How to bid on NATO contracts from Belgium

To bid on NATO contracts, start by identifying which NATO buyer purchases what you sell, register with that buyer (the NSPA Source File for logistics and support, an NCIA Basic Ordering Agreement for communications and IT), and, for procurements that require it, ask your national delegation to NATO to send a Declaration of Eligibility on your behalf. A Belgian company cannot send that declaration itself. After that, NATO bidding works like any formal tender: published notice, solicitation documents, clarifications, a firm deadline and evaluation against criteria announced in advance.

The rules below come from NATO's own procedure for competitive procurement, adopted in 2025, and from guidance that allied governments publish for their companies.

Who actually buys for NATO?

NATO is not a single customer. Canada's guide to navigating NATO procurement lists the main buyers, and the split matters because each has its own door.

The same guide notes that platforms, weapons and personal equipment are generally bought by the nations themselves, not through NATO's common funding. That is a useful filter: if you make a component for a fighter jet, your customer is a national programme or a prime, not NATO. If you provide logistics, IT, infrastructure or support, NATO's agencies may buy from you directly.

Belgium hosts several of these buyers. NCIA has offices in Brussels and Mons, SHAPE is in Mons, and NATO headquarters is in Brussels. NSPA is in Capellen, Luxembourg.

What are the rules NATO procurement follows?

In 2025 NATO adopted a procedure for NATO competitive procurement (reference PO(2025)0198), aligned with its procurement policy for common funding. It describes competitive procurement as "a procurement method that is open to all eligible vendors from participating nations", and sets minimum rules up to contract signature.

The points that matter most to a bidder:

Two details are easy to miss. First, after the deadline, a bidder may correct only minor clerical errors; nothing that affects price, technical content or competitive position. Second, where a best price-quality ratio or best value criterion is used, the solicitation must state the weight of each criterion. Read those weights before you write a word.

What is a Declaration of Eligibility, and how does a Belgian company get one?

For NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) procurements above EFL Level E, the procedure makes the national assessment mandatory. It takes the form of a Declaration of Eligibility, issued to the procurement authority by "the appropriate national authorities of the vendor's nation of origin". The nation must declare that, if it were awarding a contract of the same nature, it would itself admit the vendor as a competitor.

The sample declaration in the procedure's appendix certifies two things about each listed company:

• it has "the necessary financial, technical and professional competence" to be admitted as a bidder by its own government; and
• it is "security cleared to the level required for this procurement".

How it works in practice:

1. Spot the opportunity early. Above Level E, the procurement authority notifies the national delegations before publication.
2. Contact the Belgian delegation to NATO. NATO's procedure tells procurement authorities to refer vendors without a declaration to "the respective NATO delegation of the nation of origin". Canada's guide is blunt about the same point: companies cannot submit the declaration themselves; the delegation sends it.
3. Have your security position ready. The procedure refers all security credentials to national authorities. If the work is classified, a facility security clearance takes time to obtain; start before you need it.
4. Expect one declaration per procurement. Canada's guide notes that each project needs a new declaration, except that the original declaration for a Basic Ordering Agreement covers later bids under that agreement.

What if you are late? The procedure says a vendor without a declaration, or with an incomplete one, "does not immediately eliminate the vendor". The procurement authority may let it in once the declaration arrives, but this is never a reason to extend the bid deadline. Late is possible; it is not comfortable.

How do you register with NSPA?

NSPA buys for NATO and for nations through its own regulations. The UK Ministry of Defence's guide to doing business with NSPA (2020, so check current details with NSPA) describes the route that still applies in outline:

• Source File first. "Prior to being invited to tender, companies must be registered in NSPA's Source File." Registration is free for firms located in a member country of the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation; Belgium is one.
• National certification. After receiving the application, NSPA obtains, where required, a certification from the company's national authority that it is eligible to take part in procurement by that country's military services. Only then is the firm entered in the Source File.
• Future business opportunities. NSPA publishes advance notices of requirements for which it may issue requests for proposal, and for NATO infrastructure projects, notifications of intent.
• Open and restricted requests. Most requests for proposal are published openly; others, including online bids and requests restricted to specific vendors, appear only after you log on.
• Contract awards. NSPA publishes lists of contracts above a threshold (EUR 80,000 at the time of the guide), with contractor names and values. These lists are a free map of who wins what.

Before applying, check NSPA's list of systems and equipment it supports, as the UK guide advises. A registration that does not match a supported system brings few invitations.

How do you get into NCIA competitions?

NCIA buys communications and information systems and runs many C4ISR projects. NATO's procedure names NCIA's Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) as an example of "an accelerated procurement vehicle allowing for competition among a select pool of vendors". Canada's guide describes the BOA as a two-stage system: a framework contract is negotiated first, and orders are then placed against it, mainly for commercial hardware, software and services. It adds two practical tips:

• choose your capability categories carefully, because NCIA sends alerts according to the categories you declare;
• watch NCIA's opportunities pages and industry events, which preview requirements well ahead.

Companies without a BOA can still take part in a specific competition by being nominated through their national delegation with a Declaration of Eligibility, as described above.

How are NATO bids evaluated?

The procedure lets the procurement authority choose one of four award criteria and requires it to be stated in the solicitation:

Under lowest price technically compliant, compliance is everything. A bid that misses one mandatory requirement loses, however good the rest is. Canada's guide gives advice that follows from this: price to the stated minimum requirement and no more, because extra capability can make a bid non-compliant; present a clear cost breakdown; and treat deadlines as fixed.

Does NATO ever negotiate or run phased competitions?

Yes, and the 2025 procedure makes room for it. Where the solicitation allows dialogue, "such as in the case of competitive dialogue, phased evaluations, or other agile procurement approaches", vendors may be invited to structured discussions to refine solutions, clarify requirements and explore new approaches. In procurements with several phases of dialogue or iterative submissions, adjustments, including to price, may be allowed during those phases, before the final deadline, if the solicitation says so.

For an innovative company this is good news: a phased competition gives you a chance to explain an unfamiliar solution instead of being marked non-compliant against a fixed specification. Three habits help:

• Read how the phases work before the first submission, including what can still change later.
• Keep a written record of what you were told; the procedure requires dialogue to be documented and applied to all bidders alike.
• Ask for the debrief after each stage where one is offered. The procedure says debriefs are "especially encouraged" in agile procurement.

What happens after the award?

The procedure requires the procurement authority to notify all bidders of the award decision. Above Level E, the contract cannot be signed during a standstill period equal to the time allowed for complaints. Complaints for those larger procurements must be lodged within 15 calendar days, and Appendix 1 of the procedure sets out how disputes escalate. Unsuccessful bidders can ask for a debrief, which the procedure says must be "fair, objective, and consistent".

Should a small company bid alone or with partners?

Many NATO procurements are large, classified in part, or need a full solution. A small Belgian company often does better as a subcontractor to a larger bidder, or in a team where each member covers part of the requirement. The eligibility logic still applies: every vendor's government must vouch for it. Our Dutch-language guide on forming a bidding consortium for NSPA tenders covers teaming in more detail.

For a first bid, a checklist:

Where does FADEC fit?

FADEC brings together aerospace and defence companies in Flanders. Members use the network to find teaming partners for larger bids, to meet integrators that already hold NATO contracts, and to hear about relevant procurement early. See membership, or contact us if you are preparing a first NATO bid and want to find partners. For European rather than NATO funding, our guide on finding partners for an EDF consortium is the place to start.

Quick answers

Can any company bid on a NATO contract? NATO competitive procurement is open to eligible vendors from participating nations. For larger NATO Security Investment Programme procurements, eligibility is established by a Declaration of Eligibility from the vendor's own national authorities.

Who issues a Declaration of Eligibility for a Belgian company? The national authorities of the vendor's nation of origin. NATO's procedure tells procurement authorities to refer vendors without a declaration to the NATO delegation of their nation, so a Belgian company starts with the Belgian delegation to NATO.

How long do I have to prepare a NATO bid? Under NATO's 2025 competitive procurement procedure, the bid deadline is at least 35 calendar days after the solicitation is published, or at least 20 days for Alliance operations and missions.

How does NATO choose the winning bid? The procurement authority states the award criterion in advance: lowest price technically compliant, lowest lifecycle cost, best price-quality ratio or best value. For the last two, the weight of each criterion must be published.

What is an NCIA Basic Ordering Agreement? A framework agreement that lets NCIA run fast competitions among a select pool of vendors. NATO's procedure names it as an example of an accelerated procurement vehicle.