Maryland DHS: 3‑Month Unarmed Guard Services for Harford County DSS (HADSS/LGA 23-002S)

Executive takeaway

Maryland’s Department of Human Services is seeking unarmed guard services for three Harford County DSS locations under a 3-month contract. The procurement is positioned as a small procurement with a bid form attachment; the practical challenge is delivering credible coverage fast, with clear staffing assumptions and a price that holds up across three sites.

Proposal due date/time: August 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM (per notice snippet). Verify all submission instructions in the solicitation attachments.

What the buyer is trying to do

The buyer wants reliable, short-term unarmed security guard coverage to support safety at Harford County DSS facilities. The notice identifies three service locations in Bel Air and Havre, Maryland, suggesting the State needs consistent on-site presence across multiple client-facing offices during the contract period.

Locations listed in the opportunity snippet include:

• 2 South Main Street (the Mary Risteau Building), Bel Air, MD 21014
• 101 South Main Street, Suite 200, Bel Air, MD 21014
• Family Investment Office, 2029 Pulaski Highway, Havre, MD 21008

What work is implied (bullets)

• Provide unarmed guard services for three Harford County DSS locations for a 3-month term.
• Recruit/assign staff capable of immediate deployment within the contract window (start date not stated in snippet; verify in attachments).
• Build site coverage schedules appropriate for multiple facilities (hours/post orders not shown in snippet—verify in attachments).
• Submit pricing and bid information using the Attachment A bid form referenced in the notice.
• Comply with Maryland DHS small procurement solicitation terms (a solicitation model document is referenced in the posting).

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Bid if:
  • You can staff multiple nearby sites in Harford County on short notice.
  • You have existing unarmed guard operations and scheduling capacity for a short-duration (3-month) engagement.
  • You can respond quickly with a clean administrative package (bid form, required certifications, and any exhibits).
• Pass if:
  • You cannot ramp staffing quickly enough to avoid coverage gaps across three locations.
  • Your business model requires longer terms to amortize onboarding/training costs (this is explicitly a 3-month contract).
  • You are not prepared to follow the small procurement format and required attachments.

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say “verify in attachments”)

• Completed Attachment A – Bid Form (referenced in the posting; filename indicates an Excel bid form).
• Signed/acknowledged DHS small procurement solicitation document (referenced as a “Small Procurement Solicitation Model” document).
• All required Exhibits (Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, Exhibit 3 are referenced in the posting).
• Any required pricing assumptions (guard count, hours, shifts, holiday rates, overtime rules): verify in attachments.
• Submission format, delivery method, and required signatures: verify in attachments.

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

This is a short, multi-site guard requirement—pricing credibility will depend on how clearly you map labor coverage to what the bid form asks for. Before you price:

• Open the bid form and identify how the State expects you to quote (hourly rates, per-post, total price, etc.).
• Reconcile scope to staffing: confirm whether the requirement is per-site coverage, shared roving coverage, or defined guard counts per location (verify in attachments).
• Benchmark locally by reviewing similar Maryland DHS unarmed guard solicitations (see “Related opportunities” below) to understand common attachment structure (bid form + exhibits) and any recurring contract terms.
• Reduce risk in assumptions: if the bid form permits, add clarifying notes about what is included/excluded (training, uniforms, reporting, relief coverage) while staying within solicitation rules (verify in attachments for allowance of exceptions/clarifications).

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Partner with a local guard firm for surge staffing to cover call-outs during the 3-month window.
• Use a subcontractor to provide relief/float coverage across the three locations if the solicitation allows subcontracting (verify in attachments).
• If you lack depth in Harford County, team with a firm that already operates in Bel Air/Havre area to reduce travel and backfill risk.

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Tight turnaround: proposal due August 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM—leave time for signatures, file formatting, and any required upload steps (verify in attachments).
• Short term (3 months): pricing must account for compressed onboarding and recruitment without overcomplicating the response.
• Multi-location delivery: three addresses listed—ensure your staffing plan doesn’t assume a single post unless the scope explicitly allows it (verify in attachments).
• Attachment-driven compliance: exhibits and the solicitation model are referenced; missing one can make the bid nonresponsive.
• Reference numbers: the posting mentions “Emma- BPM 031100” and identifies a solicitation number; ensure your submission references the correct identifiers where required (verify in attachments).

Related opportunities

• Unarmed Guard Services for Allegany County DSS (ACDSS/LGA-21-002-S)
• Somerset County DSS Small Procurement Solicitation for Unarmed Security Guards (SCDSS/SG-20-001-S)

How to act on this

1. Download and review the attachments (bid form + exhibits + DHS small procurement solicitation model) and confirm hours/posts (verify in attachments).
2. Validate staffing availability for all three Harford County addresses for the full 3-month period.
3. Complete the bid form and assemble all exhibits and required signatures.
4. Submit ahead of the deadline and retain a confirmation/receipt if the submission method provides one (verify in attachments).

If you want a fast, compliance-first response plan (bid form mapping, assumptions review, and a submission-ready checklist), Federal Bid Partners LLC can help you move from download to on-time submission with fewer avoidable errors.