Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Link 16 Technical Specialist

Description

Summary of the work (1) Be a L16/Tactical Data Link (TDL) Subject Matter Expert and Technical Specialist. (2) Provide support to DE&S with L16 Technical Support. (3) Provide support to military including L16 Technical Support, training and system point of contact. (4) A dedicated Point of Contact for engagement with all project stakeholders. Specialist role Technical Architect Expected Contract Length 2 years with the option to extend for a further 6 months. Latest start date Friday 1 July 2022 Maximum Day Rate £1050 Early Market Engagement Not Applicable Who Speclialist Work With The individual will be working with Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and Military. What Specialists Work On Job Includes: -Link 16 (L16) Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Point Of Contact (POC). -Support to L16 Operational planning. -Support to Capability Integration. -Interface with Key L16 Organisations. -Work with L16 Network Data Loads (NDL). -Conduct training for L16. -Work with L16 host software, protocol conversion software and tactical mission software. -Work with specified L16 terminals. -Fault finding and troubleshooting. -Support exercises and training. -Remote support to operations. Skills & Experience • Link 16 Subject Matter Expert including practical experience working with L16 terminals and L16 Host & Protocol Conversion Software. - 10 Marks • Experience working with Military Command, Control, Communications and Computer Information Systems (C4IS) capabilities. - 7 Marks • Experience briefing organisational leaders or senior officers. - 7 Marks • Experience delivering theoretical & practical instruction to Military Personnel. - 7 Marks • Experience and ability to distil complex technical information into less complex language for consumption by less technical Military personnel. - 7 Marks • Confirmation that no current or potential Conflict of Interests have been identified. If a conflict is identified, provide details, and risk mitigation strategies you propose to implement. - 7 Marks Nice to Haves • Detailed knowledge of key system components relating to the tactical application of L16: Tactical L16 Terminals, Host Software, Protocol Conversion Software and Tactical Mission Software. - 5 Marks • Qualified Link 16 Sub-Network Manager and other Tactical Data Link Qualifications & Practical Experience. - 5 Marks • Link 16 Network Design Experience. - 5 Marks • Detailed knowledge of the iSMART process. - 5 Marks • Experience of working with the supported user community. - 5 Marks Work Location The exact working locations cannot be specified in this advertisement. The working location will predominantly be in the West Midlands with required travel to the South West. Working Arrangments You are required to work 5 days a week, the normal working day is 09:00 to 17:00 with a 30 minutes break for lunch. A monthly summary of days worked will be maintained and signed by the Contractor. Frequent travel between multiple sites across West Midlands and the South West. Security Clearance UK Developed Vetting (DV) Clearance must be in place prior to contract start (aimed to be 01 July 2022) and remain in place throughout employment. Supplier must be UK based. Supplier must provide Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate prior to start date. Additional T&Cs To be issued with ITT documents. No. of Specialists to Evaluate 3 Cultural Fit Criteria • Good stakeholder Management Skills including: Good Interpersonal Skills. Work well with DE&S, military and other suppliers. Transparent and collaborative. - 3 Marks • Operates well under pressure with a Positive, Resilient & Flexible Attitude. - 2 Marks • Share knowledge and experience across the wider department. - 2 Marks • Have a no-blame culture and encourage people to learn from mistakes. - 2 Marks • Take responsibility for their work.- 1 Mark Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Has this role got an Incumbent? Hi, thank you for your question. There is no incumbent. 2. is there a current incumbent or preferred supplier for this please? Hi, thank you for your question. There is no incumbent and no preferred supplier. 3. Is the contractor day rate inclusive of VAT or exclusive of VAT Hi, thank you for your question. The contractor day rate is excluding VAT 4. Is it possible to get a better summary of the expectations of the role (SoW deliveries mentioned) and an idea of the stakeholders involved? Hi, thank you for your question. This information will be issued at ITT stage. 5. Will any remote working days be allowed? If so how many per week. Thanks Hi, thank you for your question. There may be some opportunity to work remotely but predominately you will be required to work at user locations 4 or 5 times a week. 6. How many days are expected in an office and how much time is expected be working from home? How much time is expected at other stakeholder locations in support roles? Such as Industry, military and supplier locations around the UK, and is there likely to be deployments abroad in support of the role? Is international travel anticipated for Link 16 / MIDS stakeholder meetings, and if so what are these likely to be (i.e. MIRB, Bi-lats etc) Hi, thank you for your questions. There may be some opportunity to work remotely but predominately you will be required to work in user locations. The required time working at the user locations will be 4 or 5 days a week and there will be no deployments abroad and no anticipated plan for international travel for stakeholder meetings. 7. Will the statement of work for this opportunity be released in advance of the ITT? or made available after the stage 1 process has completed? Hi, thank you for your question. The Statement of Work will be issued at ITT stage. 8. Would you support the DV process if candidate has existing SC clearance? Thanks No. It is required that the applicant be DV cleared by contract start (01 July 2022). 9. The SME support focusses on Link 16, does this include waveform and terminal (i.e. MIDS), as well as specific platform integrations? A specific terminal and waveform applicable to our supported users is in scope. Further information will be provided at ITT stage. The terminal will be integrated into wider solutions. 10. Can you pelase confirm if T&S is exclusive of the day rate? Travel and Subsistence is not tied to the day rate. For non-standard travel we will provide a Limit of Liability cap for the T&S and then the contrator will claim against that on an Ad Hoc basis. 11. Can you please confirm if T&S is exclusive of the day rate? Travel and Subsistence is not tied to the day rate. For non-standard travel we will provide a Limit of Liability cap for the T&S and then the contrator will claim against that on an Ad Hoc basis. 12. 1) What is classed as the C4IS capabilities in Key Skills? 2) What is meant by conflicts of interest? 3) What is meant by Protocol Conversion Software and Tactical Mission Software? 1) Detail any experience of working with Military Command, Control, Communications and Computer Information Systems (C4IS) capabilities. Where possible tailor to tactical edge mission systems. Where possible tailor to the supported user community. 2) If you are currently employed by, or have a financial stake in, a company which provides Link 16 radios, Host Software or Protocol Conversion Software. 3) Protocol Conversion Software converts one communication protocol to another. Tactical Mission Software is battle management software.