2025 - 0059 Provision Of Satcom Technical Support Svcs (NS) - TUE 23 Sep Relaunch

Satellite Communication Support Services

The NCI Agency has been established with a view to meeting the collective requirements of some or all NATO nations in the fields of capability delivery and service provision related to Consultation, Command & Control, as well as Communications, Information, and Cyber Defence functions, thereby also facilitating the integration of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition functions, and their associated information exchange.

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) is dedicated to acquiring, deploying, and defending communication systems for NATO's political decision-makers and Commands. It operates on the frontlines against cyber-attacks, collaborating closely with governments and industry to prevent future debilitating attacks. The NCI Agency plays a crucial role in maintaining NATO's technological edge and ensuring the collective defense and crisis management capabilities of the Alliance. In pursuit of our mission, we require specialized advisory services to enhance our interim workforce capacity.

NIMSC SATCOM Business Unit provides NATO and its Partners with scalable, protected, secure, reliable, and integrated SATCOM Services with focus on NATO Operations, Crisis Response, Missions, Exercises, and Business Continuity. NIMSC SATCOM has Life-Cycle responsibility for SATCOM Capabilities and Services. NIMSC SATCOM offers Capabilities and Services that are designed, integrated, and tested to operate based on Satellite Communication Technologies, accessible from any location on the Globe. NIMSC SATCOM operates the NATO Satellite Communication (SATCOM) Ground Stations in Kester (BEL), Lughezzano (ITA), Atalanti (GRC), Izmir (TUR), Eggemoen (NOR), and Costa Da Caparica (PRT).

Current State: Our satellite ground stations are experiencing technical challenges due to workforce gap that requires immediate and specialized support.

Impact: These issues could cause significant disruptions to our satellite communications operations, impacting overall mission effectiveness.

End State: By addressing these challenges, we aim to achieve stable and efficient satellite ground station operations with minimal downtime.

The goal is to increase SATCOM support services, by seeking support from SATCOM technicians in order to ensure continuous and effective support for our satellite ground stations. The desired outcomes include:

• Enhanced reliability and performance of satellite communication systems
• Timely resolution of technical issues to minimize operational disruptions.
• Improved overall efficiency and effectiveness of ground station operations.

We are seeking support for our Satellite Communication Support team. The Service Provider will be responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of satellite communication systems. The service provider shall offer support services including the following activities:

• Installation and Setup: The complete Installation and the configure configuration of all elements of a satellite communication system.
• Baseband elements: SATCOM modems, routers, switches, media converters, matrix switches, line amplifiers and other active and passive elements.
• Low and high power RF elements: UP/Down Converters, Intermediate and high power amplifiers, LNA's, RF over Fiber converters and other active and passive RF elements.
• Antenna elements: Motor DC/AC, power/servo drives, gearbox, Antenna control system elements, Dehydrator.
• Monitor and Control system: workstations, servers, gateways, Digital signal processors, network elements and analogue/digital interface elements.
• Software: Windows, Linux, Network IOS, proprietary system monitor and control application software, software system configurations.
• The Updates/changes of hardware and software configuration: On all satellite station elements as required or ordered / requested.
• Satellite link setup network, baseband and RF configuration.
• Software / configuration update and patches on all systems as required.
• The installation of Power/data cable and fibre optic cable, maintaining, labelling and updating as-built documents.
• To support the local Power technician in install and setup: Power generation and distribution systems.
• Heating and cooling systems.
• Ancillary systems.
• Maintenance and Repair: Conduct regular maintenance inspections of all active/passive SATCOM, Power, HVAC, security and ancillary elements/systems following the guidelines and instructions of the specific system preventive maintenance procedure to ensure the systems are functioning correctly.
• Frequency: Daily, weekly, monthly, 3 monthly, 6 monthly and yearly inspections.
• Conduct regular preventive maintenance tasks: Cleaning of all active and passive elements/systems SATCOM, Power, HVAC, security, ancillary and system room/locations following the guidelines and instructions of the specific system preventive maintenance procedure.
• Greasing of mechanical parts following the guidelines and instructions of the specific system preventive maintenance procedure.
• Measure and adjust where required of active/passive electronic elements/systems following the guidelines and instructions in the specific system preventive maintenance procedure.
• Assist power technician in preventive maintenance tasks as required.
• Frequency: Daily, weekly, monthly, 3 monthly, 6 monthly and yearly preventive maintenance tasks.
• Diagnose and repair any issues with SATCOM, Power, HVAC, security and ancillary system following the guidelines and instructions of the specific system corrective maintenance procedure.
• Replace faulty components and update software of SATCOM, Power, HVAC, security, ancillary system following the guidelines and instructions of the specific system corrective maintenance procedure.
• Service Delivery Support Stakeholder Management: Communicate with team members and customers to understand their needs and provide updates and solutions.
• Service Support: Provide technical support and troubleshooting assistance for local and remote users/customers.
• Configuration management: Maintain accurate records of services provided and customer interactions in TT-Comms, ITSM and Logbook.
• Support Model: The service needs to be delivered under the lead by the site Station Commander and integrated with the current on-site support team on a 24/7 basis.
• Others The contractor will participate in the daily reporting and planning activities (daily stand-ups) as well as the required participation in workshops, events, and conferences related to the supported services, as requested by the service delivery manager.

Service KPIs and Deliverables:

• Objective KPI01: Maintain accurate records of services provided
• Standard: 100% accuracy in records
• Performance Threshold: 98% accuracy in records
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Regular audits, record reviews
• Objective KPI02: Conduct regular maintenance inspections
• Standard: 100% of inspections completed as per schedule
• Performance Threshold: 95% of inspections completed on time
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Maintenance logs, inspection reports
• Objective KPI03: Perform preventive maintenance tasks
• Standard: 100% of tasks completed as per schedule
• Performance Threshold: 98% of tasks completed without issues
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Maintenance logs, task checklists
• Objective KPI04: Diagnose and repair issues promptly
• Standard: 100% of issues diagnosed and repaired within 48 working hours
• Performance Threshold: 95% of issues resolved within 48 working hours
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Incident reports, repair logs
• Objective KPI05: Install and configure all elements of a satellite communication system
• Standard: 100% of elements installed and configured correctly
• Performance Threshold: 95% of elements installed and configured correctly on the first attempt
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Regular audits and inspections, checklists, and system tests
• Objective KPI06: Perform hardware and software configuration updates/changes
• Standard: 100% of updates/changes completed as required
• Performance Threshold: 98% of updates/changes completed without errors
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Change management logs, system performance monitoring
• Objective KPI07: Install and maintain power/data and fibre optic cables
• Standard: 100% of cables installed and maintained as per standards
• Performance Threshold: 97% of cables installed and maintained without issues
• Penalty (if under performance threshold): 1%
• Method of Report: Visual inspections, cable testing, and documentation reviews