Ballot_Printing_and_Prep_Services_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2023-RFP-0245

BALLOT PRINTING AND PREP SERVICES

County of Sacramento

9660 Ecology Lane

Sacramento, CA 95827

RELEASE DATE: October 5, 2023

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: November 9, 2023

RESPONSE DEADLINE: November 14, 2023, 3:30 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/saccounty https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7bproject.government.code%7d

County of Sacramento

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Ballot Printing and Prep Services

1. Definitions

2. Introduction

3. Proposer's Instructions

4. Basis for Award

5. Final Acceptance

6. Project Details

7. Vendor Submissions

8. Pricing Table

9. Sacramento County Standard Terms and conditions

10. Additional Terms and Conditions

11. Environmental Purchasing Policy

12. Insurance Requirements for Contractors

13. Good Neighbor Policy

Attachments:

O - Appendix O - Available Election Dates

P - Appendix P Ballot Card Manufacturing and Finishing __ California Secretary of

State

Q - Appendix Q - Schedule of Task Estimated Due Dates

R - Appendix R - Ballot Production Guide_2019

S - Appendix S Official Ballot Specifications June 7 2022 Primary

AA - Addendum No. 1: Question 13 - 4_up_ Postcard_ Sample

BB - Addendum No. 1: Question 13 - 2_up_ Postcard_Sample

Request for Proposal #2023-RFP-0245 Title: Ballot Printing and Prep Services

1. Definitions

Response:The written, signed and sealed complete document(s) submitted according to the proposal instructions. Response does not include any verbal or documentary interaction apart from submittal of a formal Response.

Request/Proposal/Bid: The completed and released solicitation, including all subsequent addenda, made publicly available to all prospective proposers.

We/Us/Our: Terms that refer to the County of Sacramento, a duly organized public entity. They may also be used as pronouns for various subsets of the County organization, including, as the context will indicate:

• Purchasing - the Contracts and Purchasing Services Division of the Department of General

Services.

• Department/Division – The department or division requesting the goods or services contained in this request, for which this PROPOSAL is prepared and which will be the end user of the requested goods or services.

• Constituency – the client base or County population which may benefit from the procurement of goods and/or services requested herein.

You/Your: Terms that refer to businesses/individuals submitting a response. The term may apply differently as the context will indicate.

• Supplier - A business entity engaged in the business of providing services.

• Proposer - A business entity submitting a Response to this proposal. Suppliers which may express interest in this proposal, but who do not submit a Response, have no obligations with respect to the proposal requirements.

• Contractor - The Proposer(s) whose Response to this proposal is evaluated as meeting the needs of the County. Contractor(s) will be selected for award, and will enter into a contract(s) for provision of the services described in this proposal.

• Contractor’s Employee - All persons who can be offered to provide the services described in the proposal. All employees of the Contractor shall be covered by the insurance programs normally provided to persons employed by a company (ex: Worker’s Comp, SDI, etc.).

Mandatory: A required element of this request/proposal/bid. Failure to satisfy any element of this request/proposal/bid defined as “mandatory” will disqualify the particular response.

Default:A failure to act as required by any contract resulting from this request, which may trigger the right to sue or may excuse the other party's obligation to perform under the contract.

Cancellation/Termination:A unilateral or mutual decision to not complete an exchange or perform an obligation under any contract resulting from this request.

“Or Equal”: A statement used for reference to indicate the character or quality desired in a requested product or service. When specified in a proposal document, equal items will be considered, provided the response clearly describes the article. Offers of equal items must state the brand and number, or level of quality. When brand, number, or level of quality is not stated by proposer, the offer will be considered exactly as specified. The determination of the Purchasing Agent as to what items are equal is final and conclusive.

2. Introduction

2.1. Summary

The County of Sacramento, Department of Voter Registration and Elections (VRE), requires election services related to ballot printing, blank ballot stock, folding, inserting, and mail preparation services.

The County of Sacramento currently has a total eligible voter population of over one million and registered voter population of approximately 900,000. The total quantity of ballots required for each election(s) will vary depending on the type of election administered. Contractor may be required to print fewer than 10,000, or more than two million ballots per election.

The initial contract period is estimated to be July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, with the option to extend in four one-year increments through June 30, 2029, at the same terms and conditions, commencing with execution of a contract by the Contract and Purchasing Services Division. Initial contract pricing will remain firm through June 30, 2029. Thereafter, any proposed price increases will be reviewed by the County. Price increases that are not acceptable to the County will result in rebidding of these requirements.

2.2. Contact Information

Zachary Mello`

Senior Contract Services Officer

9660 Ecology Lane

California, CA 95827

Email: melloz@saccounty.gov

Phone: (916) 875-6104

Department:

DGS: CAPSD - Procurement

Department Head:

Craig Rader

Purchasing Agent

2.3. Timeline

Release Project Date October 5, 2023

Question Submission Deadline November 9, 2023, 5:00pm

Addendum Issued (if necessary) November 10, 2023, 5:00pm

Submission Deadline November 14, 2023, 3:30pm mailto:melloz@saccounty.gov tel:(916)875-6104

Award Contract December 7, 2023

3. Proposer's Instructions

General Format: Respond to all requests for information and completion of forms contained in this

Request for Proposal. You may use additional sheets as necessary. A qualifying response must address all items. Brochures and advertisements will not be considered a complete reply to requests for information and will not be accepted as such. Proposer is solely responsible for accuracy and completeness of proposal response and for electronically separating confidential documents when submitting their response through SacCountyEbids. Responses considered incomplete may be rejected.

Alteration of Proposal Text: the original text of this proposal document, as well as any attachments, amendments or other official correspondence related to this proposal document, may not be manually, electronically or otherwise altered by proposer or proposer’s agent(s). Any response containing altered, deleted, additional or otherwise non-original text will be disqualified.

Preparation of Response:

A. All responses must be signed by an authorized officer or employee of the responder.

B. Responses must be submitted prior to the specified date and time, using the SacCountyEbids.

Responses delivered by hand, fax, telephone, e-mail, or any postal carrier will not be accepted. If bidder uploads a file to SacCountyEbids, it is bidder responsibility to ensure the file is not corrupt or damaged. If County is unable to open an attachment because it is damaged, corrupt, infected, etc., it may disqualify bidder’s submission. See this training guide for guidance entering your online response.

C. Time of delivery must be stated as the number of calendar days following receipt of the order by the proposer to receipt of the goods or services by the County.

D. Time of delivery may be a consideration in the award.

E. Prices will be considered as net if no cash discount is offered. If a discrepancy between the unit price and the item total exists, the unit price prevails.

F. Shipping Terms: TBD; Payment Terms: NET/30.

Confidential Information/Public Record: All responses become property of the County. All responses, including the accepted proposal and any subsequent contract, become public records per the requirements of the California Government Code, Sections 6250 -6270, “California Public Records Act”.

Proprietary material must be clearly marked as such. Pricing and service elements of the successful proposal are not considered proprietary information.

The County will treat all information submitted in a proposal as available for public inspection once the

County has selected a contractor. If you believe that you have a legally justifiable basis under the

California Public Records Act (Government Section 6250 et. seq.) for protecting the confidentiality of any information contained within your proposal, you must identify any such information, together with the legal basis of your claim in your proposal, and present such information separately (see "Confidential" section in Vendor Submissions) as part of your response package.

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The final determination as to whether the County will assert your claim of confidentiality on your behalf shall be at the sole discretion of the County. If the County makes a determination that your information does not meet the criteria for confidentiality, you will be notified as such. Any information deemed to be non-confidential shall be considered public record.

4. Basis for Award

This proposal award will be determined by factors other than price alone. The County’s sole purpose in the evaluation process is to determine from among the Responses received, which one is best suited to meet the County’s needs. Any final analysis or weighted point score does not imply that one proposal is superior to another, but simply that in our judgment the proposal(s) we select offer(s) the best overall solution for our current and anticipated needs. The County reserves the right to make modifications to any scoring and/or weight structure prior to the evaluation of responses. The responses will remain sealed during the proposal evaluation period, and will be made available for public inspection upon notice of proposal award.

Bid responses will be considered valid for a period of180 calendar days after bid closing date above.

Note: All specifications, terms and conditions of this request will apply to any resulting order.

4.1. Scoring Criteria

This proposal award will be determined by factors other than price alone. The County’s sole purpose in the evaluation process is to determine from among the proposals received, which one is best suited to meet the County’s needs.

Bid responses will be considered valid for a period of 180 calendar days after bid closing date above.

The following are mandatory requirements of the RFP, failure to meet the requirements will result in the proposal being deemed incomplete and therefore disqualified.

The evaluation will consist of two primary phases. These phases are:

Phase 1:

Response Package/Completeness of Response to Mandatory Requirements: Pass/Fail

Phase 2:

Proposals that pass the pass/fail criteria above will be reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by the ET in the areas listed below:

• Written Response Package

• Proposed Pricing

Award will be based on the cumulative scores from Phase II.

In evaluating responses to this RFP, Sacramento County Elections Department places considerable emphasis on the following criteria (not necessarily listed in order of importance):

• Price

• Printing Staff Experience

• Equipment/Technical Capabilities and Capacity

• Availability to meet project timelines

• Ability to meet fulfillment requirements

• Ability to guarantee production standards

The County reserves the right to award contracts to multiple vendors, if determined to be in the best interest of the County.

5. Final Acceptance

Equipment/Supplies/Services

The County of Sacramento will agree to final acceptance only after the supplied equipment, product or service is tested and is found to perform within acceptable standards of operation, is in compliance with all published and implied performance standards, and is considered by the County to be ready for practical application.

6. Project Details

6.1. Important Instructions for Electronic Submittal

The County is accepting electronic bid submissions. Bidders shall create a FREE account with

ProcureNow by signing up at https://secure.procurenow.com/signup. Once you have completed account registration, browse back to this page, click on "Submit Response", and follow the instructions to submit the electronic bid.

6.2. Detailed Requirements

Scope of Work

Contractor shall provide the following scope of work within the timelines and specifications provided herein:

• Print all Official Vote by Mail ballots in monolingual, bilingual, or multiple language format.

• Print, prepare, and mail Official Vote by Mail (VBM) ballot packet. This may include: fold Official

Vote by Mail ballots, print and insert Official Vote by Mail ballots, print and insert voting instructions, insert return envelopes, print and insert election materials into outgoing envelopes; address voter information; presort to minimize postage cost; and delivery to the

West Sacramento Post Office (3775 Industrial Boulevard, West Sacramento CA 95799-9715).

• Print Test ballots used in Logic and Accuracy of voting equipment. This includes pre-marked and blank election ballots.

• Print ancillary materials. This may include: voter instructions, relevant election materials, I Voted

Stickers, for insertion in Official Vote by Mail ballot packets (County reserves the right to not include this activity in contract award and to obtain these materials from an alternate source regardless of contract award).

• Prepare mailing of letters to include folding and inserting election materials into outgoing envelopes; addressing; presorting to minimize postage cost; and delivering to the West

Sacramento Post Office.

• Prepare voter notification and other election related post cards for mailing. This may include:

fold; tab; address, presort to minimize postage cost; and delivery to the West Sacramento Post

Office.

Refer to LOT BID I – II on page 13 for additional details.

Respondent organizations selected in the RFP process will be required to:

Follow current laws and regulations, and as they may be updated, including but not limited to the following:

• California Code of Regulations https://secure.procurenow.com/signup https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/ballot-printing

• Voting System Specific Ballot Production Guide

• Adhere to ballot and paper specifications contained in Voting System Specific Ballot Production

Guide

Mandatory Requirements

Vendors written reply shall meet the Mandatory Requirements 1 - 41 in this scope of work and must include an acknowledgement with information detailing how respondent will meet each requirement in order to be considered a qualifying response.

1. CERTIFICATION

Contractor must be certified as a ballot printer by the California SOS and shall provide a copy of their current certification by the California SOS to manufacture and finish ballots for VRE’s voting equipment, at the time of bid, submission and continuously during the term of the contract. Printer must adhere and comply with all California SOS Ballot Printing and Ballot Finishing Code of Regulations. Refer to SOS website:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/ballot-printing/

2. SUBCONTRACTING

Contractor shall obtain prior written approval from County before sub-contracting any services delivered under this agreement. “Subcontractor must submit proof as a state certified ballot printer; have prior ballot printing experience meeting ballot printing and production timelines.” Contractor remains legally responsible for the performance of all contract terms including work performed by third parties under subcontracts to the vendor. Any subcontracting will be subject to all application provisions of this

Agreement. Contractor shall be held responsible by County for the performance of any subcontractor.

3. LANGUAGES

Official Vote by Mail ballots, in all lots, are currently bilingual. Federally required languages are English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Additional languages and/or bilingual ballots may be required in the future due to changes in law, changes in demographics, or at VRE’s option.

4. EXPERIENCE

Include on a separate sheet your experience related to print, insert, and mail services for Official Vote by

Mail ballot packets. Vendor must provide at least three (3) election ballot printing references and provide a list of current election ballot printing contracts.

5. Disaster Recovery Plan and Redundant Equipment

Contractor must have and submit a copy of their documented Disaster Recovery Plan, including adequate equipment redundancy to recover from equipment failures.

6. Maintenance Plan

Contractor must have and submit a copy of their documented Maintenance Plan or contract for each major piece of equipment involved in the production and mailing of ballots.

7. Written Standard Operating Procedures and Quality Assurance

Contractor must provide a current written sample of their documented Standard Operating Procedures

(SOP) for any process relating to this bid proposal, and that adequate controls have been defined for the submitted sample. All controls shall be measurable and auditable.

8. AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES

VRE shall designate, in writing, employees or authorized representatives who will be responsible for coordinating printing, approving proofs, providing authorization to print, and coordinating deliveries.

Contractor shall act only on instruction from one of these designated persons. Contractor will likewise designate, in writing, authorized representatives who will be responsible for coordinating printing and processing under the contract. All references to VRE in the contract shall include the ROV and the designated authorized representatives.

9. CONTACT INFORMATION

Respondent to provide the name and contact details for an assigned Project Manager, who will be the contact person to receive communication from VRE’s designated representative.

All staff representing contractor must adhere and follow VRE’s security procedures and complete VRE’s security forms.

10. RESPONDENT TEAM ORGANIZATION

Respondent to provide the name(s) and contact details of the team assigned to VRE and update if/when changes are made to the team assigned during the duration of this contract. Include Management structure (organizational chart), with staff names, staff titles, and staff experience with projects, identifying permanent or proposed contractual relationship between team members.

All staff representing contractor must adhere and follow VRE’s security procedures and complete VRE’s security forms.

11. ACCESS / ON-SITE INSPECTION

Representatives of VRE will be given full access to the Contractor’s premises at any time (day or night) when work is being performed for VRE. If subcontracting is approved, Contractor will inform its subcontractor of the access privileges of authorized VRE representatives. Space suitable for conducting document review will also be made available for on-site quality assurance proofreaders if required by

VRE.

VRE may have an on-site inspector/expediter at the Contractor’s and all approved Subcontractors printing and mail preparation facility(ies) during production for each election. Travel and lodging expenses for VRE’s representatives will be the responsibility of the County.

12. SCHEDULE

The initial contract period is estimated to be July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. It will cover any scheduled and unscheduled elections from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025 and may be extended for four additional one-year periods through June 30, 2029. Unanticipated elections may include special, recall, municipal, special district, and retirement elections

Appendix Q lists the production schedule established for most elections. *Unusual circumstances may require altering the schedule for a particular election.

Delays or extensions will only be granted with prior written approval from VRE. VRE reserves the right to set ballot type/precinct priorities for printing, packaging, delivery, and mailing to ensure timely processing.

Unit pricing and cost rates shall be inclusive of any and all provisions for premium rates, overtime, Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Time to the extent necessary to complete work and/or delivery within the time schedule set forth herein. No additional payments will be authorized without written approval.

VERBAL NOTIFICATION: VRE will notify Contractor at least 70 calendar days prior to regular election with a description of ballots required, the approximate quantities to be printed, and an estimated schedule falling within the parameters established below.

ORDER: VRE will provide a detailed ballot order for Official Vote by Mail ballots, and blank ballot stock approximately 60 calendar days prior to an election.

COPY: VRE will provide ballot content to Contractor beginning at approximately 60 calendar days prior to a statewide election and 50 calendar days prior to an unanticipated special election.

VARIABLE DATA: VRE will provide data files with eligible voter names, mailing addresses, election information, and bar codes for mailing, no later than 43 calendar days prior to regular election.

MAILING LOT Bids - LOT I Official Vote by Mail ballot packets are delivered to the West Sacramento Post

Office (3775 Industrial Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95799-9715) 29 calendar days prior to the election.

SHIPPING: It is Contractor’s responsibility to furnish all transportation required to meet the schedule. The shipper is charged with full responsibility for the security of all ballot cards, sheets, or unfinished ballot cards until acceptance of delivery at destination. Shipping costs to be included in the printing costs. The County will not pay delivery charges for late materials or Contractor caused reprints.

13. TYPESETTING, COMPOSITION AND PROOF CYCLE

Because of the complexity of the countywide and statewide elections, only computerized typesetting will be allowed. The Contractor must be able to:

• Receive and process encrypted PDF/ EPS files generated by the Democracy Suite ballot layout application or other application at VRE’s discretion (these files may be provided to Contractor in multiple submissions, without limit).

• Accept data via direct transmissions using standard error correction transfer protocols. Files will be encrypted and compressed with standard off the shelf compression software package, but in some cases data will be uncompressed.

Contractor will be responsible for rendering without alteration ballot print masters from files provided by County to overlay, as defined in ballot specifications. (Appendix R)

14. REPRINTS AND ADDITIONAL BALLOTS

VRE may order reprinting and/or additional ballots at any time. VRE shall confirm orders for such printing, in writing (email is acceptable). The reprinting and delivery schedule of rejected or additional ballots shall be set by VRE and is expected to occur within a 24-36 hour turnaround time.

Reprinting from a Contractor-caused error, regardless of where in the cycle the error occurred, shall be solely at Contractor’s cost, including delivery. Additional ballots or reprinting from a County-caused problem shall be invoiced at the price set forth in the proposal. Extraordinary costs resulting from a

County-caused problem shall be agreed to, in writing, prior to reprinting.

Contractor shall keep all files until 30 days after the election to ensure availability if reruns are required. http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/ballot-printing/

(Appendix P)

The ROV does not guarantee any quantities; estimated usages are based on historical usage data;

County does not guarantee any item or any dollar amount will be purchased, County is not responsible for any overages printed at the discretion of the printer.

15. TEST DECKS

ROV may request a combination of blank and marked test ballots to verify the operation and accuracy of the voting equipment. Upon successful overlay and voting system testing, contractor will deliver test decks to ROV within five days.

LOGIC AND ACCURACY DECK: VRE will provide an encrypted PDF file containing election ballots consisting of multiple ballots with a 1, 2, 3 pattern for candidates in a race. For example, if there are fifteen candidates, the test deck would consist of one ballot for the 1st candidate, two ballots for the 2nd candidate, three ballots for the third candidate, one ballot for the fourth candidate, etc. until getting to

3 ballots voted for the 15th (last) candidate, a total of 30 ballots. VRE may alternatively provide an encrypted PDF file containing election ballots consisting of multiple ballots with a 1, 2, 1, 2 pattern for candidates in a race. For example, if there are forty candidates, the test deck would consist of one ballot for the 1st candidate, two ballots for the 2nd candidate, one ballot for the 3rd candidate, etc. up to two ballots voted for the 40th (last) candidate, a total of 60 ballots.

SPECIAL MARKED DECK: Consists of one or more fully marked ballot(s) and one blank or un-marked ballot per precinct.

UNMARKED BLANK DECK: Consists of a set number of unmarked ballots.

16. READDRESSING AND REMAILING – LOT I

Readdressing and remailing of a portion of the Official Vote by Mail ballot packets (such as a specific ballot type/precinct, or a specific political party within a ballot type/precinct that were reprinted due to change or error) may be ordered by VRE at any time. Contractor shall begin addressing and mailing within 24 hours. Orders for such services shall be confirmed, in writing (email is acceptable), by VRE.

Readdressing and remailing from a Contractor-caused problem shall be solely at Contractor’s cost, including delivery and postage.

Readdressing and remailing from a County-caused problem shall be invoiced separately at the price set forth in the bid; extraordinary costs resulting from a County-caused problem shall be agreed to, in writing (email is acceptable), prior to readdressing and remailing.

17. AUTHORIZED DELAY

Under unusual circumstances, such as but not limited to a court injunction, it may become necessary for

VRE to request Contractor to delay or stop printing certain materials. Such request may be made by telephone by an authorized representative of VRE and confirmed, in writing (email is acceptable), as soon as possible. In the event of an authorized delay, the County shall notify Contractor of a revised schedule.

18. STOCK

It shall be Contractor’s responsibility to follow all SOS certification requirements and to acquire, in a timely manner, paper stock of the type, size, weight, and colors specified to meet requirements of:

• State of California Elections Code

• California Code of Regulation – Ballot Card Manufacturing and Finishing (Appendix P)

• VRE – Ballot Instructions

• Vendors current Ballot Production Guide(s) (Appendix R)

No change in paper stock during the printing for an election will be permitted unless agreed to by the

ROV.

19. STORAGE

It shall be Contractor’s responsibility to follow all SOS certification requirements and securely store all ballot material prior to processing up and through thirty (30) days after the election. Contractor will receive and store materials supplied by the ROV up to seventy (70) to fifty (50) calendar days prior to the election up and through Election Day for insertion with Official Vote by Mail ballots, at no cost to the

County. Security shall not be less than required by the SOS for certified ballot printers and finishers

Code of Regulations. Refer to SOS website:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/elections/ballot-printing/

20. QUANTITIES

VRE will specify definite quantities, in writing, at the time of or before authorization to print.

Ballot types/precincts and quantities, shall be determined by VRE no later than 60 days prior to the election.

Quantities of ballots, blank ballot stock, and other materials shown on the Pricing Schedule are representative; actual quantities will vary significantly from election to election. A partisan primary election may require thousands of different ballots in different languages, of varying quantities. This requires complex receiving and staging of materials and print processes. Vendor’s response to include a detailed description of their ability to handle these complex processes.

VRE does not guarantee any quantities, estimated usages are based on historical usage data; County does not guarantee any item or any dollar amount will be purchased.

Estimated Quantities:

VRE currently has approximately 620 precincts, and 620 Vote by Mail precincts each election. Currently, there are eight (8) Political parties. Estimated ballot types are between 1 – 200 per election. Actual order quantities will vary in each election.

June 2022 – Primary

Total Ballots Ordered-

3 Card Ballot

November 2022 – General

Total Ballot Ordered-

2 Card Ballot

17” VBM & Test ballots 19” VBM & Test ballots

Official Vote by Mail ballots 1,704,220 (857,110 2- card ballots)

1,716,170 (858,085 2-card ballots)

Test ballots 16,830 20,000

Ballot On Demand (BOD) ballots

19,000 60,000

21. QUANTITY RECEIVED

Quantities delivered and invoiced must be the same as quantities ordered. No underruns or overruns shall be allowed.

22. ACCEPTANCE

Contractor must provide a packing slip detailing the specific quantities shipped including the quantity of pallets and boxes. Contractor must replace all quantities rejected at no cost to the County, including delivery. Replacement shall begin within 24 hours and be delivered within 36 hours after notification. Quality control is the responsibility of Contractor. Bidder must provide sample packing slip based on ballot order provided as part of their proposal.

23. PRESORT DATA

Contractor will presort data for best possible automation rates. Contractor must be CASS certified and using postal service approved software.

24. BILLING

To assist VRE in tracking and revenue claiming, Contractor will invoice separately for Official Vote by

Mail ballot packets and Test ballots. Invoices shall be itemized by items in Pricing Schedule of Request for Proposal, and broken down by ballot order with a packing slip for each ballot delivery. A copy of each sub-contractors invoice must be submitted describing the service provided and matching the quantity ordered by the County. The ROV will approve the final invoice for payment after Election

Day. Quantities invoiced must be the same as quantities ordered and delivered. Invoices must be submitted no later than 30 days following delivery/mailing or 10 days following the election, whichever is earlier. Bidder must provide sample invoice based on ballot order provided as part of their proposal.

25. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES

It is agreed that time is of the essence in completing each portion of the contract.

If Contractor fails to deliver the ballots and/or the election materials on or before the dates specified in this section, it is understood that the County will suffer damages. It being impractical and infeasible to determine the amount of actual damages, in light of the impossibility of predicting the effect of the particular delay on the public welfare, it is agreed that for each calendar day after the delivery dates specified in this section that the ballots and/or election materials have not been delivered, Contractor shall pay the County an amount equal to two (2)% of the amount of the contract for the specific election as fixed and agreed liquidated damages but not as a penalty.

Contractor does hereby authorize the County to deduct such liquidated damages from the amount due. Contractor further agrees that any such deduction shall not in any degree release it from further obligation and liabilities in regard to the fulfillment of the entire contract.

Liquidated damages will not be charged for each calendar-day delay caused by the County. Likewise, provided that Contractor has within one day of delay notified the ROV, Contractor shall not be charged with liquidated damages or any excess costs when the delay in delivery is due to the acts or omissions of the County, or due to unforeseen causes beyond the control and without the fault of Contractor including but not restricted to a court order, acts of God, or acts of the public enemy.

No delays and extensions of time will be granted on account of work performed in a grossly negligent manner by a supplier.

26. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The County requires Contractor to provide a qualified technical representative who is acceptable to the

ROV and who is knowledgeable in the various codes pertaining to ballot printing. The technical representative must be available on call or for telephone consultation from 60 calendar days prior to

Election Day to 30 calendar days after Election Day.

27. SPECIFICATIONS

At the time of contract award, and continuously during the term of the contract, all Official Ballots must meet the:

• Requirements of Federal Election law, the California Elections Code, the California Secretary of

State California Code of Regulations, and VRE.

• Specifications and requirements for reading by the Dominion ImageCast Central G2140, HiPro and the ImageCast X (Appendix R) or other ballot tabulation system utilized by VRE.

28. SIZE OF OFFICIAL VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS

Ballot Type Over All Final Official Vote by Mail

Ballot Size

Official Vote by Mail ballots

8 ½” x 11”

Official Vote by Mail ballots 8 ½” x 14”

Official Vote by Mail ballots

Official Vote by Mail ballots

8 ½” x 17”

8 ½” x 19”

Test ballot 8 ½” X 11”

Test ballot 8 ½” x 14”

Test ballot 8 ½” x 17”

Test ballot 8 ½” x 19”

Current ballot sizes certified for use with Dominion voting equipment.

• Official Vote by Mail ballot size to be specified at the time of initial order for each election.

(Appendix S)

• Official Vote by Mail ballots, blank ballot stock, and Test ballots.

Bidder must provide the following sample printed ballots and BOD printed ballots from encrypted files provided as part of their proposal:

• Minimum 5 Vote by Mail ballots folded.

• Samples shall include color bar and overprinting.

Proposers will need a County-provided .pdf file to prepare sample ballots as defined above. The

.pdf file will only be provided to California SOS Certified ballot printers upon request to the following email address: melloz@saccounty.gov

29. Pre-Production Samples

The vendor must submit from each piece of printing equipment used to produce ballots, an exact replica of an “Official Vote by Mail ballot” for approval by VRE prior to production printing. Contractor must use the same ballot stock for each exact replica submitted for approval by VRE.

Official Vote by Mail ballot proofs, defined as ballot card stock processed to final form for use by voters to mark their choices on both sides of the card stock in California elections and readable in all County certified voting equipment, must be delivered by Contractor to VRE within 48 hours of receipt of ballot mailto:melloz@saccounty.gov data files. VRE will overlay and test proofs for accuracy and approve or disapprove in writing (email is acceptable) within 24 working hours of receipt. If requested by County, Contractor will resubmit revised proofs for approval within 12 hours. Delivery of proofs shall be at no cost to the County.

County will accept an electronic copy for proofing overprinting, such as, Ballot Type, Precinct Number.

Contractor shall not begin printing or delivery of a ballot type/precinct until proofs have been approved by the ROV in writing (email is acceptable).

30. PRINTING

Color of ballot and watermark design will be unique for each election. The California SOS and VRE will provide instructions to all certified ballot printers directly prior to each election. In a partisan election, multiple colored ballot headers are used and must be watermarked and screen tinted to match specified ballot colors. When ballot is a multi-card ballot, VRE may choose to put a unique vertical color bar on each individual card. The text on ballot must be black ink on both sides unless directed otherwise.

31. OVERPRINTING

On the front side of each Official Ballot card(s), overprinting may consist of ballot type number at the top left of the ballot card (BT: XX). Followed by the precinct number, (0012345) on the top right side of each card, have the ability to place VBM or TEST on the top of each card before the precinct number as specified per election.

32. DUPLEXING

Ballots must be printed on both sides. Automated duplexing is preferred to ensure proper matching. If automated duplexing is not available, Contractor must specify proven procedures for ensuring correct duplexing.

33. FOLDING

All Official Vote by Mail ballots are to be folded as requested by the County for insertion in a 6.62” x

10.25” envelope, or other size envelopes specified by VRE with the information at the top of ballot facing out. All ballots shall be folded in a manner that fold lines will not pass through a space containing the ballot’s target area (voting ovals) or timing marks.

34. BOXING

Test ballots to be boxed in groups as specified by VRE (typically in increments of up to 500) and labeled as specified. (See Appendix S) Box size shall be no more than nine (9) inches wide by length required by

VRE.

35. DUPLICATE CHECK

Propose a solution to ensure only one Official Vote by Mail ballot packet is mailed to each voter within the same mail file.

36. INSERTING & MAILING

INSERTING: Official Vote by Mail ballots are to be folded and inserted in 6.62” x 10.25” envelopes or other size envelopes supplied by VRE. Insertion to include a return envelope, voter instructions, and other material as specified by VRE. Include in the response, a description of equipment detailing the capacity of envelope size(s) for inserting and the number of pocket(s) available.

ADDRESSING: Eligible voters’ names, mailing addresses, election information, bar codes, and carrier routes to be printed on the return envelopes using data files provided by VRE and/or printed by

Contractor or VRE. Addressing on return envelopes at VRE’s office must be through an electronic interface provided by Contractor. Include in the response, a description of equipment detailing the capacity of envelope size(s) for inserting and the number of pocket(s) available.

PRESORTING: Official Vote by Mail ballot packets are to be carrier route presorted using postal service approved software to minimize mailing costs.

MAILING: Outgoing white envelopes to be metered with VRE’s Postal Permit imprint. Ballots to be delivered to the West Sacramento Post Office, (3775 Industrial Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95799-

9715), 29 calendar days prior to the election. West Sacramento Post Office deliveries are the responsibility of Contractor. Cost of shipping to be included in printing costs.

RETURNING: Processing of the address printing information on the returned Official Vote by Mail ballot envelopes must be compatible with VRE’s electronic equipment used to process returned envelopes.

Please provide a sample of a return envelope with sample data.

This process or system must assure and document that each voter is sent the correctly assembled packet.

37. PACKAGING

Test Ballots Single Card:

• Blank and Pre-Marked Test ballots are to be packed in boxes by ballot type number.

• Each box shall not exceed 500 ballots.

Test Ballots:

*Multi-Card Requirements

• Quantities less than 250 ballots shall have the 1, 2, and/or 3 Official Vote by Mail ballot cards packaged in the same box with a divider between the 1, 2, and 3official ballot cards.

* Multi Card Ballot – When contests and measures in any election exceed a single ballot card.[FK1] [NH2]

38. BOX LABELS

Box label for ballots to contain the following: County Name, Election Date, Precinct Number, total number of ballots, ballot type, box number. Bidder must provide sample ballot packaging and labeling as part of their proposal. (See Appendix S)

39. OFFICIAL VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT ENVELOPES ADDRESS PRINTING AND MAILING

VRE will supply outgoing and return envelopes for Official Vote by Mail ballots.

Official Vote by Mail ballots are currently mailed in 6.62” x 10.25” envelopes and include 5.75” x

9.25” return envelopes. Both outgoing and return envelopes are printed on both sides, in multiple specified colors. VRE reserves the right to change envelope size or color for all elections as needed.

Envelope Type Size Color Text Color

Outgoing 6.62” x10.25 White Black

Vote by Mail Return 5.75” x 9.25” Pink Black

Voter Post Cards Various Various Black

40. OTHER ELECTION MATERIAL

Only LOT I will be considered for purposes of awarding the contract. The ROV reserves the right to award Lot II on an item-by-item basis. The County reserves the right to not award LOT II, and to obtain these materials from an alternate source regardless of contract award.

VRE may supply voter instructions and other election materials for inclusion in Official Vote by Mail ballot packet or may have them produced by Contractor. Items routinely included are:

Item Stock Sides Fold Include With

Voter Instructions White 8½” x 14” 2 Tri-Fold VBM ballots

I Voted Sticker 1 N/A VBM ballots

Ballot Drop Box List White 8½” x 14” 2 Tri-Fold VBM ballots

Additional inserts may be included at VRE’s direction.

41. OTHER SERVICES

Provide a description and cost associated with any additional services you provide not included in the request for proposal. The additional services are to be related to ballot printing, ballot folding, mailing services, tracking of Official Vote by Mail ballot packets or any technology services associated with these processes. A response is not required for the award of this contract, however, additional points will be awarded in the final evaluation score.

Requested samples must be sent directly to the following address and received prior to the RFP due date and time:

Contract & Purchasing Services Division

9660 Ecology Lane

Sacramento, CA 95827

Attention: Zac Mello

Qualifications Summary

Proposal responses must include a one-page summary of your qualifications, experience, and expertise in providing California certified ballot printing services for the Dominion ImageCast Central G2140, HiPro and the ImageCast X. Include information to demonstrate your ability to provide all required services. Provide a minimum of three election ballot printing references and a list of current election ballot printing contracts.

LOT Bids

Contractor may submit a response to Lots I, and/or II; or any combination thereof, to be responsive. We will not accept joint proposals. We require one sole contractor responsible for contract performance, who can provide ballot printing and mailing services directly or subcontract for these services if they wish. The County reserves the right to award contracts to single or multiple vendors based on individual, multiple, or any combination of Lots. However, the County reserves the right to award Lot II based on individual items detailed in the Pricing Table.

LOT I PRINT, PREPARE, INSERT, AND MAIL ALL OFFICIAL VOTE BY MAIL BALLOTS PACKETS.

• Print, insert, and mail Official Vote by Mail (VBM) ballot packets to all registered voters, which may include:

A. Fold Official Vote by Mail ballots to approved specifications

B. Address eligible voters’ return envelopes

C. Print and insert Official Vote by Mail ballots into carrier envelopes

D. Print and insert voting instructions

E. Print and insert other election material as specified or provided by VRE

F. Insert return envelope

G. Insert I Voted sticker

H. Postal metering and presorting

I. Deliver to West Sacramento Post Office (3775 Industrial Boulevard, West Sacramento CA

95799-9715)

• Supplemental Daily Official Vote by Mail ballot packets

J. Fold Official Vote by Mail ballots

K. Address eligible voters’ return envelopes

L. Insert Official Vote by Mail ballots into carrier envelopes

M. Print and insert voting instructions

N. Print and insert other election material as specified or provided by VRE

O. Insert return envelope

P. Insert I Voted sticker

Q. Postal metering and presorting

R. Deliver to USPS as specified by VRE

• Test ballots

A. Print, box, and label as defined by VRE

• Blank Ballot Stock

B. Box and label as defined by VRE

C. Delivery to VRE office

Only LOT I will be considered for purposes of awarding the contract. We will not accept joint proposals. We require one sole contractor responsible for contract performance, who can provide ballot printing and mailing services directly or subcontract for these services if they wish. The County reserves the right to award LOT II on an item-by-item basis. The County reserves the right to not award LOT II, and to obtain these materials from an alternate source regardless of contract award.

LOT II PRINT, ADDRESS AND MAIL ANCILLARY MATERIALS.

Ancillary materials may include:

• Post cards

• Letters

• “I Voted” Sticker

• Election related materials

KEY EVENTS

Event/Action Date(s)

RFP Release Date 10/05/2023

Deadline for submitting written questions 11/02/2023

Addendum issued (if necessary) 11/03/2023

Proposals due 11/07/2023

Interview Finalists (if necessary)

Award contract 11/30/2023

PROPOSER’S INSTRUCTIONS

General Format: Respond to all requests for information and completion of forms contained in this

Request for Proposal. You may use additional sheets as necessary. A qualifying response must address all items. Brochures and advertisements will not be considered a complete reply to requests for information and will not be accepted as such. Proposer is solely responsible for accuracy and completeness of proposal response and for electronically separating and marking documents as confidential when submitting their response through OpenGov Procurement. Responses considered incomplete may be rejected.

Alteration of Proposal Text: the original text of this proposal document, as well as any attachments, amendments or other official correspondence related to this proposal document, may not be manually, electronically or otherwise altered by proposer or proposer’s agent(s). Any response containing altered, deleted, additional or otherwise non-original text will be disqualified.

Preparation of Response:

A. All responses must be signed by an authorized officer or employee of the responder.

B. Responses must be submitted prior to the specified date and time, using the OpenGov.com website. Responses delivered by hand, fax, telephone, e-mail, or any postal carrier will not be accepted. If bidder uploads a file to OpenGov Procurement, it is bidder responsibility to ensure the file is not corrupt or damaged. If County is unable to open an attachment because it is damaged, corrupt, infected, etc., it may disqualify bidder’s submission.

C. Time of delivery must be stated as the number of calendar days following receipt of the order by the proposer to receipt of the goods or services by the County.

D. Time of delivery may be a consideration in the award.

E. Prices will be considered as net if no cash discount is offered. If a discrepancy between the unit price and the item total exists, the unit price prevails.

Confidential Information/Public Record: All responses become property of the County. All responses, including the accepted proposal and any subsequent contract, become public records per the requirements of the California Government Code, Sections 6250 -6270, “California Public Records Act”.

Proprietary material must be clearly marked as such. Pricing and service elements of the successful proposal are not considered proprietary information.

The County will treat all information submitted in a proposal as available for public inspection once the

County has selected a contractor. If you believe that you have a legally justifiable basis under the California

Public Records Act (Government Section 6250 et. seq.) for protecting the confidentiality of any information contained within your proposal, you must identify any such information, together with the legal basis of your claim in your proposal, and present such information separately as part of your response package. OpenGov Procurement allows you to mark such documents as “confidential” when uploaded into the system.

The final determination as to whether the County will assert your claim of confidentiality on your behalf shall be at the sole discretion of the County. If the County makes a determination that your information does not meet the criteria for confidentiality, you will be notified as such. Any information deemed to be non-confidential shall be considered public record.

BASIS OF AWARD

This proposal award will be determined by factors other than price alone. The County’s sole purpose in the evaluation process is to determine from among the Responses received, which one is best suited to meet the County’s needs. Any final analysis or weighted point score does not imply that one proposal is superior to another, but simply that in our judgment the proposal(s) we select offer(s) the best overall solution for our current and anticipated needs. The County reserves the right to make modifications to any scoring and/or weight structure prior to the evaluation of responses. The responses will remain sealed during the proposal evaluation period and will be made available for public inspection upon notice of proposal award.

Bid responses will be considered valid for a period of 180 calendar days after bid closing date above.

Proposal Selection: The award of a contract may be made to the proposer whose proposal best meets the County of Sacramento’s requirements and represents the best value. The County will determine which proposal is the best value and whether it is in the interest of the County to accept the proposal. The

County reserves the right to request…