CLEARBOX PROCURE CASE STUDY
From RFP to Council Approval: Aurora’s Fast-Track MSSP Selection
When Aurora’s MSSP contract was set to expire, the city had just months to run a full procurement, evaluate providers, and stand up a new security partner.
Marketplace helped the Chief Information Security Officer manage the entire process, driving market awareness, synthesizing 21 responses, and narrowing the field to a best-fit provider on schedule and with confidence.
AT-A-GLANCE
- Location: Aurora, IL
- Government Type: City
- Population: 180,000
- Buyers: Chief Information Security Officer
- Key parties: Information Technology Department
THE CHALLENGE
Finding an MSSP Solution on a Strict Timeline
The city of Aurora was facing the expiration of a five-year contract with its incumbent, original Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). A rapid RFP process was required, kicking off in early July 2025, for go-live on January 1, 2026.
The process to select a new provider was challenging because:
- It would have been a "very difficult task" for the Chief Information Security Officer, Mark Tagap, to manage the whole process, in addition to other duties, in this short amount of time.
- They needed to make a decision and allow standup time for the new security provider before the end of the year, which required working backward from pre-targeted council cycles and following a "very strict calendar."
THE SOLUTION
A Focused Approach to Security Selection
Marketplace.city supported the CISO through drafting the solicitation, releasing it to the market, and promoting this opportunity to relevant cybersecurity firms. With 21 responses, the Marketplace.city provided a next-day turnaround for a "very understandable executive summary," distilling key differences across the proposal for the Aurora team’s evaluation. We want lots of responses to enable our clients to be as picky as possible, rather than a source of potential “information overload.” The CISO noted that they were focused on three main things when selecting a partner:
- The type of service and technology the partner offered, including leveraging what the city already had.
- The partner's clientele and the requirement that the company be 100% US-based.
- Pricing, as always, was a "big component".
THE OUTCOME
Delivering Security on Schedule
The process, which began with a formal kickoff in early July 2025, was completed by a targeted 10/31/2025 city council cycle. Mark Taghap, Aurora CISO expressed appreciation for the support received, saying, "couldn't have done it in this short amount of time... without you guys".
Key outcomes of the process include:
- The city received 21 responses to the RFP.
- The responses were narrowed down to 11 qualified partners.
- After initial conversations, 3 finalists were selected to receive line-by-line pricing templates to sharpen their final quotes to the City.
- The final selection of NuHarbor Security was sent to the city council and "went by relatively smoothly".
- The CISO was able to complete the project, which was described as one of the quickest projects given its large size, hitting every benchmark.