Palo Alto Lab Firewall

The Maryland Department of Human Services' Office of Technology for Human Services (OTHS) is soliciting bids for new, unused Palo Alto next-generation firewall software with licenses and support services under secondary-competition Purchase Order Request for Proposals OTHS-OTHS-27-013-C, with questions due November 10, 2026 and proposals due by 4:00 PM EST on November 16, 2026. Eligibility is limited to Master Contractors awarded under Commercial Off-the-Shelf Software (COTS 2012) Master Contract 060B2490021. A current Master Contractor under that contract may submit a Letter of Authorization (LOA) with its bid, and firms not listed on the contract cannot submit. No small business reserve or set-aside is designated.

The 365-day term supports network security and access to the latest security updates and technical support. The attached Palo Alto Networks Public Sector quote (Q-6704600, dated October 23, 2026, valid through January 21, 2027) lists 58.00 credits across firewall, Panorama, subscription, and adjusted categories. It includes one VM-Series Commercial firewall for AWS with four vCPUs per firewall, configured for management and log collector mode, and caps usage at 10,000 query transactions per day per AIRS instance vCPU. Software-as-a-Service products are subject to the Data Use Agreement in Attachment Y.

The Master Contractor must be an authorized reseller, submit a screenshot of the manufacturer's suggested retail price, and state the estimated ship date and lead time. All software licensing agreements, end-user license agreements, enterprise license agreements, and acceptable use policies must accompany the bid, and the State is not bound by any agreement not explicitly provided. Pricing must remain valid for at least 90 days after the due date.

Price is the sole evaluation factor, with award to the responsive and responsible Master Contractor providing the most advantageous offer. Place of performance is 25 South Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, within Baltimore City. One-time pricing items are invoiced within 30 days of acceptance. Annual items are billed beginning within 30 days of contract start and on each anniversary date, following COMAR 21.06.09.01 and .02.