RFP - Emergency Notification System for Deaf, Blind and Hard of Hearing Residents for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Harris County is soliciting proposals for an Emergency Notification System designed to serve deaf, blind, and hard of hearing residents through the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The solicitation, numbered 26/0171, was posted on September 11, 2026, with a response deadline of September 28, 2026. The primary point of contact for this effort is Brianne Maxwell. Selected vendors must adhere to stringent information technology security controls and industry standards, including NIST, HIPAA, and ISO27001. Technical requirements include the implementation of multi-factor authentication, FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption, and the prevention of OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities. Vendors are required to provide a SOC2 Type 2 report and recent penetration test results. Additionally, the contract mandates annual cybersecurity training for all personnel and background checks for any staff with access to county data and systems. As part of the responsibility determination, vendors must provide a comprehensive disclosure of all litigation, settlements, and governmental investigations involving the company or its subsidiaries from the last five years. This includes any history of contract breaches, vendor defaults, or allegations of negligence and misconduct. Failure to provide this litigation history may result in the disqualification of the response.