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M. Yousuf Faisal

🚨 For IT-OT Tech, Cybersecurity & Industrial Procurement Professionals! 🚨

Hey there,

Hope you are doing well.

This is Part 3 - Tailored strategies & Procurement insights for Manufacturing industry of special a multi-part series titled:

🔐OT Cybersecurity Procurement Process & Practices (OTCS PPP) - ultimate guide📘- for procuring / buying industrial solutions / services to protect our industrial operations and or critical infrastructure.

In this edition, OT Cybersecurity Procurement for Manufacturing — practical, standards-aligned, 3-phase playbook, we’ll cover:

💡Understand traditional / legacy challenges and observation for the sector.

💡Identify current state of OT procurement process and practices, set target goals to mature these processes.

💡mature OTCS PPP, including addressing the pre-requisites and related supply chain elements.

Who this is for: plant managers, automation engineers, OT/ICS security leads, IT, OT, Security, procurement teams, contract owners, and C-suite risk sponsors.

Why now: OT assets are being procured and updated faster than many firms can bake security into contracts and acceptance testing — leaving operations exposed, and vendors unclear about security expectations.

This edition gives you a compact, implementable procurement program to institutionalize OT cyber requirements across the purchasing lifecycle.

Executive summary

Manufacturers must move from “security as an afterthought” during procurement to “security as a buyable, testable requirement”.

Treat OT procurement as a supply-chain risk process:

  • define measurable security requirements (aligned to IEC/ISA-62443 and NIST supply-chain guidance),

  • require vendor evidence (SBOMs, secure update channels, vulnerability disclosure & patch SLAs),

  • bake contract clauses for audits/penetration testing and end-of-support notices, and

  • operationalize continuous assurance (monitoring, patch validation, and supplier performance KPIs).

The result: fewer emergency outages, clearer vendor accountability, and auditable OT risk reduction.

If you find this helpful, we'd love to hear from you!

Please let us know by filling out the poll at the end of this edition and feel free to share your thoughts through comments, likes, or reshares.

♻️if you know someone in your professional circle who will benefit from this guidance and or are interested in learning. Thanks 🌟

So let’s dig in.

Yours truly.

— Yousuf.

Call out for expert insights:

Also, if you are an expert in Power, Transportation (Airport and Railway) and Oil & Gas sectors📜and want to contribute to this series ✍

DM 📥 / drop a comment 👇 for guest posts and get a shout out! 📢 

🔥 In case you’ve missed, here are:

📘Part 1 - Foundations & best practices for OT cybersecurity procurement  (already published, click Part 1 in case you missed it).

📘Part 2 - Tailored strategies for the Water & Wastewater Utility sector (Alana' Murrays 7 step framework. She shared✍️her expert insights, drawing from years of hands-on experience from water / wastewater utility sector).

What would you like us to add more? Let us know in the comments below.

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OT Cybersecurity Procurement for Manufacturing📜

Here is a 3-Phase OT Cybersecurity Procurement Playbook for building an effective OT/ICS Cybersecurity Procurement Processes and Practices:

  1. Assess & Identify Baseline Requirements:

    • Review and assess existing/current state of procurement processes, procedures and organizational practices across both IT & OT environments.

    • Check and confirm if the required pre-requisites are in place. (Check details in the detailed section below)

    • Present findings and observations, while raising awareness across organizational boundaries (procurement, IT, OT/operations, procurement and business units).

    • Understand your current OT cybersecurity procurement maturity state, risk-rank assets, and convert technical needs into procurement baseline security requirements and evaluation criteria.

  2. Implement (Procurement Requirements & Contracts):

    • Focus on Project Lifecycle Security, not just initial procurement.

    • Embed security requirements into RFx, incorporate Security Clauses as part of Conditions of Contracts, evaluate suppliers using evidence-based scoring, and negotiate contractual security clauses.

    • Foster Genuine cross-functional collaboration on procurement processes.

    • Establish and provide cross functional training to IT, OT, operations / engineering and procurement teams on cybersecurity requirements.

  3. Maintain, Monitor and Measure (Operationalize & Assure):

    • Maintain processes and practices and updates to Cybersecurity requirements specifications - covering the entire automation stack (from cloud to PLC/edge and physical components).

    • Acceptance & commissioning - acceptance testing, SAT/FAT, and secure deployment checklists.

    • Ongoing supplier management, continuous monitoring, and contract enforcement.

    • Lastly, Secure the Supply Chain by using a Risk-Based Approach.

Below is a detailed, actionable breakdown for each phase with owners, deliverables, and estimated effort.

To continue reading → Register below to read for free, where I break down each of these 3 phases in details from manufacturing industry perspective.

3 Phase Playbook - The Breakdown📜

Phase 1 - Assess & Identify Baseline Requirements

Pre-requisites: Following things should be in place:

Have leadership buy-in (that is, to get an OT Security charter drafted, approved and enforced)

Build a joint IT-OT Governance Committee & Appoint an individual as the leader with OT cyber physical security ownership.

Develop an OT Security Policy (with consensus from both IT & OT teams and executive buy-in/support and endorsement).

Draft and Establish Cybersecurity Requirements specification based on OT policy.

Goal: Assess current state and Convert OT operational risk into measurable procurement requirements so every RFP/RFQ/RFI has clear security acceptance criteria.

Key outcomes

  • Asset inventory + risk classification (safety/availability impact).

  • Procurement security baseline document mapped to IEC/ISA-62443 zones & conduits and to international best practices e.g. NIST supply-chain controls.

  • Standard security requirement templates for hardware, firmware, embedded software, and services (see sample clauses later).

Who / owners

  • OT Engineering: inventory & asset criticality (Owner).

  • OT Security / Cybersecurity Architect: map controls to IEC-62443 SLs and NIST controls (Owner).

  • Procurement: format requirements for RFx templates (Owner).

  • Plant Manager: operational acceptance criteria sign-off (Approver).

Actions & estimated effort

  • Asset discovery & criticality: 2–4 weeks (local plant) per site.

  • Create Security Baseline (RFP template + requirements matrix): 2–3 weeks.

  • Stakeholder review & approval: 1 week.

What to include in your Security Baseline

  • Required product evidence: secure development lifecycle (SDL) statement, SBOM (software bill of materials), vulnerability disclosure policy, patching cadence and SLAs, cryptography/crypto-module details (if used), secure boot/firmware signing, and default credential policy.

  • Mapping to IEC/ISA-62443 roles: define target Security Level (SL) or zone requirements for components.

Phase 2 - Implement (Procurement Requirements & Contracts)

Goal: Run RFx and contract negotiations with security as a scored dimension — not optional.

Procurement actions:

RFx & RFI stage — require vendors to submit: SBOM, SDL evidence, vulnerability disclosure policy, sample secure configuration guides, and independent security test reports (or PV reports). Ask for product life-cycle calendar (EoL, EoS).

Evaluation scoring — weight security (%) in the evaluation matrix (recommended baseline: minimum 25–40% of technical score for critical OT assets). Use pass/fail on must-have items (e.g., SBOM + update mechanism).

Proof of claims — require test artifacts (e.g., results from third-party code analysis, fuzz tests, or IEC-62443 product certification evidence where available).

Contract clauses to require (must-have list)

Secure by design / SDL clause: vendor confirms use of an SDL and provides a high-level SDL statement.

SBOM & components disclosure: delivery of SBOM at contract award and updates with major releases.

Patch & vulnerability SLA: vendor must acknowledge receipt timelines, triage windows, patch release windows for critical / High / Medium vulnerabilities, and telemetry for emergency hotfixes.

Signed firmware & secure update mechanism: vendor guarantees cryptographically signed firmware images and secure OTA/update channels.

End-of-Support (EoS) notification: minimum notice period (e.g., 18–24 months) before EoL of a product or component.

Right to audit & penetration testing: vendor grants limited, scoped right to perform acceptance security testing or to receive third-party penetration test reports; negotiation on test windows to avoid production disruption.

Breach notification & coordination: required notification timelines (e.g., within 72 hours of vendor detection), and vendor support obligations for incident response.

Indemnity & liability tail: clear language on liability for security defects causing operational losses (tailored to local law).

Sub-supplier transparency: obligation to disclose sub-suppliers for critical components and a C-SCRM governance point of contact.

Who / owners

  • Procurement (runs RFx) — 2–4 weeks per procurement cycle (depending on complexity).

  • Legal (contracts) — 1–3 weeks negotiation; longer for strategic systems.

  • OT Security (technical evaluation) — concurrently during RFx evaluation.

Red flags to block a purchase

  • No SBOM / vendor refusal to disclose components.

  • No secure update mechanism or no signed firmware.

  • No vulnerability or patching policy.

  • Product end-of-life within 12 months.

Phase 3 - Maintain, Monitor & Measure (Operationalize & Assure)

Goal: Ensure procured items meet security requirements in deployment and remain secure throughout their operational life.

Acceptance & commissioning

  • Security acceptance test (SAT): include checklist items: default credential removal, patch level verification, secure configuration baseline, network segmentation compliance (zones/conduits), signed firmware verification, and functional smoke tests. Tests should be scripted and repeatable.

  • Handover pack: vendor must supply secure configuration guides, maintenance procedures, SBOM, and vulnerability reporting channels.

Ongoing supplier management

  • Supplier scorecard (quarterly): security patch SLA adherence, vulnerability disclosure responsiveness, number of critical incidents, EoS warnings issued on time.

  • Continuous assurance: periodically re-validate deployed software versions against SBOM and threat intelligence; re-run acceptance tests after major patches.

Owners & cadence

  • OT Operations: enforce secure configuration and run weekly checks (operational).

  • OT Security: run monthly SBOM/version reconciliation and quarterly supplier scorecards.

  • Procurement/Legal: annual contract review (or on major product updates).

This concludes our Part # 3 of the OTCS PPP series.

Related Resources

I figured it might be helpful to save you some research time by sharing a few industry references that I mentioned in my 3 phase playbook above, along with some other handy resources, industry guidance and references. So, checkout the resources below that you may find useful (especially if you are working in and or supporting manufacturing organizations):

  • Quick Start Guide: An Overview of ISASecure Certification - A certification scheme based on ISA/IEC 62443 Security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems - ISA/IEC 62443 Conformance Certifications ISA/IEC 62443-4-1, ISA/IEC 62443-4-2 and ISA/IEC 62443-3-3 - Specify conformance to IEC 62443 standards (international standards for industrial automation and control systems security) when procuring control system components.

  • Secure by Demand: Priority Considerations for Operational Technology Owners and Operators when Selecting Digital Products by CISA along with U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC) Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), European Commission Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL) New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ) United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK).

  • Cybersecurity Considerations for Procurement Process by Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) developed the decision tree to provide a high-level overview of key questions to consider regarding when agency cybersecurity experts should be consulted by facility staff in the procurement of new equipment, systems, or services. They have a “Guide on Cybersecurity Procurement Language in Task Order Requests for Proposals for Federal Facilities” and other related documents. Ensuring cybersecurity from the onset of the process is an important step in protecting federal facility assets, systems, and sites and can help reduce the number of weaknesses or vulnerabilities that must be remediated after the fact. Download the Cybersecurity Considerations for Procurement Process decision tree.

    Decision Tree by FEMP

  • Guidelines for procurement and outsourcing by Australian Signals Directive (ASD) - provides guidance on: Cyber supply chain risk management | Supplier relationship management | Sourcing applications, IT equipment, OT equipment and services | Delivery of applications, IT equipment, OT equipment and services | Cloud & Managed Services | and Contractual security requirements with service providers.

  • OT CNI Supply Chain Standards

    OT CNI Supply Chain Standards

  • Secure-by-Design: Shifting the Balance of Cybersecurity Risk: Principles and Approaches for Secure by Design Software

  • Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem by CISA.

  • Unsafe At Any Speed: CISA's Plan to Foster Tech Ecosystem Security by CISA.

  • Sample Cybersecurity Clauses for EV Charging Infrastructure Procurements.

  • Collaboration Practices for the Cybersecurity of Supply Chains to Critical Infrastructure - by Tania Wallis and Paul Dorey.

  • Practical guidelines on cybersecurity: Requirements in tendering - by UITP for transportation sector.

  • Procurement and Cybersecurity: Enhancing Confidence - by Jared Marcotte, published on NASCA Institute website.

  • NIST 800-161 Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Systems and Organisations.

  • Free Supply Chain Risk Management course.

  • Vendor Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Template.

  • CISA Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM).

    ‘

  • CISA Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Essentials.

  • American Petroleum Institute Oil and Gas Industry Preparedness Handbook.

  • What Secure By Design Aspects Should You Prioritize? - by Matthew Rogers at S4 conference.

  • Re-evaluating ICS/OT Procurement Language - SANS ICS Security Summit 2021 - by Sarah Freeman..

Next on the OTCS PPP series - Part 4 📜

"OT Cybersecurity Procurement Process & Practices - Part 4 - Industry 4.0 supply chain security dos & don’ts every buyer must know". Coming soon!

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Take care and Best Regards,

M. Yousuf Faisal. (Advice | Consult Cyber & business leaders in their journey on Securing Things (IT, OT/ICS, IIOT, digital transformation, Industry 4.0, & AI) & share everything I learn on this Newsletter | and upcoming Academy).

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