO trusted WAN. Scope: The Phase-2 mentioned above constitutes the scope of the project. The contractor will be required to: Analyze, review and propose necessary changes to the requirements baselines (a task which will be performed primarily at NC3A facilities in The Hague, NL), Create and validate a component-based software architecture, Re-engineer the data model in line with the software architecture and in compliance with NATO data modeling standards, Implement the software architecture through detailed design, refactoring and componentisation of the prototype code and by adding new code as required, Integrate components, Define, develop and conduct testing, Deliver the software and achieve acceptance as operational baseline, Install the operational baseline at designated NATO sites, Conduct Integrated Logistics Support activities, such as Training, Configuration Management, Support and Maintenance. Key technologies in the scope of the contract are UML, C++, XML, WebDAV and database replication techniques. The technical specifications applicable to the bidding and the contractual documents are - NATO RESTRICTED. Bidders must have an overall personnel security and facility clearance of - NATO RESTRICTED at the time of IFB release in order to be eligible to receive bidding documents and to submit a bid. For the performance of the contract, bidders will be required to hold a - NATO SECRET security clearance for personnel and the contractor's facility, which must be in place prior to contract award. The envisaged method of bidding will be International Competitive Bidding procedures. The evaluation of bids will be conducted in accordance with NATO Infrastructure Bidding Procedures for Best Value as set forth in the document. Bidders will be required to quote for all items, including Options and Task Orders, listed in the schedule of the Invitation for Bid. Quotations shall be on a fixed price basis. It is anticipated that Options and Task Orders will be for the installation of TOPFAS systems at additional sites, software maintenance, additional training courses, and support for preparation of exercises. NOTE: The overseas procurement office responsible for this NATO Tender is Brussels, Belgium. Etta R. Munford (202-482-8240) and Liam McMenamin (202-482-2233) (BIS/OSIES/DPD) are the point of contacts for interested U.S. firms regarding certification/eligibility procedures and/or questions.