NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB): Provision of Wireless Internet Services at Kandahar Airfield (KAF)

Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum) intends to issue an Invitation for International Bidding (IFIB) for Wireless Internet services at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) Boardwalk and two other locations of KAF. In order to bid on this project, a U.S. primary contractor must 1) maintain a professionally active facility (office, factory, laboratory, etc.) in the United States, 2) be pre-approved for participation in NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB), 3) be nominated to the bidders list by the U.S. Government, and 4) have performed at least two contracts within the last five years substantially similar in scope to the requirement described in the solicitation. The contract is for one year plus two three-month options effective 01 July 2013. The bidding procedure is a sealed bid with two separate envelopes (technical bid+certificates, price bid). Partial bidding is not authorized. The Department of Commerce will be using IFIB-ACO-BRU-13-02 as its reference for the IFIB. REQUIREMENT Multiple hot spots at the KAF Boardwalk and two other locations at KAF are required to provide coverage of up to 200m to support 400 people at each hot spot. Each user requesting access to the Wireless Internet must register with the company and provide an ISAF ID number and access device unique identifier (i.e. MAC address or access PIN code). Once access has been gained, the user will be allotted a given timeslot between 30 minutes to one hour, after which access will be cut and the user will be required to return to the main desk for additional access time. All network hardware (switches, routers, etc.) will be provided by the contractor for the duration of the contract. All such equipment will be maintained and updated throughout the life of the contract to remain in line with existing industry standards. The installation of all equipment will be in line with Commander of Kandahar Airfield (COMKAF) standards. The contractor will keep the equipment in good working order throughout the duration of the contract and will continue to support such equipment for any contract extensions or renewals that are signed into force. BIDDING PROCEDURE Before the U.S. Government can nominate a U.S. firm to the bidders list for this procurement, the U.S. firm must be approved for participation in NATO ICB. Firms are approved for NATO ICB on a facility-by-facility basis. U.S. firms can download a copy of the U.S. NATO ICB application from the following website: http://www.bis.doc.gov/defenseindustrialbaseprograms/OSIES/NATOprograms/index.htm The NATO ICB application is a one-time application. The application requires supporting documentation in the form of 1) a company resume and 2) an annual report or set of financial documents indicating compilation, review, or audit by an independent CPA. The application and supporting documentation may be submitted as e-mail attachments. If, when submitting the application, your firm is interested in a specific NATO ICB project, please 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 point of contact for the bid documents After approval of your one-time NATO ICB application, the Department of Commerce will then know to follow up by issuing a Declaration of Eligibility (DOE) for that project. A DOE is used to nominate an approved firm to the bidders list for a particular NATO ICB project. IMPORTANT DEADLINES U.S. firms should request a DOE (and, for U.S. firms new to NATO ICB, submit the one-time NATO ICB application): 20 February 2013 Please note: Budget Committee rules allow for nominations to the bidders list past the IFIB release date and up until bid closing. The IFIB will be posted here: http://www.aco.nato.int/page136374522.aspx IFIB release (expected): 26 February 2013 Bid closing (expected): 09 April 2013