NATO Business Opportunity: Provision of Alternate, Contingency and Emergency (ACE) Transmission Means and Automatic Switching
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) intends to issue an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the Provision of Alternate, Contingency and Emergency (ACE) Transmission Means and Automatic Switching. This opportunity targets Special Operations Component Command (SOCC), Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), and Liaison Elements (LEs).
Scope of Work
The project aims to provide additional transmission capabilities for Special Operations Forces (SOF) Deployable Points of Presence (DPoPs) to enable ACE communications. Key requirements include:
- Design for ACE bearers and automatic switching for PACE bearers.
- Provision of satellite terminals for Alternate mode (Extra-Small Multiband fly-away terminals).
- Provision of terrestrial communications equipment for Contingency mode (High-Capacity Line of Sight and Medium Capacity Beyond Line of Sight equipment).
- Provision of emergency communications equipment for Emergency mode (netted push-to-talk handheld satellite terminals).
- An automatic switching solution integrating Primary, Alternate, and Contingency modes, including engineering and equipment for MAF and SOF CIS nodes.
- Integration and testing of a coherent PACE capability, including purchaser-furnished equipment.
Contract Details
- Contract Type: Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Framework Contract.
- Period of Performance: 5 years.
- Estimated Value: 100,000,000 Euro ceiling for the Framework Contract. An initial Task Order of 27,601,766 Euro (Firm-Fixed-Price) will be placed at contract award.
- Set-Aside: Participation is restricted to vendors from participating NATO nations. Vendors from non-participating nations are not eligible to serve as prime or sub-contractors.
Eligibility & Submission
Potential U.S. prime contractors must:
- Maintain a professionally active facility within the United States.
- Be pre-approved for participation in NATO Competitive Procurement (NCP).
- Obtain a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) from the Department of Commerce (DOC).
- Register with NCIA’s eProcurement tool, Neo:
https://www.ncia.nato.int/business/procurement/neo-eprocurement.
Firms new to NCP must submit a one-time application to DOC, including a company resume/capability statement and financial documents. After NCP approval, DOC will issue the DOE for the project. All correspondence concerning the IFB should include the reference IFB-CO-424256-SOFC2CIS-ACE.
Important Dates
- Request a DOE (and submit NCP application for new firms): February 13, 2026
- NCIA distributes the IFB (planned): Q1 2026
- Bid closing (anticipated): Q2 2026
- Contract Award (estimated): October 2026