NOIS (NATO operational interoperability standard)

NOIS stands for NATO operational interoperability standard. The abbreviation is listed in NATO's glossary of acronyms and abbreviations, AAP-15, with the French equivalent norme OTAN d'interopérabilité opérationnelle.

NOIS belongs to NATO's vocabulary of standardization and interoperability. Canadian suppliers who meet it in a NATO-related document should read it against that background and against the wording of the document itself.

Where NOIS sits in NATO terminology

NATO keeps its official terminology in NATOTerm, a database maintained by the NATO Terminology Office within the NATO Standardization Office. NATOTerm holds non-classified military and relevant non-military terms. The AAP-15 glossary is the source that lists NOIS and gives its English and French expansions.

The abbreviation sits alongside many others that describe how Allies align their equipment, procedures and systems. Its three key words, operational, interoperability and standard, point to that same purpose.

The standardization and interoperability behind the term

NATO describes standardization as the development and implementation of the concepts, doctrines and procedures needed to achieve compatibility, interchangeability or commonality. Interoperability is the ultimate goal of that work.

NATO defines interoperability as the ability of Allies to act together coherently, effectively and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational and strategic objectives. A standard described as an operational interoperability standard belongs to this effort to make forces and systems work together.

Related NATO instruments: STANAGs, NISP and NATOTerm

Several NATO instruments are closely tied to the subject area NOIS belongs to:

• STANAGs are NATO standardization agreements. Allies and partners use them to establish agreed standards.
• NISP is the NATO Interoperability Standards and Profiles catalogue. It sets out technical standards and profiles for interoperable NATO consultation, command, control, communications and information systems. The NISP Baseline 16 catalogue is one published edition.
• NATOTerm is the terminology database that records the vocabulary used across these documents.

NATO states that the mandatory standards and profiles in NISP Volume 2 apply to NATO common-funded communications and information systems. The NISP Volume 1 introduction sets out that scope.

The glossary establishes NOIS as an abbreviation with a defined expansion. It does not identify NOIS as the title of a particular STANAG, a certification or a standalone compliance program.

What NOIS means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Canadian companies can pursue NATO projects, and the Department of National Defence explains eligibility and the role of Public Services and Procurement Canada in posting NATO opportunities in its guide to NATO procurement. That guide does not name NOIS as a requirement.

Treat NOIS as a term to read in context, not as a certification to obtain. A supplier's obligations come from the wording of the solicitation, statement of work, technical specification, STANAG, NISP profile or other NATO standard that the contract incorporates.

• If a tender uses the term NOIS, find the document it points to and read the requirements in that document.
• If a tender cites a STANAG or a NISP profile, build your compliance evidence against that named document.
• If the wording is unclear, put a question to the contracting authority during the bidding period.