Renewal of Next Generation Firewall Hillstone Licenses

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad is procuring the renewal of Next Generation Firewall Hillstone licenses including deployment, training, and three years of support. This procurement is specifically for the Ministry's headquarters in Islamabad and involves the supply and installation of SG-6000-T2860 Hillstone licenses with comprehensive security features such as IPS, AV, URL filtering, QoS, and sandboxing. The technical scope includes license installation, deployment, and ensuring smooth and error-free operation of the firewall solution. The bidder must provide 24/7 support including public holidays, software upgrades, training for IT support staff, and a dedicated resident engineer for three years. The solution must comply with strict security standards, be free from unauthorized backdoors, and support advanced features like SSL decryption, botnet prevention, and IoT security. Eligible bidders must be well-reputed software/IT companies registered with FBR, on the Active Taxpayers List, and have an operational office in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. They must meet minimum eligibility criteria including valid NTN, GST certificates, and experience in deploying NG Firewalls. The technical bid must be accompanied by a 5% bid security in the form of a demand draft or pay order. The tender follows a single stage two envelope procedure with separate technical and financial proposals. Bids must be submitted electronically through c-PADS, with the original bid security delivered physically before the closing date. The deadline for submission is 21st May 2026 at 1100 hours, with technical bids opened the same day at 1130 hours. A practical tip for bidders is to ensure all required documents including valid partnership letters, manufacturer authorization, and certificates of conformance are complete and attached to avoid disqualification. Also, timely submission of the original bid security is crucial as bids without it will be rejected. This tender offers a significant opportunity for qualified IT firms to provide critical cybersecurity infrastructure to a key federal ministry.