NHQC3S-0003 Specialized Message Text Format (MTF) Services (NS) - WED 15 Mar

Deadline Date: Wednesday 15 March 2023

Requirement: Specialized Message Text Format (MTF) Services for Technical support to the Information & Data Management (IDM) Branch of NHQC3S

Location: Off-Site (Occasionally at NATO HQ Brussels BE)

NATO Grade: A2/88

Total Scope of the request (hours): 1600

Required Start Date: No Later Than 10 April 2023

End Contract Date: 31 December 2023

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

Duties and Role:

Annex A – Special Terms and Conditions

The contractor will be responsible for complying with the respective national requirements for working permits, visas, taxes, social security etc. if or when working on site at NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium.

No special status is either conferred or implied by the host organisation, NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium to the contractor whilst working on site.

If the successful candidate is allowed to work remotely, travel to NATO HQ for meetings, while expected to be infrequent, will be at the candidate’s expense. Travel to other locations will be reimbursed as if the travel originated in Brussels. Attendance at meetings are mandatory.

1 OVERALL PROJECT SCOPE

The Information & Data Management (IDM) Branch of the NHQC3S is seeking technical support to develop and maintain data & information exchange solutions underpinning the consultation and command & control functions of the Alliance.

This concerns an individual subject matter expert (SME) to be embedded with the IDM Branch in support of the C3S/IMS Programme of Work (POW) for 2023. The specific expertise of the SME is to be in the area of Message Text Format (MTF) message formatting.

2 TASKS FOR ENGINEERING SERVICE

Message Text Formats (MTFs) are character oriented messages used in NATO operations and exercises to exchange structured textual information between allied forces. Many NATO messages are also used to exchange information nationally. The messages are built on the underlying technical standard ADatP-3 which specifies the rules that govern the construction of the messages.

This work is focused on providing support to the definition and the formatting of ADatP-3 messages.

3 ACTIVITIES

Under the direction of the project manager or assigned task leader, the selected individual contractor is required to conduct the following activities:

• Select, design, develop and maintain NATO Message Text Formats (MTF) and other information exchange solutions in accordance with relevant NATO’s architectures and technical publications. Participate in testing and validation events as needed;
• Engage with operational communities of interest and assist in defining their IERs through the application of structured information analysis techniques;
• Contribute to techniques and procedures improving the efficiency of the development of data & information exchange solutions in NATO;
• Keep abreast of the latest technological developments in the field of automated data & information exchange solutions;
• Provide staff expert advice and briefings on related technologies and concepts to senior management and committees;
• Contribute to the work of the NATO C3 Board and its substructure regarding data & information exchange standardization;
• Develop, staff and maintain policies, directives, guidance, standards, plans, and other documents necessary to the enhancement of NATO’s data & information exchange solutions capabilities;
• Engage with multiple technical and operational communities, in and outside of NATO as necessary; and
• Represent the NHQC3S in operational and technical fora regarding data & information exchange, and/or represent the NHQC3S MTF formatter team in MTF CaT meeting(s).

The contractor’s activities will not be limited to the above-mentioned tasks and may expand as requirements emerge and qualification of the candidate allows.

The contractor shall participate in regular status/coordination meetings, either in-person (where possible) or via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities. These meetings will coordinate the work within the MTF Support Staff. Expected reporting tools/timesheet format will be decided during these calls.

4 SPECIFIC EXPERTISE REQUIRED

[See Requirements]

5 SECURITY CLEARANCE AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

The duties of the contrctor require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance.

A signed Non-Disclosure Agreement will be required.

6 LOCATION OF DUTY

The service will be executed primarily off-site. Occasionally at NATO HQ Brussels, Belgium

7 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The services of the contractor are required for the period starting 10 April 2023 (or sooner if possible) until 31 December 2023.

8 TRAVEL

Occasional business travel may be required. Travel expenses will be reimbursed to the individual directly (in addition to the hourly rate) under NATO rules. Special Terms and Conditions apply for travel reimbursement if the contractor is not 100% full time based in Brussels (as per Annex A).

9 TERMS

This requirement may be updated for an increased level of effort prior to the completion of this contract if required to support the POW(s).

Work on the contract will primarily be performed off-site at the consultant’s own office. Office space and computer equipment will be provided at NATO HQ in Brussels for access during scheduled visits for the duration of this contract; contractor is responsible for office space and computer equipment at their own facilities.

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

Requirements

Skill, Knowledge & Experience:

We require a candidate who is a senior data modeler expert with experience specifically in the MTF Message definition along with maintenance processes and MTF Message creation techniques. The following experience/expertise is essential for this requirement:

• Expert knowledge of military messaging, including developing message headers and bodies.
• Expert knowledge of ADatP-3 specifications and relevant NATO STANAGs.
• Demonstrated experience in creating and maintaining MTF-formatted messages.
• Experience working in NATO committees and working groups, with direct experience with the MTF CaT desirable.
• The candidate must have a currently active NATO SECRET security clearance