Proposals from qualified vendors to provide cybersecurity services, equipment, and workforce development training in accordance with the approved SLCGP (State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program) grant award

Request for Proposal (RFP)
McComb School District
Cybersecurity Enhancement Project
Grant Funding Year: FY22
Grant Number: 22CS243
Funding Source: State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP)
CFDA Number: 97.137
FAIN: EMW-2022-CY-00005-S01
Overview
The McComb School District is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide
cybersecurity services, equipment, and workforce development training in accordance with the
approved SLCGP (State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program) grant award. This RFP is
structured into three sections.
Vendors must meet the itemized descriptions and quantities for each service or product listed.
All proposed solutions must align with FEMA's Authorized Equipment List (AEL) where
applicable.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Bids will be rejected if they include any items not explicitly listed in this
RFP unless the item is required for the listed equipment or service to function (e.g., a power
cable for a switch or piece of hardware is acceptable; additional equipment or unrelated
equipment is not).
Section 1: Cybersecurity Contractual Services
Description Quantity
Fortimail Cloud Gateway Quick Deploy License (3 months) 1
Fortimail Cloud License - 3 Year Subscription Low resource user add-on license
2600
for FortiMail Cloud, for specific education use cases
FortiEDR Forticare Subscription FortiEDR Discover, Protect & Respond (500 seats
MOQ) 3 Year FortiEDR Discover, Protect & Respond Cloud Subscription and 1
FortiCare Premium for 500 endpoints

FortiEDR Forticare Subscription (1 Year), FortiCare BPS Subscription for FortiEDR
1
1 Year FortiEDR Best Practice Service for up to 1,000 Endpoints/users
Forticare Premium Service Agreement Extended service agreement (renewal) -
1
advance hardware replacement - 3 years - shipment - response time: NBD
Mobility Agent License (2,000 Connections) FortiClient Single Sign-On (SSO)
1
Mobility Agent - License - 2000 connections
Software and Technical Assistance Service 1
Section 2: Cybersecurity Equipment
FEMA
Description Quantity
AEL
05NP- Fortinet Fortigate 601F Firewall Security appliance - with 3 years
00- FortiCare Premium Support + 3 years FortiGuard Enterprise Protection - 1
FWAL 10GbE, 25GbE - front and side to back - 1U - rack-mountable
05NP- Fortinet Authenticator 300F Security Appliance 4 ports 1GbE 1U, rack
1
00-IDPS mountable
Fortigate 601F 1-Year FortiAnalyzer Cloud with SOCaaS: cloud-based
05NP- central logging & analytics. Include all FortiGate log types, IOC Service,
3
00-IDPS Security Automation Service, FortiGuard Outbreak Detection Service
and SOCaaS.
Fortimail Cloud Gateway Premium w/ Cloud API Connector 3 Year
05EN- FortiMail Cloud - Gateway Premium w. Cloud Email API connector
500
00-ECRP support for Microsoft 365, Exchange or Google (101-1000 mailboxes).
FortiCare Premium Support included.
FortiEDR Discover, Protect & Respond (3-Year Subscription), FortiEDR
04AP-
Discover, Protect & Respond (500 seats MOQ) 3 Year FortiEDR
11- 10
Discover, Protect & Respond Cloud Subscription and FortiCare
SAAS
Premium for 25 endpoints
10PE-
Power Supply (for POE+ Switch) 1
00-UPS
Section 3: Cybersecurity Training / Workforce Development
Training Name Participants
Microsoft Pro Server Course 1
Fortinet On-Demand Lab web-based lab - 20 hours 1
Fortigate Admin E-Learner live e-learning - 4 days 1

Submission Requirements (5 Sections)
* Cover Letter
* References from similar projects
* Detailed cost for each item/service listed
* Timeline for delivery and implementation
* Warranty and support details
Proposals are to Consist of:
1. Cover Letter
Name of Firm:
Address of Home Office and Address of Branch Office if Applicable:
Telephone Number(s):
Fax Number(s):
Form of Business Organization (Corporation, Partnership, Individual, Joint Venture,
Other):
Year Founded:
Primary individual to contact:
Primary contact's telephone and email address:
2. References from similar projects
3. The response to all requirements of this RFP including, but not limited to (cost
and/or other):
a. Section 1: Cybersecurity Contractual Services
b. Section 2: Cybersecurity Equipment
c. Section 3: Cybersecurity Training / Workforce Development
4. Explanation of Delivery and Timeline of Services
5. Warranty and support details
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria:
Evaluation Criteria Points
Overall Price 40
Satisfies all scope and service criteria outlined in the RFP 10
Vendor Qualifications and Experience 15
Delivery and Implementation Timeline 15
Support and Warranty Offerings 20
Total 100

Proposal Deadline
All proposals must be submitted before 5 PM by April 24, 2026 to:
Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent
McComb School District
695 Minnesota Ave. / P.O. Box 868
McComb, MS 39648
Email: msdbids@mccomb.k12.ms.us
Phone: 601-684-4661
Selection Schedule
1) Newspaper ads run locally from 3/23/26 through 4/3/26
a. 1st Newspaper Ad, 3/21/26
b. 2nd Newspaper Ad, 3/25/26
c. 3rd Newspaper Ad, 3/28/26
d. 4th Newspaper Ad, 4/1/26
e. Web posting on McComb School District Website 3/21/26
2) Proposal Submission Window: 3/21/26 through 4/24/26
3) Evaluation Period: 4/25/26 through 5/8/26
4) Notice of Intent to Award posted on School District Website: 5/12/26
5) Presentation/Approval of Winning Bid to McComb School District School Board:
5/11/26
6) Award Notice posted on McComb School District Website 5/15/26 & Winning Vendor
Notified
a. Non-award Notification sent to all other bidders
Inquiries
All correspondence and inquiries regarding this RFP must be done via email:
biggsr@mccomb.k12.ms.us
If a vendor does not receive a response within 24 hours, it is the responsibility of the vendor to call Robert
Biggs at 601-465-0978 and confirm that the email message was received.

All responses to inquiries will be posted on the McComb School District website under "Current Bid
Information" as an FAQ within 24 hours. This will allow all vendors to have access to the question(s) and
response(s).
Rejection of Proposals
McComb School District reserves the right to, at any time and in its sole discretion, reject any and all
proposals received as a result of this request, or to negotiate separately with any and all competing
vendors.
Contractor Responsibility Program
By submitting a response, vendors agree that neither they nor any subcontractor(s) are currently under
bidding list suspension or debarment by McComb School District, any state, or the federal government. If
it is later discovered that any violations have occurred, McComb School District may reject any proposal
or rescind any contract awarded pursuant to this RFP.
Compliance and Legal Requirements
All proposals submitted under this RFP must comply with applicable Mississippi state laws, federal
regulations, and grant requirements. By submitting a proposal, the vendor certifies compliance with the
following:
Mississippi Public Purchasing Law
* This procurement is conducted in accordance with Miss. Code Ann. 31-7-1 through 31-
7-73.
* The McComb School District will award to the lowest and best bid, considering price,
quality, warranty, and vendor qualifications.
Mississippi Department of Education & PPRB Rules
* Vendors must adhere to the Mississippi Department of Education Procurement
Guidelines and Public Procurement Review Board (PPRB) regulations for transparency
and ethics.
Grant Compliance
* All products and services must align with FEMA's Authorized Equipment List (AEL) and
State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) requirements.
* Vendors must follow NIST Cybersecurity Framework and NIST NICE Workforce
Framework standards where applicable.

Indemnification and Liability
* The McComb School District shall not indemnify or hold harmless vendors beyond what
is permitted by law.
* Liability is subject to Miss. Code Ann. 11-46-15, which limits governmental liability to
$500,000 per occurrence.
Insurance Requirements
* Vendors must provide proof of:
* General Liability Insurance
Termination and Governing Law
* The McComb School District reserves the right to terminate the contract for convenience
without penalty.
* The contract shall be governed by Mississippi law, with venue in Pike County, Mississippi.
Ethics and Conflict of Interest
* Vendors must comply with Mississippi Ethics in Public Contracting provisions and
disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
Contractor Licensing
* For any installation or construction exceeding $50,000, vendors must comply with Miss.
Code Ann. 31-3-21 and include a valid Certificate of Responsibility number on the bid
envelope.

RFP Evaluation Scoring Sheet
Price Compliance Experience Timeline Support Total
Vendor Name
(40) (10) (15) (15) (20) (100)