STC privileged access mgmnt (cancelled)

The State of South Carolina, through its Office of State Procurement, initiated Solicitation 5400026252 for a Statewide Term Contract covering Cyber-Ark Privileged Access Management software, associated services, and support. The procurement sought comprehensive solutions across six product categories: Software, Appliances & Hardware, Maintenance & Support, Training Services, Technical Support, and Cloud and SaaS services. Specific product lines included Enterprise Password Vault, Privileged Session Manager, Privileged Threat Analytics, Application Identity Manager, Conjur, and Endpoint Privilege Manager. The original solicitation required contractors to submit bids using a weighted evaluation schedule, with point allocations as follows: Software (30%), Appliances & Hardware (20%), Maintenance & Support (20%), Training Services (10%), Technical Support (10%), and Cloud and SaaS (10%). Contractors were required to be authorized Cyber-Ark providers, resellers, or distributors in good standing, and provide a Letter of Authorization from the manufacturer dated within 30 days of response. The initial bid deadline was set for December 27, 2023, at 11:00 AM EST, with questions due by December 18, 2023, at 5:00 PM EST. However, the solicitation was ultimately cancelled pursuant to Section 11-35-1710 of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.

The solicitation did not specify any specific set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. Contractors were required to be authorized Cyber-Ark providers with an existing manufacturer relationship, which may have inherently limited potential respondents. An administrative services fee of one percent of total quarterly sales was to be remitted to Procurement Services. The proposed contract was estimated to begin February 23, 2024, and expire February 22, 2029, with provisions for automatic one-year renewals unless either party provided non-renewal notice at least 30 days prior to the anniversary date. An existing Software Licensing Agreement between the State and Cyber-Ark Software, Inc., dated June 5, 2013, was to remain in effect, and a separate Cloud Services Agreement was to be negotiated and approved by the Procurement Manager before accepting any cloud services orders. While no specific contract value was disclosed, the comprehensive nature of the solicitation covering multiple product categories and services suggests a potentially significant procurement opportunity. The solicitation indicated that if deemed appropriate, the specifications might be revised and the opportunity re-solicited at a later date.