2026-0036 MS Power BI Operations, Development & Training (NS) - TUE 16 Jun

Deadline Date:Tuesday 16 June 2026

Requirement:Support for Microsoft Power BI Service Operations, Development and Training

Location:Primary: NCIA Braine L'Alleud, Belgium; Secondary: NCIA Mons (SHAPE), Belgium

Full Time On-Site:No

Time On-Site:50%

Period of Performance:2026 BASE: 01 August 2026 – 31 December 2026;

2027 OPTION: 01 January 2027 – 31 December 2027

2028 OPTION: 01 January 2028 – 31 December 2028

Required Security Clearance:NATO SECRET

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, the NCIA delivers secure, coherent, cost effective and interoperable communications and information systems in support of consultation, command & control and enabling intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, for NATO, where and when required. It includes IT support to the Alliances’ business processes (to include provision of IT shared services) to the NATO HQ, the Command Structure and NATO Agencies.

1.2 The NATO Business Application Centre (NBAC), as part of the NCIA, and in line with the Agency’s Charter and its Cloud broker role, is to provide Business Applications Capabilities & Services to the Agency, and across NATO Enterprise, and ensure their harmonization rationalisation, and coherence, with the aim to enable overall efficient day-to-day operations, support transparency, and foster internal control.

1.3 NBAC (hereafter referred to as the “Purchaser”) is seeking Support for Microsoft Power BI Service Operations, Development and Training. This support will focus on ensuring the configuration, operational support, development, documentation and training of Microsoft Power BI based solutions, including both Power BI Report Server (on-premises and SaaS), in alignment with NATO’s IT Service Management processes.

1.4 The Contractor is expected to deliver and maintain high-quality data visualization solutions, aligned with business and governance requirements, while contributing to Level 2 and Level 3 Support (incident, problem, change and service request management) in accordance with ITIL standards. The service includes coordinating with internal infrastructure service teams, documenting technical work, provisioning end-user training, and supporting secure access and authentication configurations (e.g., ADFS claims-based setup for Power BI Report Server).

1.5 The Contractor is also expected to demonstrate flexibility to support project priorities in a dynamic operational environment and may be required to work on-site at NATO classified levels in various NATO locations, limited to NCIA Braine L’Alleud, NCIA Mons (SHAPE) and NCIA Brussels, as operationally required.

2. OBJECTIVES

2.1 The Analytics and Core Business Applications is a Branch in NATO Business Application Centre (NBAC) consisting of multiple flavours. It provides technical, architectural, and operational support for enterprise business applications and data analytics platforms; and enables business users to access, interpret, and leverage data-driven insights across NATO entities, including ACO, NATO HQ, and NCIA.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Under the direction/guidance of the local NCIA Point of Contact, assigned Project Manager, Service Manager or NBAC Analytics and Core Business Application Head, the contractor will support the following:

Power BI Server Configuration & Performance Optimization

Provide expert-level configuration, tuning and optimization of Power BI Server to ensure high performance and reliability. The contractor will assess the current deployment, identify bottlenecks, and implement best practices aligned with Microsoft standards.

3.1.1 Platform Administration & Monitoring

Deliver ongoing Level 2/3 support, including monitoring of backups, logs, and performance tuning.

Support Level 1 support.

Maintain compliance with ITIL processes and NATO service operation protocols, and contribute to operational resilience of BI platforms.

3.1.2 Incident, Problem & Change Management

Resolve Service Desk tickets in line with SLA targets and participate in change management, including impact assessments, patching, and upgrades.

Ensure coordination with cross-service infrastructure teams.

3.1.3 Patching & Upgrade Services (Power BI On-Premises)

The contractor will perform planned patching and upgrade activities for the on-premises Power BI instance in alignment with internal release authorization (A2SL) and security standards (typically 2 to 4 times per calendar year).

3.1.4 Cross-Service Coordination & On-Call Support

Collaborate with infrastructure and database teams under OLAs to resolve performance or upgrade-related issues.

3.1.5 Power BI Visualization & Dashboard Delivery

The contractor will design and deliver four (4) interactive dashboards using Microsoft Power BI to support operational and informational reporting needs.

Three (3) dashboards will be developed using existing data sources. These dashboards will enable users to search, filter, and visualize both current and historical workforce related data. One of the dashboards will include tabular and visual representations of duty rotations.

One (1) dashboard will involve the redevelopment and migration of an existing dashboard from a separate reporting platform into Power BI, including replication of core functionality and necessary adaptation of underlying data structures. Existing dashboard logic will be provided.

All dashboards should be designed with appropriate data modelling, user-friendly visualization, and standard interactivity (e.g., filtering, slicing) based on the data available in the HR data sources. If necessary, the contractor will create the optimized data structures in the workforce/personnel data warehouse with possibility for the HR admins to support SHAPE Command Group requirement.

For the assignment in scope of the project/service for this RFQ, the aim is to empower the Power Users to build/deploy their own dashboards. Focus will be on platform provisioning and supporting the users in their endeavour.

3.1.6 Contribution to BI Architecture & Standards

Contribute to the creation and maintenance of the documentation of relevant architectural artefacts, data modelling and coding guidelines, standards and best practices.

Contribute to the creation and maintenance of relevant Standard Operating Procedures.

3.1.7 Knowledge Transfer & End-User Training

Develop and deliver a Knowledge-Transfer Plan & Schedule for NBAC staff, including end-user training sessions (both remote and in-person).

Provide clear training materials, deliver classroom and/or virtual training classes and maintain attendance records.

Provide ad-hoc technical mentoring to Power Users as part of the Service.

3.1.8 Documentation & Handover Assurance

Deliver complete and accurate documentation of platform administration, operational processes, and support procedures.

Training shall culminate in a live walkthrough where NBAC staff demonstrate independent execution of administration tasks.

3.2 The contractor will be part of the project implementation team as well as the service delivery team (early life support and/or service operations), working closely with the Analytics and Core Business Application team, relevant project and/or service manager, ensuring the secure, available, managed and compliant delivery of Power BI services to NCIA, NATO and its Strategic Commands.

4. SCHEDULE AND PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

4.1 Period of Performance

The service is expected to start on 01 August 2026 and end no later than 31 December 2026.

If the 2027 option is exercised, the period of performance is 01 January 2027 to 31 December 2027.

If the 2028 option is exercised, the period of performance is 01 January 2028 to 31 December 2028.

4.2 Location

Primary: NCIA Braine L’Alleud, BE (location of the user community for this project/service).

Secondary: NCIA Mons, BE (SHAPE).

NCIA Brussels, BE – as operationally required.

Full time on-site: No. The Contractor is expected to work 50% on-site and 50% remote.

Due to the closed nature of some of the networks, access to on-premise workstations will be required. As the team grows and the service matures, working on-site on a rotational basis will be considered, as long as service availability and business continuity (on closed networks) can be ensured.

4.3 Schedule

The work will be conducted during normal office hours following the NCIA Mons, BE (SHAPE) calendar, unless agreed differently.

4.4 Expected Travel

There may be requirements to travel for completing duty related tasks for periods not exceeding 2 weeks to other sites, limited to NCIA Brussels, BE, and NCIA Mons, BE. These are considered as secondary duty locations for which no travel expenses will be accepted.

5. DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT MILESTONES

This is a deliverable-based contract. Payment is dependent upon successful acceptance of the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS). Invoices must be accompanied by a DAS signed by the Contractor and the project authority.

WP1 – 2026 BASE PERIOD (01 August 2026 to 31 December 2026)

Deliverable D1:Prepare and document the transition of the Power BI platform to a steady-state lifecycle service operating under defined SLA coverage, including service setup, operational processes, monitoring, and reporting. Includes: configured service entity in the ITSM tool; defined and implemented categories (Incident, Service Request, Change, Problem); configured ticket boards, workflows, assignment rules, and support queues; configured SLA definitions; server health monitoring (CPU, RAM, disk utilization); Power BI monitoring (dataset refresh status, usage metrics, failure/alert tracking); configured alerting for defined thresholds; six (6) SOP documents (Power BI Server upgrade procedure, incident response procedure, security group creation procedure, report deployment procedure, user/department onboarding procedure, capacity management procedure); three (3) runbooks (data gateway restart procedure, Points of Contact list, key credentials and access management documentation); monthly operational reporting solution covering platform metrics, support metrics, and usage metrics; centralized documentation repository with structured organization and configured access control.

Acceptance Criteria A1:All required documents and artifacts are completed, reviewed and approved by stakeholders, and stored in the designated repository. Service is operationally ready: monitoring is active and validated (test alerts triggered successfully); ITSM setup is functional (tickets can be created and routed correctly). SOPs and runbooks cover all critical operations and are tested through at least one simulation or walkthrough. Monthly report is generated successfully using real or test data. Transition plan is documented; knowledge transfer sessions completed; formal approval obtained from Project Manager and Service Owner.

Payment Milestone D1:In two instalments (each NTE €4,350): (1) after delivery and formal acceptance of initial version: 01 October 2026; (2) upon delivery and formal acceptance of final version: 01 December 2026.

Deliverable D2:Provide Operations & Maintenance (O&M) support for the Power BI platform, including platform operations, monitoring, and user support, for the agreed service period. Includes: Power BI platform installed and maintained in alignment with A2SL release standards; updates and patches applied as required; active monitoring of performance, availability, and system health; coordination with infrastructure teams for issue resolution; Level 0 support (end-user documentation, FAQs, knowledge base, self-service guides); Level 1 & 2 support (incident handling and resolution, request fulfilment, escalation management); monthly operational report including support KPIs, incident and request volumes, SLA compliance, platform health and availability, and summary of maintenance and support activities.

Acceptance Criteria A2:Power BI installation is updated and aligned with A2SL releases; updates are successfully deployed without critical regression issues; monitoring is active and validated; platform availability meets SLA targets; L1/L2 support is operational and accessible to users; incidents and requests are handled within agreed SLA thresholds; escalation paths are defined and used correctly; Level 0 support documentation is available to users and up to date; monthly operational report is delivered and includes all KPIs defined in the SOW; SLA compliance meets agreed targets over the reporting period; no critical unresolved incidents beyond SLA thresholds.

Payment Milestone D2:At the beginning of the month for the previous month, based on acceptance of the Monthly Operational Report by the SDM.

Deliverable D3:Implement three (3) Power BI dashboards based on existing data sources. Each dashboard to include: fully functional Power BI dashboard; data models (if created or modified); documentation including data sources and transformations; knowledge transfer session.

Acceptance Criteria A3:Dashboards implemented according to approved requirements document. User acceptance signed off.

Payment Milestone D3:Schedule: by 31 December 2026. Payable on user acceptance for each dashboard.

Deliverable D4:Re-implement one (1) dashboard from another reporting platform into Power BI. Includes: fully functional Power BI dashboard; data models (if created or modified); documentation including data sources and transformations; knowledge transfer session.

Acceptance Criteria A4:Dashboard implemented according to approved requirements document. User acceptance signed off.

Payment Milestone D4:Schedule: by 31 December 2026. Payable on user acceptance.

Deliverable D5:Prepare end user training: prepare documentation, presentations, labs etc., and potentially (or partially) deliver monthly end user trainings.

Acceptance Criteria A5:Monthly operational report covering support KPI metrics (defined in Section 6) and inventory of training, maintenance and support activities.

Payment Milestone D5:Throughout the year. Payable at the beginning of the month for the previous month, included in the Operational Report.

WP2 – 2027 OPTION (if 2027 option is exercised: 01 January 2027 to 31 December 2027)

Deliverable D2:Provide Operations & Maintenance (O&M) support for the Power BI platform, including platform operations, monitoring, and user support, for the agreed service period. Scope as per WP1 D2 above.

Acceptance Criteria A2:As per WP1 D2 acceptance criteria above.

Cost Ceiling D2:12 months. Price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Price Adjustment Formula set out in paragraph 6.5 of the Framework Contract Special Provisions (CO-115786-AAS+). Payment milestone D2 is subject to KPI payment based model described under Section 7.

Payment Milestone D2:At the beginning of the month for the previous month, based on acceptance of the Monthly Operational Report by the SDM.

Deliverable D5:Prepare end user training: prepare documentation, presentations, labs etc., and potentially (or partially) deliver monthly end user trainings.

Acceptance Criteria A5:Monthly operational report covering support KPI metrics (defined in Section 6) and inventory of training, maintenance and support activities.

Cost Ceiling D5:Included in O&M support deliverable quote.

Payment Milestone D5:Throughout the year. Payable at the beginning of the month for the previous month, included in the Operational Report.

WP3 – 2028 OPTION (if 2028 option is exercised: 01 January 2028 to 31 December 2028)

Deliverable D2:Provide Operations & Maintenance (O&M) support for the Power BI platform, including platform operations, monitoring, and user support, for the agreed service period. Scope as per WP1 D2 above.

Acceptance Criteria A2:As per WP1 D2 acceptance criteria above.

Cost Ceiling D2:12 months. Price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Price Adjustment Formula set out in paragraph 6.5 of the Framework Contract Special Provisions (CO-115786-AAS+). Payment milestone D2 is subject to KPI payment based model described under Section 7.

Payment Milestone D2:At the beginning of the month for the previous month, based on acceptance of the Monthly Operational Report by the SDM.

Deliverable D5:Prepare end user training: prepare documentation, presentations, labs etc., and potentially (or partially) deliver monthly end user trainings.

Acceptance Criteria A5:Monthly operational report covering support KPI metrics (defined in Section 6) and inventory of training, maintenance and support activities.

Cost Ceiling D5:Included in O&M support deliverable quote.

Payment Milestone D5:Throughout the year. Payable at the beginning of the month for the previous month, included in the Operational Report.

6. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPI)

6.1 Incident Management and Service Availability KPIs

The below KPIs have been defined to monitor the Contractor’s quality of service and the acceptability of its Incident Management and Service availability performance. The Contractor is expected to scope resources taking into account reporting on critical KPIs only; non-critical KPIs are not measured and reported by default, but only requested when NCIA considers the underlying services to possibly be underperforming. The service in scope is a P2- service within NCIA where 90–95% of incidents are labelled as priority P4. Level P1 is not applicable for the service.

KPI 1 – Incident Response Time (RT):Definition: Time for a service operator to respond to the customer for the first time since the incident was logged or detected. Scope: First acknowledgment to user. Target: >= 90%. P2- incidents: below 1-hour wall-clock (within working hours), below 2-hour wall-clock (outside working hours). P3 incidents: below 8 business hours; average not to exceed 6 business hours. P4 incidents: below 16 business hours; average not to exceed 12 business hours. Note: Incidents for this service will never be classified as P1 or P2+ levels.

KPI 2 – Incident Resolution Time (IRT):Definition: Maximum time to resolve an incident. Target: >= 90%. P2- incidents: resolved within 6 business hours. P3 incidents: resolved within 12 business hours. P4 incidents: resolved within 20 business hours.

KPI 3 – Incident Reopen Rate:Definition: Percentage of incidents reopened by the same user within 5 business days. Purpose: Measures quality and completeness of resolution. Target: <= 5% of all incidents reported monthly.

KPI 4 – Service Availability:Definition: Average service availability rate within the reporting period. For Power BI, availability is defined as uptime of the service excluding agreed maintenance windows. Target: >= 99.5% monthly. Calculation: Availability = Total Available Time / Total Scheduled Time × 100, based on current monitoring systems.

6.2 Service Request KPIs

KPI 1 – Service Response Time (SRT):Definition: Time for a service operator to respond to the customer with more detail since the request was logged, including assessing the technical solution, estimating ROM associated efforts, and determining complexity. The SRT is measured using all created service requests during the month (for monthly reporting) or during the quarter (for quarterly reporting). Target: >= 90%. Maximum SRT: 12 business hours.

KPI 2 – Service Request Fulfilment:Definition: Overview of service request volume and delivery within agreed timelines, including number of opened/completed service requests within the month along with resolution fulfilment status. Target: >= 80%. Target resolution time by complexity: Standard (pre-defined) <= 3 business days; Medium complexity <= 5 business days; High complexity – agreed case-by-case (high-level assumption: complex requests average 10 business days). Note: The definition of standard, medium and high complexity service request types to be aligned with the contractor.

7. DELIVERABLE AND KPI BASED PAYMENT MODEL (INCENTIVES/PENALTIES)

The incentives/penalties defined below apply to payment milestone D2 (O&M support) based on performance results measured through KPIs described under Section 6. The Monthly Service Performance Report (Annex C) will be used for reporting.

KPI Weighting (At-Risk Portion Only)

Incident Response Time (RT):10% of at-risk portion

Incident Resolution Time (IRT):30% of at-risk portion

Incident Reopen Rate:10% of at-risk portion

Service Availability:25% of at-risk portion

Service Response Time (SRT):10% of at-risk portion

Service Request Fulfilment:15% of at-risk portion

Performance-to-Payment Rules

For each KPI: Meets or exceeds target = 100% payment; Within 5% of target = 50% payment; Below tolerance = 0% payment.

A total of 15% of the monthly service fee is performance-based and distributed across the defined KPIs according to their respective weightings. If all KPI targets are achieved and at least two KPIs exceed their targets by 5% or more, a bonus of 3% of the performance-based portion is awarded.

Deliverables D1, D3, and D4 shall be compensated upon successful completion in accordance with the specified user acceptance criteria. Payment for each such deliverable shall become due following successful review and signed user acceptance by the customer.

8. TRANSITION AND TAKE-OVER

The Contractor shall provide a plan within 21 days after the approved and placed PO of this contract with activities and high-level timelines for the transition of the service from the incumbent service provider to the Contractor. The Contractor shall be required to work directly with the incumbent service provider to arrange a smooth and uninterrupted continuation of service from the prior contract to this contract.

9. PROVISIONS ON DELIVERABLES

9.1 All deliverables provided under this statement of work will be based on NCIA templates or agreed with the Purchaser’s project point of contact.

9.2 All code, scripts, documentation, etc. will be stored under normal configuration management in accordance with the best practices of the trade, and/or in the provided NCIA configuration tools.

10. COORDINATION, REPORTING, ACCEPTANCE AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

10.1 The contractor shall participate in daily status update meetings, activity planning and other meetings as instructed, physically in the office, or in person via electronic means using Conference Call capabilities, according to the Service Delivery Manager / Team Leaders instructions.

10.2 The process to accept contractor deliverables shall adhere to the procedures and standards as stated in the contract General and Special Provisions. As a result of the acceptance the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS) has to be signed.

10.3 The key performance indicators (KPIs) as well as Acceptance Criteria within this statement of work will extend those mentioned in the contract Provisions and enable the SDM to gauge the overall performance of the contractor and their ability to effectively meet NCIA’s needs.

10.4 For each deliverable to be considered as complete and payable, the contractor must report the outcome of their work first verbally during the retrospective meeting and then in writing within three (3) days after the deliverable’s end date. The format of this report shall be a short email to the NCIA Point of Contact mentioning briefly the work held and the development achievements during the work.

10.5 NCIA standard templates used for acceptance and performance management are: Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS); Monthly Service Performance Report Acceptance.

10.6 The Contractor shall deliver those to NCIA for approval and signature for the resource providing services under this SoW.

10.7 The contractor shall follow all general rules, terms and conditions as applicable for working in the respective NATO sites.

11. GENERAL NOTES

11.1 Services are to be delivered on the NATO/NCIA network(s) and appropriate hardware and connectivity will be provided by NATO/NCIA, for the duration of this contract, and is to be returned upon completion of the contract.

11.2 Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform the contract except for the items required to work in NATO facilities including NCIA Furnished Property and Services mentioned above.

11.3 Security: The services require a valid NATO SECRET security clearance, as from the start date of the contract.

11.4 Constraints:

Tooling & Scope: The Contractor shall use the Purchaser’s existing tools and operate strictly within the defined scope; any additional tools or activities require prior written approval.

Access & Dependencies: Delivery is dependent on timely access to systems, environments, data, and third-party services; delays outside the Contractor’s control shall not impact performance obligations.

Stakeholder & Approval Availability: Timelines are contingent on the availability of business stakeholders for reviews, approvals, and change management processes.

Data, Environment & Compliance: Outputs depend on the availability, stability, and quality of environments and source data; all activities must comply with the Purchaser’s security and governance requirements.

11.5 Quality Assurance: Deliverables shall be produced within the work as requested and be of satisfactory quality to avoid re-work, ensure the achievement of the objectives stated herein (following vendor, industry and NATO best practices and requirements). The Purchaser reserves the right to request change of Contractor personnel in case at least 30% of the deliverables have non-satisfactory outcomes, or in case of non-compliance with requirements of this SoW, NCIA Code of Conduct and accepted social norms.

12. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

[See Requirements]

12. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Mandatory Requirements

• Must hold a valid NATO SECRET Security Clearance, as from the start date of the contract.
• Minimum 5 years of experience as a consultant on large-scale business application implementations, evidenced by project descriptions including scope, role, and technologies used.
• Minimum 3 years of experience with Power BI Report Server (on-premises) and Power BI Service (cloud), including configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and maintenance, evidenced by explicit tasks and environments in project experience.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in data modelling, DAX, and dashboard/report development, evidenced by delivered reports/dashboards and described responsibilities.
• Minimum 5 years of experience with MS SQL Server (2014 or higher), including complex SQL queries and ETL processes, evidenced by technologies and data-related tasks per role.
• Minimum 2 years of experience proficiency in normalized/denormalized data models and star/snowflake schemas, evidenced by data modelling activities in project descriptions.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in Level 2 and Level 3 support within ITIL-based environments (incident, problem, change, request management), evidenced by support activities and use of ITSM tools.
• Minimum 2 years of experience working in Agile environments, evidenced by Agile roles or methodologies referenced in CV.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and process-oriented mindset, evidenced by troubleshooting, root cause analysis, or process improvement activities.
• Ability to communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders, evidenced by customer-facing roles or stakeholder interactions.
• Ability to work independently and in teams, and to produce technical documentation, evidenced by responsibilities and deliverables such as SOPs, runbooks, or specifications.
• Full professional proficiency in English (minimum level C1 or equivalent), evidenced in CV.

Desired Requirements

• Experience configuring Power BI Server to work with claims-based ADFS authentication.
• Knowledge of Oracle Databases.
• Knowledge of KNIME Analytics Platform.
• Experience in developing in Java.
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements.
• Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO and ACT.