9280-26-R-IFBD-00055

The University of Southern Mississippi is requesting sealed bids for data center firewall replacements under BID 26-47, with bids due July 6, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the Office of the Director of Procurement Services in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The procurement is restricted to authorized Cisco resellers and requires a Cisco Secure Firewall solution — a single-source specification that filters the eligible vendor pool.

The scope encompasses two Cisco Secure Firewall 4215 NGFW appliances with network modules, power supplies, and cooling components; two Cisco Firewall Management Center 2700 chassis with processors, memory, storage, and networking interfaces; Threat Defense and FMC software version 7.4; 60-month support contracts for both appliances and management center; miscellaneous cables and transceiver modules; and 160 hours of professional services from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) engineer for configuration and installation. The solution must support a minimum five-year operational lifecycle, deliver enhanced threat protection, improved throughput and performance, and robust segmentation capabilities while maintaining operational continuity. The current firewall environment has been in production for more than eight years, with portions having reached end of support and remaining components scheduled to reach end of life in August 2026.

The University seeks a three-year agreement with the possibility of two one-year renewal options. Pricing must be quoted in United States dollars with terms of 2% ten days, net 45 days under Mississippi law. Hardware may be invoiced upon receipt; implementation services shall not be invoiced in advance, with the University preferring milestone-based installments. Payment will be processed within 45 days of invoice receipt, and a VISA Purchasing Card is acceptable without additional service fees. Award will be made to the vendor whose proposal is deemed most advantageous to the University as determined by the Evaluation Committee and iTech Department; the lowest price is not guaranteed selection. The University reserves the right to reject any or all bids, waive informality, and make awards on an all-or-none or line-by-line basis.