2026-0057 Penetration Testing Service NPCL Support (NS) FRI 15 May

Deadline Date: Friday 15 May 2026

Requirement: Penetration Testing Service NPCL Support

Location of Performance: 100% onsite in Mons BEL

Period of Performance: As soon as possible but not later than 15 June 2026 until 31 December 2026 with possibility to exercise the following options:

2027 Option: 1st January until 31st December 2027;

2028 Option: 1st January until 31st December 2028.

Evaluation Methodology: Lowest Priced Technically Compliant

Required Security Clearance: NATO SECRET

1. Purpose

The objective of this statement of work (SoW) is to outline the scope of work and deliverables for the penetration testing service to be conducted by the selected company.

The purpose of the work package is to provide support to NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to fulfil identified penetration testing activities more effectively.

2. Background

To support the NCSC with the execution of tasks identified in the subject work package of the service the NCI Agency is looking for experienced penetration testing professionals to augment the existing teams in order to respond to the increasing demand for high quality security assessments and expertise.

This contract is to provide consistent support on a deliverable-based (completion-type) contract to NCSC contributing to its POW based on the deliverables that are described in the scope of work below.

3. Scope of Work

The Senior Penetration Tester is a position within the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) an organization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The NCIA has been established with a view to meeting to the best advantage the collective requirements of some or all NATO nations in the fields of capability delivery and service provision related to Consultation Command & Control as well as Communications Information and Cyber Defence functions thereby also facilitating the integration of Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Target Acquisition functions and their associated information exchange.

The NCI Agency NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is responsible for planning and executing all lifecycle management activities for cyber executing this responsibility NCSC provides specialist cyber security-related services covering the spectrum of scientific technical acquisition operations maintenance and sustainment support throughout the lifecycle of NATO Information Communications and Technology (ICT).

Within the NCSC the Assess Branch performs comprehensive vulnerability assessments penetration testing security compliance audits and red teaming activities against NATO CIS components throughout their lifecycle and across the NATO CIS footprint improving its cyber hygiene while contributing to the CIS accreditation IT change management and cyber incident response and recovery processes. It reports on security shortfalls and provides expertise in support of the mitigation and remediation assistance process. The Section also supports exercises software development assurance and purple teaming activities.

The Penetration Testing Section manages and conducts tailored penetration testing activities against NATO networks and systems with the objective to assess the impact of current cyber threats as well as their likelihood and difficulty of exploitation on NATO CIS a NATO Mission or NATOs cyber defences by emulating an intermediate or advanced cyber adversary. These unique activities are performed in support of accreditation IT change management and software development assurance throughout the lifecycle of NATO CIS during NATO exercises and in support of incident handling and recovery.

Being part of the Penetration Testing Section and under the direction of the Team Lead the contractor taking the role of the Senior Penetration Tester will perform the following activities:

• Provide Web infrastructure and application-level penetration testing including but not limited to COTS software and NOTS/GOTS software (NATO/Government off the Shelf) following clearly defined methodologies.
• Participate in kick-off meetings with stakeholders and technical points of contact in order to identify requirements for testing.
• Follow the documented procedures and workflows outlined by the technical leads.
• Attend team meetings if required.
• Write technical reports in fluent English following defined templates and Reporting Tools.
• Brief at both executive and technical levels on security reports and testing outcome including at flag officer level.
• In case of new vulnerabilities detected for COTS software follow the Responsible Disclosure Process and follow-up with vendors and stakeholders.
• In co-ordination with the Technical Lead of the Penetration testing team ensure proactive collaboration and coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Stay abreast of technological developments relevant to the area of work.
• Perform any other duties as may be required.

The measurement of execution for this work is sprints with each sprint planned for a duration of 1 week.

4. Deliverables and Payment Milestones

Based on the KPI framework and milestone-based payment schedule below the contractor will be assessed on the delivery of penetration testing and reporting activities.

4.1 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

A. Penetration Testing Execution (Web Infrastructure Application)

Test coverage across agreed scope ( 95% of assets tested); Compliance with defined methodologies (e.g. OWASP/NATO procedures) (100%); Number of validated vulnerabilities identified (quality over quantity; low false positives 5%); Severity classification accuracy ( 95%); Timely completion of testing activities ( 95% within schedule).

B. Planning Kick-off & Requirements Alignment

Participation in kick-off meetings (100%); Requirements for testing clearly defined and agreed (100%); Testing scope and rules of engagement documented (100%) when applicable.

C. Process Compliance & Coordination

Adherence to technical procedures/workflows (100%); Attendance at required team meetings ( 95%); Issue escalation and communication timeliness (within same working day).

D. Reporting & Documentation

Report completeness (technical executive sections) (100%); Adherence to templates and reporting tools (100%); Report delivery within agreed timelines ( 95%); Accuracy and clarity ( 5% rework required); Traceability (findings evidence affected systems) (100%).

E. Briefings (Executive & Technical)

Delivery of briefings as scheduled (100%); Clarity and appropriateness for audience level (technical/executive) ( 4/5); Stakeholder understanding and engagement ( 4/5); Ability to communicate risk and remediation clearly (validated).

F. Responsible Disclosure (COTS Vulnerabilities)

Identification and validation of vendor-related vulnerabilities (100%); Responsible disclosure initiated within SLA (e.g. 5 working days); Coordination with vendors and stakeholders (tracked and documented).

G. Knowledge Awareness & Continuous Improvement

Evidence of staying current with relevant technologies/threats (documented); Contribution to team knowledge sharing (sessions inputs); Adoption of updated methodologies/tools where relevant.

4.2 Milestone-Based Payment Schedule

M1 Kick-off & Scope Definition: Stakeholder meetings requirements scope rules of engagement defined.

M2 Penetration Testing Execution: Testing activities completed (web/app/infra).

M3 Reporting Delivery: Draft and final reports submitted per templates.

Number of Sprints Used (M1M2M3 combined): max 22 sprints.

Engagement-Based (for Continuous Testing)

Monthly payments based on: completed testing activities; submitted reports; verified deliverables; final reporting acceptance; completion of briefings and reviews.

Acceptance Criteria (for Payment Release)

Payments should only be released when: testing performed according to agreed methodologies; all findings supported by verifiable evidence; reports meet quality and template standards; briefings delivered and understood by stakeholders; responsible disclosure properly executed (where applicable).

Governance & Traceability

All activities should be: logged and tracked in JIRA or agreed system; fully auditable; linked to scope and requirements.

Risk & Quality Controls

Tie payments to: accuracy of findings (low false positives); timeliness of reporting; stakeholder satisfaction; compliance with NATO security procedures.

4.3 Deliverables Schedule (2026)

Deliverable 01: Maximum 22 sprints.

Payment Milestone: Upon completion of each 4 sprints acceptance (and at the end of the work).

The NCIA reserves the possibility to exercise a number of options in the years 2027 and 2028 based on the same scrum deliverable timeframe and cost at a later time depending on the project priorities and requirements.

The payment shall be dependent upon successful acceptance of the Delivery Acceptance Sheet (DAS). Invoices shall be accompanied with a Delivery Acceptance Sheet signed by the Contractor and the project authority.

5. Coordination and Reporting

The contractor shall participate in daily status update meetings activity planning and other meetings as instructed physically in the office or in person via digital means using conference call capabilities according to the managers / team leaders instructions.

For each sprint to be considered as complete and payable the contractor must report the outcome of his/her work during the sprint first verbally during the retrospective meeting and then in written within three (3) days after the sprints end date. The format of this report shall be a short email to the NCI Agency Project Manager mentioning briefly the work held and the development achievements during the sprint.

At the end of the project the Contractor shall provide a Project Closure Report that is summarizing the activities during the period of performance at high level.

6. Schedule

This task order will be active immediately after signing of the contract by both parties.

The period of performance is as soon as possible but not later than 15 June 2026 and will end no later than 22 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.

7. Constraints

All the deliverables provided under this statement of work will be based on NCI Agency templates or agreed with the project point of contact.

All documentation will be stored under configuration management and/or in the provided NCI Agency tools.

8. Security and Non-Disclosure Agreement

It is mandatory to have the candidate be in possession of a NATO SECRET security clearance to facilitate follow-on engagements and coordination at NATO venues.

The signature of a Non-Disclosure Agreement between the contractor contributing to this task and NCIA will be required prior to execution.

9. Practical Arrangements

The Contractor shall perform the Services 100% on-site in Mons Belgium. Any work-from-home may be permitted only with the prior written approval of the Line Manager and where compatible with project requirements. The NCSC Team is located in Mons Belgium with working hours to be adjusted accordingly.

The contractor is required to follow the rules and regulations applicable for the operations of NATO CIS.

The Contractor shall not be required to travel to other NATO locations for the performance of the Services under this Contract.

Regular travel costs to and from main location of the work are out of scope and will be borne by the contractor.

For the avoidance of doubt the following are expressly excluded from reimbursement: (i) daily travel between the Contractors domicile and the Main Location; (ii) costs arising from the Contractors personal choice of domicile location; (iii) any travel undertaken at the Contractors own initiative; (iv) travel expenses for missions to other NATO/NCIA locations rather than Mons BEL.

This work must be accomplished by one contractor.

The Purchaser will provide the contractor with the following Purchaser-Furnished Equipment (PFE): access to NATO sites as required for the purpose of executing this SOW; workspace (needed business IT for both on- and off-site work hot-desk at NCSC facility); NCIA REACH laptop to be used by the contractor for the execution of the contract.

10. Required Profile

See Requirements

11. Desirable Profile

See Requirements

Requirements

Mandatory Experience and Education

• The service contractor will be required to have a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree at a nationally recognised/certified university in a technical subject with substantial Information Technology (IT) content and 3 years post-related experience. As an exception the lack of a university degree may be compensated by the demonstration of a candidates particular abilities or experience that are of interest to the NCI Agency; namely at least 10 years of extensive and progressive experience in the duties related to the functions of this post.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in web application penetration testing.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in IT infrastructure penetration testing.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in network security architecture design.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in assessing security vulnerabilities within OS software protocols & networks.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in researching and evaluating security products & technologies.
• Knowledge in system and network administration of UNIX and Windows systems.
• Extensive knowledge and experience (at least 3 years) in the use of penetration testing tools techniques and recognized testing methodologies.
• Scripting skills in at least one of the following: Python Go PowerShell shell (bash ksh csh).
• Technical knowledge in system and network security authentication and security protocols cryptography application security as well as malware infection techniques and protection technologies.
• Ability to evaluate risks and formulate mitigation plans.
• Proven ability to brief at executive level on security findings reports and testing outcome.
• Proven ability to write clear and structured technical reports including executive summary technical findings and remediation plan for several different audiences.

Desirable Experience and Education

• Professional qualifications: OSCP OSCE OSWE GPEN CREST Certified Web Application Tester GXPN GWAPT or equivalent.
• Familiarity with risk analysis methodologies.
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements.
• Knowledge of NATO organization internal structure and resultant relationships.

Language Proficiency

• A thorough knowledge of one of the two NATO languages both written and spoken is essential and some knowledge of the other is desirable. Most of the work of the NCI Agency is conducted in the English language.

Security Clearance

• The candidate must hold a NATO SECRET security clearance.