Managed Detection & Response Services Proposal

North Central Missouri College is seeking bids for the renewal of our Managed Detection & Response (MDR) services as well as Security Assessments that will allow the college to:

• Benefit from 24/7 monitoring to protect North Central Missouri College from potential threats and attacks.
• Benefit from detection of real-time potential threats.
• Gain a better understanding of potential network vulnerabilities that may be visible from the Internet or from within the college.
• Evaluate the security associated with public web applications that are used by the college.

The goal of this RFP is to ensure the College continues to have the services and support needed for maintaining and continuously improving the overall security posture of North Central Missouri College.

These activities are also intended to help monitor the risk level to which NCMC may be exposed so that an appropriate set of responses to those threats can be developed.

We invite your firm to submit a proposal to us for consideration.  A description of our organization, the services needed, and other pertinent information is included below.

Background of North Central Missouri College

North Central Missouri College is a small community college located in Trenton, Missouri with approximately 1,800 students. In Trenton, NCMC hosts two data centers and multiple internet circuits. Additionally, the college also has a campus in Savannah, MO as well as offering online learning programs. The College has:

• Approximately 1,000 college computers/devices/servers; approximately 10% are servers
• Approximately 6,700 accounts related to Azure AD and Microsoft 365 services
• Applications and services from a variety of vendors. If more details are needed, please reach out to Ryan Woodward (contact details below):
  • Meraki firewalls (active/passive devices for Main Campus and 2 remote sites)
  • Proofpoint email security solutions
  • CrowdStrike antivirus and endpoint threat hunting services
  • Akamai web browsing protection
  • Existing MDR services partner

NCMC takes a tiered approach to implementing responses for security concerns. More pressing security concerns will be taken care of before lesser concerns. We will not be tackling all potential security concerns at the same time.

The IT Services department employs one Sr. Network/Security Administrator and must continue to augment the department with services outlined in this RFP.

The award of a contract resulting from this RFP will be based upon your firm’s offer in terms of cost, functionality, and other factors as specified elsewhere in this RFP.

North Central Missouri College reserves the right to:

• Reject any offers and discontinue this RFP process without obligation or liability to any potential vendor,
• Accept best overall offer, selection will be based on more than the lowest priced offer,
• Award a contract on the basis of initial offers received, without discussions or requests for best and final offers.

The submitted proposal is suggested to include the following sections and requirements:

1. Executive Summary – this section will present a high-level synopsis of your responses to this RFP. The Executive Summary should be a brief overview of the engagement and should identify the main features and benefits of the proposed work.
2. Scope, Approach, and Methodology – include detailed testing procedures. This section should include a description of each major type of work being performed. All information that is provided will be held in strict confidence. The proposal should address each of the sections listed below:
   • Managed Detection & Response (MDR) or Similar Solution
   • Assistance with Risk Assessment Review and Mitigation Planning
   • Internal Network Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
   • External Network Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
   • Web Application Assessment and Penetration Testing
   • Active Directory Assessment
   • Formal Risk Assessment
   • Firewall Rule Review
   • IT Security Policy Review

3. Project Deliverables – include descriptions of the types of reports used to summarize and provide detailed information on security risk, vulnerabilities, and the necessary countermeasures and recommended corrective actions. Include sample reports as attachments to the proposal to provide an example of the types of reports that will be provided for this engagement.
4. Project Management Approach – include the method and approach used to manage the overall project and client correspondence. Briefly describe how the engagement proceeds from beginning to end.
5. Project Team Staffing – describe the qualifications and relevant experience of the staff that would be assigned to this project by providing biographies for those staff members. Describe bonding process and coverage levels of employees.
6. Project Scheduling – please indicate the earliest anticipated date that your firm could begin the procedures for this project. Additionally, please indicate the anticipated date that the procedures would be complete and the comprehensive project report would be available for our review.
7. Detailed and Itemized Pricing – include a fee breakdown by project phase and estimates of travel expenses (if necessary).

APPENDIX A Additional Information

4000 Internal IP Addresses

30 External IP Addresses

18 Web Applications

4 Ingress/Egress Points

Questions about the specifications should be directed to Ryan Woodward at 660-359-3948, ext 1213, or e-mailed to [email protected] .

Bids must be received no later than 1:00 pm, Wednesday, November 29, 2023 and should clearly itemize prices. Response must be formatted using the seven (7) sections in order, shown in the request for proposal. NCMC reserves the right to refuse any or all bids or delete any line item from the selected bid.

Proposals MUST be submitted in hardcopy format by sealed bid not by email or fax.