2025-0044 Independent Safety Audit Services (NS) REMOTE - 7 Mar

Deadline Date:  Friday 7 March 2025
 
Requirement: Independent Safety Audit Services
 
Location:  REMOTE
  
Not to Exceed:  51,705 EUR
 
Required Start Date:  14 April,2025
 
Required Security Clearance:  NATO SECRET
 
Background:

• As a capability provider, the NCI Agency is obliged to deliver systems that meet the legal safety  requirements of the Nations by ensuring that they are procured, designed, implemented, and maintained  to be tolerably safe to operate. This obligation covers the entire system’s life cycle and scope and  requires continuous effort to reach and maintain the accepted safety targets. 
• Nations tasked NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) Air Command and  Control (AirC2) Centre to perform a safety assessment of MASE, ASIM, ALF-SFP, ALF-L1, NISP, CSI,  L16@29K and ACCS. These decisions are recorded in the Programme Of Work and Memorandum of  Working Arrangements. 
• To show full safety compliance against the applicable safety standard (i.e. IEC 61508 version  2.0, DS 00-55 issue 2 dated 1 st August 1997, MIL-882 Rev E) the safety assessments shall be reviewed  by a certification body. In the absence of a NATO Certification Body, an Independent Safety Auditor is  required to perform the review and counter sign. 
• A Safety Engineer from AirC2 Centre/Business Assurance (BA) Functional Group (FG)/Quality  and Safety Assessment (QSA) Team cannot perform this work as the full independency criteria would  not be satisfied. An AirC2 Centre QSA Safety Engineer can only hold the role of either an author or peer  reviewer. 
• For some nations, having the AirC2 system in full compliance with a relevant safety standard  and shown to achieve its defined safety targets, is a mandatory criterion to allow live operations to be  shown to support an overall SIL1 claim e.g. deployment of DARS to DEU for RADU23, NOR requirement  for MASE. 
• Therefore, it is critical to have an Independent Safety Auditor review and counter sign the  software safety assessment to fully comply with the clauses of the relevant safety standard for the  identified safety objectives and to perform the safety audits against the processes defined in the Quality  and Safety Management Systems. 

• To strengthen the Alliance through connecting its forces, the NCI Agency 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.  
• The AirC2 Centre, as part of the NCIA, delivers planning, development, procurement,  implementation and In-Service Support of NATO authorised AirC2 capabilities across the Alliance and  bilaterally in the European Nations of the Alliance, satisfying the operational requirements, assuring the  coherence, integrity and interoperability of the involved NATO and national systems and sub-systems.  In doing so, the AirC2 Centre contributes to NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defence operations and  continuously evolves NATO authorised systems and services to empower seamless, resilient and  adaptable NATO operations in a multi domain environment. 
• The BA FG ensures that the AirC2 Centre delivers high-quality products and services to its  customers and stakeholders. The BA FG is responsible for the direction, management and execution of  the activities related to the Integration, Verification, Operational Validation and Acceptance of the  Systems and capabilities delivered by the AirC2 centre. In addition the Functional Group defines,  establishes and maintains a mission assurance framework, in line with the NCI Agency's policy and  directives, in order to provide quality and safety assurance.  
• The QSA Team performs quality and safety assurance services for products and services  managed by AirC2 and BMD. In conjunction with the Chief Quality Office (CQO), QSA Team also  establishes and improves the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), and is solely responsible  for the Safety Management System (SMS) utilized by Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD).  Finally, QSA Team leads the quality culture in AirC2 and BMD, maintains coherence with other areas  of the Agency, and, supports internal and external audits. 
• In the light of these activities, AirC2 Centre is looking for a person to perform an independent safety audit and counter-sign all the Safety Assessments produced for the AirC2 developed baselines, by: 
  • Confirming the specified safety objectives (targets and requirements) are appropriate for the  project/product and compliant with established, policies and processes (e.g. EUROCONTROL  SAM, MIL-882, IEC 61508, DS 00-55). 
  • Validating that project safety objectives are unambiguously defined, testable and adequately  covered in the engineering, verification & validation and test activities of a project. 
  • Reviewing the Software Safety Assessment / Safety Case produced by the AirC2 Safety  Engineer to verify and validate compliance with the defined safety related plans, requirements,  standards, and legal regulations. 
  • Recording the result of review and providing recommendations for corrective, preventive and  improvement measures to the Safety Engineer and to the Project Manager. 
  • Independently audit the AirC2 Centre processes against the IEC 61508 and DS 00-55 and  produce an audit report. 
  • Maintain a high-level of competence in System Safety Engineering and Human Factors and  related best practices

• All the documentation provided under this statement of work will be based on NCIA templates  or agreed with NCIA point of contact. 
• All deliverables and supporting artefacts under this contract will be property of the NCIA.

• Any proposed resource providing services under this SOW must be in possession of a valid  security clearance NATO SECRET. 
• The signature of a Non-Disclosure Agreement between any Service Provider’s individuals  contributing to this task and NCIA will be required prior to execution.

• This is a deliverables-based contract.  
• The contractor will be required to provide the service 100% Off-site.  
• NCI Agency will provide access to relevant networks and resources as required by the project.
• The work depicted in this SOW is expected to be carried by a single contractor.
• Contractor will be part of the NCIA AirC2 Centre/Business Assurance Functional Group/ Quality  and Safety Assurance team. 
• NCIA IT equipment will be provided (one REACH laptop will be provided). This equipment can  be used by one person only and associated to that individual.

•  A thorough knowledge of English, both written and spoken. 
• A Master’s degree at a nationally recognized/certified university in a related discipline and  5 years’ post related experience; Or a Bachelor’s degree at a nationally recognized/certified  university in a related discipline and 8 years’ post related experience 
• Recent practical experience of contributing, developing or maintaining safety analyses in  the field of system and/or software safety, preferably within large-scale distributed software  intensive systems. 
• Practical experience in the field of system architecture, design or software development or  maintenance preferably on safety critical system or software. 
• Knowledge of Safety Engineering Theory (e.g. IEC61508 , Mil-Std 882, UK Def Std 00-55,  UK Def Std 00-56, ESARR, EUROCONTROL SAM, ED-153, DO-178, etc.), and of NATO  policies and standards for Quality i.e. ISO 9001 or CMMI. 
• Experience and knowledge in the field of occupational hazards related to equipment,   installation and hazards associated with operating and support tasks; 
• Knowledge of Air Operations; 
• Knowledge of risk management principles; 
• Knowledge of testing principles; 
• professional certifications in the area of: 
• Functional Safety; 
• Health & Safety; 
• System/Software Development; 
• Lead Auditor Qualifications 

• Mathematical / statistical analysis methods and techniques, reinforced by theoretical  knowledge; 
• Training or professional certifications in the area of: 
• Testing; 
• Knowledge of AirC2 Systems 
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and  civilian elements. 
• Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO and ACT. 
• A thorough knowledge of one of the English languages, both written and spoken, is essential  and some knowledge of the other NATO official language is desirable.