Shifting gears away from prior plans for a managed services model to run its security operations centers (SOCs), the Department of Homeland Security is now seeking industry input on a new approach to provide contractor support services through a multiple-award contract vehicle for cyber security staffing at its various SOCs.
DHS says it has 17 unclassified SOCs that are used to monitor, detect, analyze, mitigate and respond to cyber threats on its networks. The SOCs are operated by operational components, headquarters and directorates, and currently each center independently contracts for support using various contracting vehicles.
The department's Enterprise SOC (ESOC) monitors, detects and mitigates threats at the enterprise level through the DHS-managed Trusted Internet Connections and Policy Enforcement points. The ESOC is the central node for directing and coordinating work with the component SOCs using a shared incident tracking system and other capabilities. The ESOC also works with the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, which is the DHS cyber incident response entity.
DHS uses contractor support services to operate its SOCs due to "insufficient numbers of qualified cybersecurity professionals among its Federal Government workforce," the department said in an Aug. 7 Request for Information on the federal business opportunities website.
The RFI was issued under the DHS EAGLE Next Generation program, which is a suite of contracting vehicles to meet the information technology needs of the DHS enterprise.
Under the potential contract vehicle for the SOC services, the RFI says, "Core required services include network monitoring and security event analysis, email security monitoring and analysis, computer incident response and management, vulnerability assessment, security engineering, cyber intelligence support, intrusion analysis, and continuity of operations for SOC services."
A draft Statement of Work accompanying the RFI says the SOC contracting vehicle would have a one-year base period and six one-year options.
The 17 DHS SOCs are located in a number of locations, including the department's headquarters at the St. Elizabeth's campus in Washington, D.C., and at other government locations in the National Capital Region, and in other states around the country.
Responses to the RFI are due by Aug. 29.