What is ACT and what is its mandate?
Allied Command Transformation, ACT, is one of NATO's two strategic commands, alongside Allied Command Operations, ACO. ACT is headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, and is led by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, SACT.
Where ACO focuses on current operations and readiness, ACT looks ahead: its mandate is to keep NATO militarily relevant in a changing security environment. ACT drives the alliance's transformation agenda, covering capability development, doctrine renewal, training, exercises, experimentation and defence innovation.
In practice, ACT acts as the bridge between military requirements and technological possibility. It brings together member-state armed forces, industry, research institutes and academia to develop solutions that no single nation could build alone.
What functional areas does ACT cover?
ACT's work spans several interconnected areas that together form NATO's transformation pipeline from concept to fielded capability:
- capability development: defining new military capabilities and mapping their development paths
- doctrine development: updating shared operating principles and procedures
- training and exercises: developing NATO-standard training programmes and exercise events
- experimentation: testing new concepts and technologies in realistic scenarios
- innovation: coordinating NATO's innovation programmes and initiatives with industry and academia
- interoperability: ensuring member states' systems and forces work seamlessly together
What does ACT actually procure?
ACT's procurement differs markedly from NSPA's large equipment and logistics contracts. ACT buys expertise, analytical work and experimentation capacity that support its transformation mission. Typical procurement categories include:
- research, studies and concept development on future military capabilities
- modelling and simulation services, including related software tools
- experimentation and exercise support, including technical support for live and virtual exercises
- training services and platforms, including e-learning and simulator-based training
- innovation projects and pilots that test new technologies in real-world use cases
- consultancy and analytical support for doctrine and capability requirements
Why is ACT particularly attractive to technology companies and research organisations?
ACT differs from other NATO bodies in that its projects are often smaller, more agile and more open to new entrants than large NSPA contracts. This makes it a natural entry point for technology companies, research institutes and start-ups without a long history as NATO suppliers.
For Finnish and Nordic defence and technology sectors, this is a significant opportunity: regional strengths in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, simulation and dual-use innovation map directly onto ACT's priorities.
A successful experiment or pilot with ACT can act as a springboard to wider NATO-wide adoption or cooperation with individual member states. ACT effectively functions as a showcase, where a new solution can prove its value without the burden of a large-scale procurement process.
How do innovation and experimentation calls differ from a classic tender?
A traditional NATO tender is based on a detailed technical specification, to which suppliers respond with a fixed price and schedule. ACT's innovation and experimentation calls work differently.
These calls often start from a more open problem statement or challenge, to which applicants propose their own solution and approach. Weight is placed on the credibility of the concept, the team's expertise, rapid iteration, and the ability to demonstrate feasibility at small scale before wider adoption. Evaluation may emphasise technology readiness level more heavily than a formal track record of past contracts.
This makes the process more agile, but it also requires applicants to communicate their idea clearly and justify why the proposed solution addresses the need NATO has identified.
What does a strong first proposal to ACT need?
First-time applicants to ACT should build a proposal that clearly answers the following questions:
- which identified military or operational problem the solution addresses
- why this particular approach or technology is a fitting response
- what evidence (demo, prototype, prior use) can substantiate the claimed capability
- what a realistic experimentation or pilot plan and timeline looks like
- how the solution aligns with NATO's security and interoperability requirements
How does a company get involved with ACT?
The practical route into ACT most often runs through public tenders, innovation challenges and research calls, though national defence ministries or a country's NATO liaison network can also open doors.
Because ACT opportunities are often small in scale and tight on timelines, it is important to monitor publications actively and be ready to respond quickly as soon as a call appears.
How should you monitor ACT's procurement opportunities?
ACT publishes opportunities across several different channels and formats, which makes manual monitoring time-consuming. The most efficient approach is to combine regular checks of announcement channels with automated alerts that filter for calls relevant to your specific sector.
Pay particular attention to announcements related to innovation and experimentation programmes, since these are often published on a different rhythm than classic tenders and can carry tight application deadlines.
How Salpa helps you track ACT opportunities
Salpa continuously monitors procurement notices published by ACT, NSPA, NCIA, ACO and NATO HQ from a single place. The service analyses notices with AI and summarises them in Finnish, Swedish or English, so understanding the content does not require hours of reading.
You can subscribe to category-based alerts, for example for experimentation and innovation calls, research services, or training technology, so you learn about a new opportunity right after it is published. Salpa's 14-day free trial lets you test the monitoring and alerts without commitment.