NATO’s new marketplace aims to provide “faster, more flexible” access to cybersecurity capabilities. 

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) launched a request for proposals (RFP) on 3 October, inviting industry to help build a new ‘Cyber Security Dynamic Marketplace’ (CSDM). 

The CSDM is intended to be “a structured marketplace of qualified suppliers across defined functional domains”, according to the RFP, and will be comprised of four lots competed and awarded separately under a broader framework. 

It is hoped that the framework and by extension the CSDM will speed up the process of acquiring pre-qualified cybersecurity capabilities and embed greater flexibility. 

Valued at EUR500 million, this initial CSDM lot – Cyber Security Capability Delivery – focuses on initial capability delivery and establishing “a pool of suppliers [which are] able to deliver a broad range of capabilities, tools, and services” across a range of “functional categories”.  

These categories include access management; endpoint protection; network security; cloud security; threat detection and analytics; vulnerability and exposure management; digital forensics platforms; and other professional services. 

The RFP expires on 7 November, with interested suppliers required to be registered via Neo, the NCIA’s ‘eProcurement’ tool. 

Following this, a solicitation is expected to be released in the final months of 2025, with a contract award in early 2026. The contract will span five years, up until 2031. 

The RFP states that the CSDM will “broaden NATO industry participation”, with the NCIA noting that large and small companies are welcome to apply, alongside specialised cybersecurity firms and academia. 

The NCIA had not responded to DSEI Gateway’s request for comment on how many contracts it anticipates will be awarded under lot one at the time of publication. However, the organisation describes the framework as “multiple-award”, with industry able to answer sub-category requirements “rather than across the entire lot”. 

Looking to the future, the remaining three lots will be “phased based on NATO’s operational priorities”.  

According to the RFP, lot two will involve technical assurance services, with lot three covering defensive cyber operations. Lot four will then focus on cyber innovation, prototyping and emerging capabilities.  

The RFP says that suppliers should monitor the NCIA’s ‘Business Opportunities Portal’ for more details on these as they emerge.