NATO Notification of Intent to Invite Bids for the Provision of Industrial Consultancy Support (ICS) during Air Command and Control System (ACCS) Project Implementation

The NATO Command and Control Systems Management Agency (NACMA) intends to invite bids for the provision of Industrial Consultancy Support (ICS) to NACMA. NACMA is serving as the NATO contracting agency for this project, which is being funded by authorization of the Infrastructure Committee. NACMA intends to use the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) Best Value procedure, in which price, technical, and management criteria are assessed in order to rank the submitted bids. The successful bid pursuant to this IFB (Invitation for International Bidding) will be that bid which provides the best value for the money after application of evaluation criteria that will be determined at the time of IFB release. The estimated value of this project is not available at this time. The reference for the IFB is IFB-CO-12544-ACCS. The U.S. Department of Commerce will be using the same reference. Prospective bidders are advised that the estimated quantity of support required under this contract is 62.5 man years, distributed over the duration of the contract. This estimate is for planning purposes only, and no commitment on behalf of NACMA to fully utilize this effort or its distribution throughout the contract period is implied or should be assumed. Prospective bidders should be aware that NACMA reserves the right to exclude the successful bidder under this IFB, and any of the subcontractors, from future work related to the NATO Air Command and Control System (ACCS) and associated programs, in the event of any potential conflict of interest. The IFB package will not contain material of a classified nature. The successful bidder, however, may be required to handle and store material up to the level of NATO SECRET, and therefore, prospective bidders must have appropriate storage and handling clearances. Bidders should also be aware that contractor personnel will be required to work at NATO or other national sites in order to fulfill the requirement of the contract and such personnel will be required to hold security clearances up to the level of NATO SECRET. Facility and handling clearances and the personnel clearance for the prospective Project Manager must be in place prior to bid submission. Personnel clearances for contractor personnel working on the prospective contract must be in place prior to work commencing on task orders under the contract. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) forwards to the NATO contracting agency the NATO clearance certifications needed for performance of the contract. Bidders will be required to declare a bid validity of six months from the closing date for receipt of bids, supported by a bid guarantee of Euro 300,000. Should the selection and award period extend beyond six months from the closing date for receipt of bids, bidders will be asked to voluntarily extend the validity of their bid guarantee. Bidders may decline to do so and withdraw from the bidding process without penalty. BIDDING PROCEDURE Before a firm can be nominated to the bidders list for this procurement, it must first be approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB). The U.S. Department of Commerce is authorized to approve for participation in NATO ICB those firms with a facility located within the United States. Please visit the following website for a copy of the NATO ICB application: http://www.bis.doc.gov/defenseindustrialbaseprograms/OSIES/NATOprograms/index.htm A firm that has been approved for participation in NATO ICB must request that the U.S. Department of Commerce issue a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) for each project on which the firm wishes to bid. A DOE is used to nominate a firm to the bidders list for a particular project. The U.S. Department of Commerce forwards the DOE to the U.S. Embassy, which uses the DOE to nominate the firm to the bidders list. The NATO contracting agency will not accept requests for nomination received directly from firms. Firms that the U.S. Embassy nominates to the Bidders List will be contacted directly by the NATO contracting agency when the IFB has been issued. IMPORTANT DEADLINES 1. Final date to request a Declaration of Eligibility: 06 August 2008 2. Anticipated date that the contracting agency will distribute the IFB: Q3 2008 3. Anticipated closing date for receipt of bids: Q4 2008 4. Anticipated contract award date: Q1 2009