NATO Business Opportunity: Provision of Alternate, Contingency and Emergency (ACE) Transmission Means and Automatic Switching

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 to Special Operations Component Command (SOCC), Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), and Liaison Elements (LEs).

Potential U.S. prime contractors must 1) maintain a professionally active facility (office, factory, laboratory, etc.) within the United States, 2) be pre-approved for participation in NATO Competitive Procurement (NCP), 3) be issued a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) by the Department of Commerce (DOC), and 4) register with NCIA’s eProcurement tool, Neo: https://www.ncia.nato.int/business/procurement/neo-eprocurement 

If you have an NCIA DOE that can be used on other NCIA NCP opportunities, please submit the DOE to Ms. Irina Barabancea, NCIA Contracting Officer, at the following address: IFB-CO-424256-SOFC2CIS-ACE@ncia.nato.int 

If you do not have a DOE that can be used on other NCIA NCP opportunities, you will need a DOE from DOC. Please follow the guidance under BECOMING ELIGIBLE TO BID.   

The reference for the IFB is IFB-CO-424256-SOFC2CIS-ACE and all correspondence concerning the IFB should include this reference.

SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENT

Please see attached. 

BECOMING ELIGIBLE TO BID

NCP requires that the U.S. Government issue a DOE for potential U.S. prime contractors interested in this project. Before the U.S. Government can do so, however, the U.S. Government must approve the U.S. firm for participation in NCP.  U.S. firms are approved for NCP on a facility-by-facility basis. 

The U.S. NCP application is a one-time application.  The application requires supporting documentation in the form of 1) a company resume or capability statement indicating contracts completed as a prime contractor and 2) an annual report or set of financial documents indicating compilation, review, or audit by an independent CPA.

The U.S. Government continues to accept the legacy NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB) application for participation in NCP. U.S. firms can download a copy of the legacy ICB application from the following website:

https://www.bis.gov/about-bis/bis-leadership-and-offices/SIES/business-opportunities-nato 

DOC is the U.S. Government agency that approves NCP applications. Please submit to the email address provided your application and supporting documentation (as attachments). If your firm is interested in a specific NCP project at this time, please also include the following in the TEXT of your email:

- the title and/or solicitation number of the project
- the name/phone/email of the company employee who should receive the bid documents

After approval of your one-time NCP application, DOC will then know to follow up by issuing a DOE for the project.  DOC will transmit the DOE to the NATO contracting agency.  

IMPORTANT DATES:

Request a DOE (and, for firms new to NCP, submit the completed NCP application): 13 February 2026

NCIA distributes the IFB (planned): Q1 2026

Bid closing (anticipated): Q2 2026

Contract Award (estimated): October 2026