NATO Business Opportunities: Procurement of a Hyperconverged Computing Infrastructure

The NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) intends to issue an Invitation for International Bidding (IFIB) for the procurement of a hyperconverged computing infrastructure for the CMRE Data Center in La Spezia, Italy.
  
Potential U.S. prime contractors must 1) maintain a professionally active facility (office, factory, laboratory, etc.) within the United States, 2) be approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB), (3) be issued a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) by the U.S. Government.

The reference for the IFIB is IFIB-CMRE-23-015 and all correspondence concerning the IFIB should reference this number.

CMRE intends to award a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract. The contract will be awarded based on Lowest Priced Technically Acceptable (LPTA) criteria.

REQUIREMENT

CMRE is looking to modernize the CMRE Data Center in La Spezia, Italy to address proactively the challenges posed by aging hardware and obsolescence. By replacing outdated components and incorporating state-of-the-art technology, this initiative also aims, through enhancing performance, security, and operational efficiency, to prepare the infrastructure for the migration to the cloud, also replacing some physical network components with Software Defined Networking solutions. For this reason, it is CMRE’s intention to procure a Hyperconverged Computing Infrastructure, including computing, storage, and networking resources. A full description of the technical requirements will be provided with the solicitation package.

BECOMING ELIGIBLE TO BID

NATO ICB requires that the U.S. Government issue a DOE on behalf of 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 NATO ICB.  U.S. firms are approved for NATO ICB on a facility-by-facility basis. 

The U.S. NATO ICB application is a one-time application.  The application requires supporting documentation in the form of 1) a company resume 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.

U.S. firms can download a copy of the U.S. NATO ICB application from the following website:

https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/other-areas/strategic-industries-and-economic-security-sies/nato-related-business-opportunities 

The Department of Commerce (DOC) is the U.S. Government agency that approves NATO ICB applications. Please submit to the email address provided your application and supporting documentation (as attachments). If your firm is interested in a specific NATO ICB 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/FAX/email of the company employee who should receive the bid documents

After approval of your one-time NATO ICB 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 that a DOE be issued (and, for firms new to NATO ICB, submit completed one-time NATO ICB application): 06 September 2023
 
IFIB Issued (planned): September 2023

Bid Closing: October 2023

Delivery Period: December 2023