DARC pursues the general objective of EDA pMS in identifying the technology challenges but also non-technology ones but with an impact on technology, towards the implementation of DCS and ZTA, especially in hybrid environments of both locally hosted and cloud-based infrastructure. The focus of this general objective must be the application of DCS and ZTA in military environments and the provision of relevant use cases. The analysis, findings and results shall provide tangible solutions and actionable recommendations for near-term adoption when possible and propose specific roadmap for mid-term adoption in cases that near-term is not feasible. Especially in the Defence and under the context of multi-domain operations (MDO) and associated command and control (C2) systems, sharing of data through various means between the involved armed forces in a secure and controlled way for the appropriate required period, is crucial for mission success.

The scope of this framework contract is the provision of services in the form of ‘Data Centric Security and Zero Trust Architecture Technologies (DARC)’ studies and expertise. Services are envisaged at two complementary levels:

• a ‘horizontal level’, comprising different fields of activities to be performed by the contractor(s);

• a ‘vertical level’, comprising different types of thematic areas to be addressed by the contractor(s).

The framework contract will be implemented by means of individual specific contracts (SCs), which may consist of a combination of one or more ‘horizontal fields’ implemented in the context of one or more ‘vertical thematic areas’.

EDA plans to award and sign SC1 in 2023. The tenderer is only requested to submit a technical and financial proposal for SC1 by the submission deadline for this FWC.

For SC2 and any subsequent SCs, EDA will issue a request for service, to which the contractor will reply with its proposal.

Any subsequent SC will be detailed further in the specific request for service which will be sent to the winning contractor, following the process of reopening of competition. The below information on the subsequent SCs may require adjustments, depending on the progress and outcomes of the individual SC. In addition, the scope could also be influenced by technological developments which justify adjustments to the scope to maintain the best possible reflection of reality.

As part of its technical proposal, the tenderer shall, however, propose a methodology that demonstrates the understanding of the dependencies and relationships between SC1, SC2 and SC3 including an explanation of the approach and sequence considered to be optimal to achieve the general and specific objectives. Based on the tenderer’s approach, the tenderer can also propose the reordering of subsequent SC2 and SC3. The tenderer must provide a preliminary schedule for the planning and conduct of the activities in the offer, including an explanation of why the proposed schedule leads to the best results.