Mass Notification System

Overview

Software, Web & Mobile Development

Houston, Texas, United StatesPosted: February 28th, 2026Deadline: April 6th, 2026

Past Due

Fit Score

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SUMMARY

Seeking a vendor to provide a fully integrated mass notification system with 24/7 support for emergency and routine communications in Texas.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

Provide information for potential subcontractors and ensure they are licensed, insured, and authorized to work under government contracts.
Provide Taxpayer Identification Number, company name, and mailing address.
Disclose all taxable property in Harris County and any debts owed to Harris County.
Certify residency status as a resident or nonresident bidder of Texas.
Provide current Certificate of Insurance on standard ACORD form, including Workers Compensation, Employers' Liability, Commercial General Liability, Automobile Liability, Umbrella/Excess Liability, and Professional/Errors & Omissions Liability with specified limits.
Ensure Harris County is named as an additional insured and waive subrogation rights.
Certify that the proposal is made without collusion or fraud and agree to abide by all RFP conditions.
Comply with TWCC Rule 110.110 for Workers' Compensation Insurance Coverage, including providing certificates of coverage for all employees and subcontractors.
Adhere to Harris County Minimum Information Technology Security Vendor Controls, including annual cybersecurity training, background checks, secure coding practices, MFA support, intrusion detection systems, and an active internal cybersecurity program.
For cloud vendors handling confidential data, complete annual third-party testing, regular vulnerability scans, comply with industry security standards (NIST, CJIS, HIPAA, PCI, DSS, HITRUST, ISO27001, SSAE 18), and ensure data localization.
For custom application design vendors, ensure applications enforce MFA, use complex passwords, enable FIPS 140-2 compliant encryption, generate user/system access logs, and prevent OWASP top 10 vulnerabilities.
For Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) software vendors, complete Harris County COTS questionnaire and provide third-party penetration testing reports.
Sign the IT Vendor Controls and Cybersecurity Acknowledgement.
Allow duly authorized representatives of Harris County access to contracts, books, documents, and records.
Comply with all federal, state, and local laws, rules, codes, ordinances, and regulations.
Certify non-engagement in business with Iran, Sudan, or foreign terrorist organizations and non-boycott of Israel.
Warrant payment of all monies earned by workers, including regular wages and overtime compensation.
Indemnify, defend, and hold Harris County harmless from claims for personal injury, death, or property damage.
Allow inspections and testing of items or service locations.
Submit original, itemized invoices on each purchase order or purchase release.
Ensure maintenance for equipment is available in Harris County by a manufacturer-authorized facility.
Ensure all products and/or services are compliant for the present year and forward.
Disclose any potential conflicts of interest as per Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 176.
File Federal Standard Form LLL 'Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying' if funding exceeds $100,000.
Submit a completed proposal online through Bonfire or via hardcopy by the specified due date.
Deliver products F.O.B. Inside Delivery.
Provide safety data sheets for hazardous substances with each delivery.
Comply with the Harris County Minimum Wage Policy for Contract Workers, currently set at $21.65 per hour, for all workers and subcontractors.
Provide access to records for minimum wage compliance verification and retain records for six years.
Disclose litigation history (cases noticed on, filed, pending, settled, or resolved against vendor or any subsidiary in any jurisdiction within the last five years).
Provide a comprehensive Mass Notification System with opt-in capability, self-registration, end-user configuration, social media integration, advanced targeting/geofencing, real-time analytics, automated message templates, and 24/7 technical support.
Integrate with FEMA IPAWS, support multiple notification channels (email, SMS/text, voice calls, digital), include rich media content, and enable two-way communication.
Support unlimited internal users and external subscribers, and deliver simultaneous notifications across multiple channels.
Provide multilingual support (English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese) with user-selected language and automatic translation.
Ensure accessibility via assistive devices (TTY, TDD, screen readers, voice notifications, braille-compatible tools) and provide a configurable web portal.
Utilize Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, store Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in encrypted form, perform regular data backups, and employ intrusion detection mechanisms.
Archive and document all emergency messages, including Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).
Comply with the Harris County Universal Services Reference Architecture (USRA) and complete the USRA Checklist Questionnaire Q-59HM.
Propose at least one delivery option (Premise-based, SaaS, or Hybrid Model) and provide platform administration/professional service.
Provide details on data management approach, including Data Governance, Data Quality, Data Security, and Data Operations.
Ensure product delivery, configuration, and training meet all requirements by specified dates, with County approval.
Provide 12 months of maintenance/support/warranty, including upgrades, patches, fixes, and support via phone, web, and email.
Describe and meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements, including KPIs, reporting compliance, and credit issuance for performance failures.
Provide comprehensive training for system administrators and users, including knowledge transfer and system documentation.
Submit a comprehensive Project Management Plan (PMP) within ten days of contract award, outlining methodology, schedule, deliverables, and communication procedures.
Maintain and assign a sufficient number of competent and qualified professionals, including a dedicated Project Manager with at least five years of experience in mass notification system implementations.

BUDGET

Estimate

$500,000 – $2,000,000

TIMELINE

A pre-proposal conference will be held on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026 at 2:00pm local time in Houston, TX via Microsoft Teams.

Issuing Agency

Harris County

Organization overview and procurement intelligence available on paid plans.

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DESCRIPTION

The agency seeks a vendor to provide a mass notification system capable of sending Regional Emergency Notification System (RENS) messages before, during, and after emergencies. The solution must enable multi-channel alerts and routine notifications to agency personnel, residents, and stakeholders, allowing initiation of phone calls, emails, and text messages during emergency events.

The proposed system should include twenty-four/seven (24/7) technical and customer support to ensure efficient troubleshooting and rapid notification delivery to residents. Responsibilities encompass software customization, design engineering, hardware and equipment installation, integration and configuration, testing, operations, database management, system administration, and ongoing maintenance to ensure a fully operational solution.

Vendors are required to submit questions by March 13, 2026, and a pre-proposal conference is scheduled for March 11, 2026.

Source attribution

This Settle Intelligence analysis is based on the issuing organization’s RFP listing.