Ballots_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR BID

2024-RFB-085-PR

BALLOTS

County of Dane

City-County Building, Room 425, 53703

Madison, WI 53703

RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2024

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: October 10, 2024

RESPONSE DEADLINE: October 22, 2024, 2:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

County of Dane

REQUEST FOR BID

Ballots

I. Introduction II. Contract Term

III. Bid Guidelines and Overview IV. Bid Specifications V. Pricing Proposal

VI. Vendor Questionnaire VII. Standard Terms and Conditions

Attachments:

A - RFB Ballots_order history 2019 - 2024

B - BALLOT DELIVERY SCHEDULE

C - Sample Ballot

Request For Bid #2024-RFB-085-PR Title: Ballots

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

The purpose of this document is to provide interested parties with information to enable them to prepare and submit a bid response for: Ballot Printing Services.

The County intends to use the results of this process to award a contract(s) or issuance of purchase order for the product(s) and or services(s) stated above.

1.2. Contact Information

Megan Rogan

Purchasing Officer

Email: rogan.megan@countyofdane.com

Phone: (608) 283-1487

Department:

County Clerk

1.3. Timeline

Desired Bid Release Date September 24, 2024

Vendor Question Submission Deadline October 10, 2024, 2:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline October 22, 2024, 2:00pm mailto:rogan.megan@countyofdane.com tel:(608)283-1487

2. Contract Term

The contract shall be effective on the date indicated on the Dane County Purchase Order or the Dane

County Contract execution date. The initial term length and renewal terms available are estimates only and are subject to change.

If applicable, any optional or renewal terms are not automatic extensions. Renewal terms must be agreed upon mutually by Dane County and Contractor.

Anticipated Terms (Calendar Dates)

Term 1: January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025

Term 2: January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2026

Term 3: January 1, 2027 - December 31, 2027

Term 4: January 1, 2028 - December 31, 2028

Term 5: January 1, 2029 - December 31, 2029

3. Bid Guidelines and Overview

3.1. GENERAL SOLICITATION PROCESS

1. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

A. The County will provide reasonable accommodations, including the provision of informational material in an alternative format, for qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you need accommodations at a vendor conference or site visit, contact the Purchasing Officer listed or call WI Relay 711 for TDD Services.

2. VENDOR REGISTRATION

A. Interested vendors are required to register at the County's eProcurement Portal. Registration is free and will ensure that you receive notifications of solicitations that match your profile and category codes as well as providing the County with up-to-date company contact information.

B. Once registered, please double check to make sure your vendor information including commodity codes is up-to-date by signing into your account at the County's eProcurement

Portal.

3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A. Specific and estimated dates and times of actions related to this solicitation are listed in the timeline in the Introduction Section. The actions with specific dates must be completed as indicated unless otherwise changed by the County. In the event that the County finds it necessary to change any of the specific dates and times in the calendar of events listed below, it will do so by issuing an addendum to this RFP and posting such addendum on the Dane

County eProcurement Portal.

4. CLARIFICATION OF THE SPECIFICATIONS / QUESTIONS

A. All inquiries concerning this solicitation must be submitted via the County's eProcurement

Portal.

B. Questions must be submitted before 2:00 pm on Thursday, October 10, 2024.

1. Requests submitted after that time frame will not be considered.

C. Proposers are expected to raise any questions, exceptions, or additions they have concerning the solicitation at this point in the process. If a proposer discovers any significant ambiguity, error, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other deficiency in this solicitation, the proposer should immediately notify the contact person of such error and request modification or clarification to the solicitation document.

D. Proposers are prohibited from communicating directly with any employee of Dane County, except as described herein. No County employee or representative other than those individuals https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane listed as County contacts on this solicitation is authorized to provide any information or respond to any question or inquiry concerning this solicitation.

5. ADDENDA & REVISIONS

A. In the event that it becomes necessary to provide additional clarifying data or information, or to revise any part of this bid, addenda and/or supplements will be posted via the

County's eProcurement Portal. Bidders are responsible to regularly monitor the web site for any such postings. It is recommended to check the eProcurement Portal for addenda prior to submitting a proposal. Bidders must acknowledge the receipt/review of any addenda via the eProcurement Portal.

B. The Purchasing Division has the sole authority for modifications to specifications and/or the solicitation document.

6. INSPECTION OF PREMISES/VENDOR SITE VISIT - when applicable

A. When applicable, bidder’s may inspect site(s) prior to submitting bids to determine all requirements associated with the project by contacting Megan Rogan. Failure to do so will in no way relieve the successful bidder from the necessity of providing, without additional cost to the

County, all necessary services that may be required to carry out the intent of the resulting contract.

3.2. BID / PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Dane County strongly encourages all vendors to submit proposals well in advance of the solicitation deadline. By doing so, if there are any technical difficulties, there is time to attempt to resolve the situation before the deadline. Late bids will not be accepted.

If there are technical difficulties while trying to submit, first, contact OpenGov Support by clicking into the small blue circle on the bottom, right side of your screen while logged into the OpenGov system.

1. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

A. Dane County reserves the right to accept any part of this bid deemed to be in the best interest of the County. The County also retains the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

B. Proposals must be submitted via the County's eProcurement Portal before 2:00 pm on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. Late, faxed, mailed, hand-delivered, or incomplete proposals will be rejected unless otherwise specified. Dane County is not liable for any cost incurred by proposers in replying to this solicitation.

C. To Submit a Proposal:

1. Register at the County's eProcurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane

2. Click on the green "+Subscribe" button on the left side of the screen and proceed to create an account or sign in if an account already exists.

3. Once registered, click on the "draft" button to draft your proposal.

4. Provide company information

5. Complete the entire Vendor Questionnaire

6. Where indicated, upload the required documents.

7. The file upload status can be seen for each document uploaded.

8. Confirm all files have been uploaded

9. Review your work and click on "submit" proposal

10. Acknowledge any addenda

2. MULTIPLE PROPOSALS & ACCEPTANCE

A. Multiple proposals from a vendor will be permissible; however, the proposer must create separate accounts with separate log-in sequences, emails, and passwords on the

County’s eProcurement Portal. Each such proposal must be submitted separately and labeled as

Proposal #1, Proposal #2, etc.

B. Please message procurementsupport@opengov.com with any questions regarding set up.

3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING COST PROPOSALS

A. The Cost Proposal section of this solicitation will either be incorporated into the system as a

Pricing Table or as a separate Cost Proposal Attachment that must be downloaded, completed, saved, and uploaded to the Vendor Questionnaire section.

B. Price(s) quoted shall include all labor, materials, equipment, shipping and other costs and conditions outlined within the bid. Pricing shall remain fixed.

4. RIGHT TO REJECT PROPOSALS & NEGOTIATE CONTRACT TERMS

A. The County reserves the right to accept any part of a submission deemed to be in the best interest of the County and to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate the terms of the contract, including the award amount, with the selected proposer prior to entering into a contract. If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with the highest scoring proposer, the County may negotiate a contract with the next highest scoring proposer.

3.3. VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE DEFINITIONS

1. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

mailto:procurementsupport@opengov.com

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(11)(c-e), a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally

Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor may be invited to match the low bid if the low bid is offered by a vendor that is not identified as a Locally Based and Owned Vendor, Locally Operated Vendor, or Non-Locally Operated Vendor according to Dane County Ordinance requirements. Local Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

Locally Based and Owned Vendors:

1. When bids are reviewed, the County will determine if a Locally Based and Owned Vendor responding to the bid is the low bidder. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is the low bidder, they will be awarded the bid.

2. If a Locally Based and Owned Vendor is not the low bidder but is within 15% of the low bid, the

County will contact the Locally Based and Owned Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

3. If no Locally Based and Owned Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Based and Owned Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Locally

Operated Vendor has responded to the bid.

Locally Operated Vendors:

4. If a Locally Operated Vendor is within 10% of the low bid, the County will contact the Locally

Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

5. If no Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Locally Operated

Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will determine if a Non-Locally Operated

Vendor has responded to the bid.

Non-Locally Operated Vendors:

6. If a Non-Locally Operated Vendor is within 5% of the low bid, the County will contact the Non-

Locally Operated Vendor and provide that vendor the option of matching the low bid price.

7. If no Non-Locally Operated Vendors are among the responding bidders, or the Non-Locally

Operated Vendor declines to match the low bid, then the County will award the bid to the low bidder without regard to the location of the vendor.

2. LOCAL VENDOR PURCHASING PREFERENCE - applicable to RFPs - DOES NOT APPLY TO PUBLIC WORKS

BIDS

A. Under County ordinances, a Local Vendor is defined as a supplier or provider of equipment, materials, supplies or services that has an established place of business within the County of

Dane. An established place of business means a physical office, plant or other facility. A post office box address does not qualify a vendor as a Local Vendor.

1. County ordinance provides that a local vendor (within Dane County) automatically receive five points toward the evaluation score.

2. County ordinance provides that vendors located within the counties adjacent to Dane County

(Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk) automatically receive two points toward the evaluation score.

3. LOCAL CONTENT VENDOR PREFERENCE - generally only applicable to RFBs - DOES NOT APPLY TO

PUBLIC WORKS BIDS

A. Under Dane County Ordinance 25.08(4)(f-j), bidders offering goods made in Dane County, its surrounding counties, or the State of Wisconsin receive a price preference on sealed bid solicitations. Bids are first evaluated to determine if any bidders are offering products that qualify as Dane County-Made Goods, Regionally-Made Goods, or Wisconsin-Made Goods. Local

Vendor Preferences do not apply to bids for sand, gravel, salt, asphalt and concrete.

B. A bidder offering Dane County-Made Goods will be considered the successful bidder if their price is up to 15% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Dane County-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Regionally-

Made Goods. If so, then such a bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 12.5% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Regionally-Made Goods. If no vendors meet this criteria, then the County will determine if any bidder is offering Wisconsin-Made Goods. If so, that bidder will be considered successful if their price is up to 10% higher than the low bid for goods that are not Wisconsin-Made Goods. If no vendors are offering Dane County-Made, Regionally-Made, or Wisconsin-Made Goods, then the County will evaluate the low bid without regard to the content of the goods.

4. FAIR LABOR PRACTICES CERTIFICATION

A. Dane County Ord. 25.09 (1) is as follows:

1. (28) BIDDER RESPONSIBILITY. (a) Any bid, application or proposal for any contract with the county, including public works contracts regulated under chapter 40, shall include a certification indicating whether the bidder has been found by the National Labor Relations

Board (NLRB) or the Wisconsin Employment Relations Committee (WERC) to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations within the last seven years.

The purchasing manager shall investigate any such finding and make a recommendation to the committee, which shall determine whether the conduct resulting in the finding affects the bidder’s responsibility to perform the contract.

B. If a company indicates that they have been found by the NLRB or WERC to have such a violation in the Vendor Questionnaire section, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation with is required to be uploaded with the bid submission.

C. Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

5. COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

A. Participating in cooperative purchasing gives vendors the opportunity for additional sales without additional bidding. Municipalities and state agencies use cooperative purchasing to expedite purchases. A “municipality” is defined as any county, city, village, town, school district, https://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/ board of school directors, sewer district, drainage district, vocational, technical and adult education district, or any other public body having authority to award public contracts (s.

16.70(8), Wis. Stats.). Federally recognized Indian tribes and bands in this state may participate in cooperative purchasing with the state or any municipality under ss. 66.0301(1) and (20, Wis.

Stats.

B. In the Vendor Questionnaire section, you will have the opportunity to participate in allowing municipalities and state agencies to piggyback this bid. Participation is not mandatory. A vendor’s decision on participating in this service has no effect on awarding the bid.

C. Dane County is not a party to these purchases or any dispute arising from these purchases and is not liable for delivery or payment of any of these purchases.

6. DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETY INFORMATION - generally only applicable to RFPs

A. All restrictions on the use of data contained within a proposal and all confidential information must be clearly stated on the Vendor Information Attachment under the “Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information” section.

B. Proprietary information submitted in a proposal, or in response to the RFP, will be handled in accordance with the applicable Wisconsin State Statute(s).

C. Submitted pricing will always become public information when proposals are opened and therefore cannot be designated as confidential.

D. Other information cannot be kept confidential unless it is a trade secret. Trade secret is defined in Sect. 134(80)(1)(c) Wis. State Statutes, as follows: "Trade secret" means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method technique or process to which all of the following apply:

1. The information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use.

2. The information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.

E. To the extent permitted by law, it is the intention of Dane County to withhold the contents of the proposal from public view until such times as competitive or bargaining reasons no longer require non-disclosure, in the opinion of Dane County. At that time, all proposals will be available for review in accordance with the Wisconsin Open Records Law.

F. In the event the Designation of Confidentiality of this information is challenged, is required to provide legal counsel or other necessary assistance to defend the Designation of Confidentiality.

G. Failure to designate confidential and proprietary information within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment may mean that all information provided as part of the proposal response will be open to examination or copying. The County considers other markings of confidential in the proposal document to be insufficient. The undersigned agrees to hold the County harmless for any damages arising out of the release of any material unless they are specifically identified within the Designation of

Confidential and Proprietary Information section of the Vendor Information Attachment.

3.4. EVALUATION

1. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

A. The proposals will first be reviewed to determine if all applicable requirements are met. Failure to meet mandatory requirements may result in the proposal being rejected. In the event that all vendors do not meet one or more of the mandatory requirements, the County reserves the right to continue the evaluation of the proposals and to select the proposal which most closely meets the requirements specified in the solicitation.

2. PROPOSAL SCORING - applicable to RFPs

A. Accepted proposals will be reviewed by an evaluation team and scored against the stated criteria in the evaluation section of the RFP posting. This scoring will determine the ranking of vendors based upon their written proposals. If the team determines that it is in the best interest of the County to require a Phase 2 Evaluation which may include oral presentations, the highest-ranking vendors will be invited to make such presentations. Those vendors that participate in the interview process will then be scored, and the final ranking will be made based upon those scores.RFP Cost Proposal's will be scored using a standard quantitative calculation where the most cost criteria points will be awarded to the proposal with the lowest cost.

3. ORAL PRESENTATIONS/INTERVIEW - applicable to RFPs

A. Top ranked selected proposers may be required to make oral interview presentations and/or site visits to supplement their proposals, if requested by the County. The County will make every reasonable attempt to schedule each presentation at a time and location that is agreeable to the proposer. Failure of a proposer to conduct a presentation to the County on the date scheduled may result in rejection of the vendor’s proposal.

3.5. AWARD

1. RFB AWARD

A. The County will award the bid to the most responsive and responsible bidder whose bid is most advantageous to the County. In determining the most advantageous bid, the County may consider criteria such as, but not limited to, cost, bidder’s past performance and/or service reputation, and service capability, quality of the bidder’s staff or services, customer satisfaction, references, the extent to which the bidder’s staff or services meet the County’s needs, bidder’s past relationship with the County, total long term cost to the County, fleet continuity and any other relevant criteria listed in this solicitation.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

2. RFP AWARD

A. An RFP award will typically be granted in one of two ways.

1. The award may be granted to the highest scoring responsive and responsible proposer.

2. Alternatively, the highest scoring proposer or proposers may be requested to submit final and best offers. If final and best offers are requested, they will be evaluated against the stated criteria, scored and ranked. The award will then be granted to the highest scoring proposer.

B. A resulting award and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any Subcontractor’s performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. PAYMENT TERMS AND INVOICING

A. Unless otherwise agreed upon in writing, Dane County will pay properly submitted vendor invoices within thirty (30) days of receipt of goods or services. Payment will not be made until goods or services are delivered, installed (if required), and accepted as specified. Invoices presented for payment shall be submitted to via email to the Department Invoice Email

Address shown on the Bill To section of the PO issued. The Dane County purchase order number must be noted on the submitted invoice.

B. Other incidental or standard industry charges not identified herein, are not allowed under this contract. Miscellaneous service charges used to help the Contractor pay various fluctuating current and future costs are not allowed. These charges include, but are not limited to, costs directly or indirectly related to the environment, energy issues, fuel charges, service and delivery of goods and services.

4. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD

A. Upon finalizing the award, a notification email may be sent via the OpenGov system showing the awarded vendor(s).

B. As a courtesy, the County may send a Notice of Intent letter to responding vendors at the time of the award. - applicable to RFPs

C. Written notice of award to a vendor in the form of a purchase order or other document, mailed or emailed to the address shown on the bid will be considered sufficient notice of acceptance of bid.

5. CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE

A. The successful vendor is required to submit to Dane County a Certificate of Insurance prior to performing any work under this contract. The certificate is required prior to issuance of purchase order. See Section 22.0 Insurance Responsibility in the Standard Terms & Conditions.

B. Please contact your insurance representative to issue an Additional Insured Endorsement naming County of Dane, a municipal corporation, its boards, commissions, agencies, officers, employees and representatives listed as an ADDITIONAL INSURED on the General Liability policy.

C. Indicate mailing address as:

o County of Dane

Risk Management

City County Building Room 425

210 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

Madison, WI 53703

D. Please inform your insurance representative that you have agreed to provide us with 30 Days written notice in the event of cancellation for any reason before the expiration date of your policy or policies.

E. Call 608-266-4965 with any questions.

6. PERMITS & LICENSES

A. The Contractor selected under this bid shall be required to obtain the necessary permits and licenses prior to performing any work under this contract. The Contractor will be required to demonstrate valid possession of appropriate required licenses and will keep them in effect for the term of this contract.

B. Contractor must be financially responsible for obtaining all required permits and licenses to comply with pertinent regulations, municipal, county, State of Wisconsin and Federal laws, and shall assume liability for all applicable taxes.

7. SATISFACTORY WORK

A. Any work found to be in any way defective or unsatisfactory shall be corrected by the

Contractor at its own expense at the order of the County. The County also reserves the right to contract out services not satisfactorily completed and to purchase substitute services elsewhere. The County reserves the right to charge the vendor with any or all costs incurred or retain/deduct the amount of such costs incurred from any monies due or which may become due under this contract.

8. GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

A. All materials, equipment, and supplies provided to the County must fully comply with all safety requirements as set forth by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and all applicable OSHA

Standards. Bidders shall comply with all local, state and federal regulations, directives and laws.

9. DANE COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

A. On October 18, 2012, the Dane County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 103, 2012-2013 establishing the following sustainability principles for the county:

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to dependence upon persistent chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances;

o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to encroachment upon nature and harm to life-sustaining ecosystems (e.g., land, water, wildlife, forest, soil, ecosystems); and o Reduce and eventually eliminate Dane County government’s contribution to conditions that undermine people’s ability to meet their basic human needs.

3.6. CONTRACTING

1. CONTRACT/PROJECT ADMINISTRATION

A. The County department(s) utilizing the service will be responsible for drafting, coordinating, monitoring and administering the resulting service contract/purchase order. The department shall be responsible for notifying the awarded vendor about contract renewals or extensions.

Any modifications or additions to the contract(s)/purchase order(s) shall be communicated by the department to the Purchasing Division.

2. CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT - SUBCONTRACTORS

A. A resulting contract and any part thereof shall not be subcontracted or assigned to another

Contractor without prior written permission of the County. The Contractor shall be directly responsible for any subcontractor's performance and work quality when used by the Contractor to carry out the scope of the job. Subcontractors must abide by all terms and conditions under this Contract.

3. CONTRACT ADDITIONS

A. The County reserves the right to add new items and locations at a price conforming to other like items on the contract. The procedure for such additions shall be as follows:

1. The County Purchasing Officer will contact the vendor requesting pricing for the item(s) to be added.

2. The vendor, within three working days, should respond in writing and include the bid number, contract period and the price for each item or service to be provided.

3. Upon receipt, the County shall issue a Change Order adding the service or product(s) to the

Contract or Purchase Order.

B. The County reserves the right to accept or reject prices and obtain bids on the open market for these add ons.

C. When applicable, Contractor may be required to sign a Dane County Contract.

4. CONTRACT TERMINATION

A. If for any reason the successful contractor fails to fulfill the requirements of the contract for providing the specified services, the County shall have the right to cancel the contract at any time and negotiate for the services with another contractor.

4. Bid Specifications

Dane County as represented by the Purchasing Division will accept bids for the purchase of specified item(s) as described within this document.

The specifications below describe an acceptable product. Minor variations in specification may be accepted if, in the opinion of County staff, they do not adversely affect the quality, maintenance or performance of the item(s). Dane County reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, to waive informalities and to choose the bid that best meets the specifications and needs of the County.

Specification Compliance:

1. Bidder shall review every numbered specification listed within this section.

2. Any deviation from the minimum specifications stated herein must be identified in detail in the Bid

Spec Deviations section of the Vendor Questionnaire and must include a description of how the proposed item(s) differ from the bid specification requirements, along with detailed justification for such deviation.

3. Bidder shall include photos and schematics as necessary, for complete clarification. If additional documents are needed to explain and illustrate deviations, upload that file to the Supplemental

Documents section of the Vendor Questionnaire.

4.1. Scope of Services

Dane County is seeking a vendor to print ballots for elections within Dane County for an initial contract term of three years (January 1, 2025- December 31, 2027). After the initial contract term, there will be two (2) possible one-year extensions by mutual agreement of the County and the Vendor.

Ballots will be printed for the DS-200 voting system, according to the specifications of the vendor, Election System & Software (ES&S).

4.2. Types of Ballots

Dane County requires the following types of ballots:

• 1 sided, 2 column ballots – bid for 11”, 14”, 17” and 19”

• 1 sided, 3 column ballots - bid for 11”, 14”, 17” and 19”

• 2 sided, 2 column ballots – bid for 11”, 14”, 17” and 19”

• 2 sided, 3 column ballots - bid for 11”, 14”, 17” and 19”

4.3. Paper & Print Specifications

The printer is responsible for supplying ALL paper. All ballots are printed using black ink on 80# index paper, with the following specifications:

Basis Wt GSM Caliper Smoothness Brightness Opacity

80 118 6.2 130 96 96.0

Ballots will be on white paper, but certain elections will require various colored stripes on the right side of the ballot. The colored stripe will be 9 “ long by ¼” wide. We may require several different colors, depending on the election, or none at all. Bidder must supply the per ballot cost to add the colored stripe. This stripe is used to differentiate ballot types (i.e. school districts) within one municipality. This stripe takes the place of using colored sheets of paper since the DS200 will not accept colored paper.

The maximum ballot length is 19”. The minimum ballot length is 11”. All ballots will be 8.5” wide.

All ballots must be cut evenly along the cut lines. The registration of each ballot is critical. Each ballot must be the exact size to allow it to fit into the optical scan voting equipment. There can be no cutter pull.

Absentee ballots will be the same color as the regular ballots. Absentee ballots shall be scored so they can fit into a #12 absentee envelope (4 ¾ x 11). Scores shall not interfere with the ovals on the ballot. This must be checked by the printer prior to scoring. Each header code may be different, so extreme care must be taken in the scoring of ALL ballot types to ensure the scores do not interfere with the ovals.

Sample ballots are always yellow. The “SAMPLE” watermark should be light enough so as not to interfere with the candidate information below the watermark. For each election a limited number of sample ballots will be needed for each municipality to meet requirements for public posting.

4.4. Ballot Printing Process

The County Clerk will provide an estimate as to the approximate number of ballots needed, with the number of header codes required, 3 to 4 weeks prior to printing.

The County Clerk will send the ballot proofs to the printer in a PDF file. The successful bidder will reprint ballots that are not printed correctly (i.e. cut incorrectly, missing information [information lost from the disc provided by the county], etc.) at their expense.

The printer shall be available by telephone at all times on election day, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The printer shall check in with the County Clerk at 6 p.m. to be sure there are no other municipalities that need additional ballots.

4.5. Ballot Delivery

The provider will deliver ballots to the municipalities by the required deadlines per election. These deadlines are available on the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) election calendar, and the County

Clerk will provide a copy of this to the printer at the beginning of each year. The County Clerk shall email the printer with a reminder of these deadlines prior to each election. These vary depending on having federal issues on a ballot. The County is requiring that the City of Madison have its ballots delivered a minimum of 2 days prior to the deadline in the WEC calendar, and that all other Dane

County Municipal Clerks have their ballots a minimum of one day prior to the required deadline.

The printer is responsible for delivery and if this is contracted out to another vendor, the printer must ensure that all ballots are delivered within the timeline above. Delivery should take place within a one day period. (If Madison is done separately, then one day for the City of Madison, and one for the rest of

Dane County). The printer will supply the County Clerk with a schedule from the delivery source of when the ballots will be delivered. The drop off sites for each municipality are attached, and will be reviewed and subject to change prior to each election. The County Clerk shall provide any changes in proposed deliver route to the printer with the PDF files.

4.6. Ballot Printing Schedule for 2025

The schedule for 2025 is included below. Schedules for future years will follow the same timeframes accounting for the different election dates (also available via ATTACHMENT B):

Schedule for 2025 - 2027 (pdf to printer are approximate dates)

ELECTION DATES PDF TO PRINTER ABSENTEE BALLOTS DUE

2025 2025 2025

February 18, 2025 January 13, 2025 January 27, 2025

April 1, 2025 February 25, 2025 March 10, 2025

2026 2026 2026

February 17, 2026 January 12, 2026 January 26, 2026

April 7, 2026 March 2, 2026 March 16, 2026

August 18, 2026 June 16, 2026 June 30, 2026

November 3, 2026 September 1, 2026 September 15, 2026

2027 2027 2027

February 16, 2027 January 11, 2027 January 25, 2027

April 6, 2027 March 1, 2027 March 15, 2027

Note. Sometimes the legal deadlines cannot be met due to delays by the WEC. We will work closely with the printer to assure that at least the absentees will be produced and delivered as timely as possible. The dates listed “pdf sent to printer” are estimated dates only. The files will be sent with as much advanced notice as possible. The “Absentee Ballots Due” dates are the statutory deadlines.

4.7. Ballot Order History

Via the ATTACHMENTS section of this bid, please download ATTACHMENT A - Ballot Order History - for information on quantities of ballots ordered from 2019 - Present

4.8. Ballot Pre-Test Procedure

The provider shall print a pre-test deck of ballots (i.e. a selection of header codes, totaling approximately 100 ballots) for every election as directed by the county clerk’s office. This pre-test deck of ballots shall be delivered to the county clerk’s office ahead of any mass printing. The county clerk’s office shall test these ballots immediately and provide the go-ahead for the full printing.

The provider shall also print a software generated pdf test deck (in which ovals are filled in by the software, totaling between 1,000 and 2,000 ballots) for every election as directed by the county clerk’s office. This test deck of ballots shall be delivered to the county clerk’s office, but this may occur after the delivery of absentee ballots to municipalities.

4.9. Vendor Requirements

All work listed shall be performed in a thorough and professional manner and in accordance with accepted industry methods and practices. All work shall be in strict compliance with all local and state codes, ordinances, laws, and policies. Federal law now mandates when ballots MUST be to the local clerks. These laws and timelines must be met for each election cycle.

During any election cycle (the time from which the printer receives the PDF file, until the day after an election) NO POLITICAL SIGNS may be posted at the printers location. This will not prevent the printer from actually printing political signs for customers, but will not allow them to post political signs on their facilities. The County needs to maintain its non-partisan effectiveness and the displaying of political signs may be construed as partisanship.

The provider shall provide an adequate number of competent, properly trained personnel with sufficient supervision to provide the required services at all times. The provider shall provide all personnel with a complete set of specifications and schedules to ensure all required services are completed. The time frame between some elections may be extremely short, and mandatory overtime of personnel, on a 3 shift rotation, may be needed to ensure the work is done timely.

The provider must have adequate equipment to perform the requirements of this bid. There should either be back up equipment available or an emergency plan by the provider to use other equipment if needed to ensure the ballots are printed timely. In the case of very large elections or shorter time frames with “special” elections, the provider may choose to print the absentee ballots first and deliver only the absentees on the first run to ensure the timelines are met. The regular ballots could then be delivered within the next week. Additional delivery charges will not be paid if the provider chooses to run the ballots in two deliveries to meet the deadlines.

The provider must have adequate storage space to accommodate the storage of paper needed, and all equipment needed to facilitate packaging of ballots in shrink wrapped bundles of 200 each. If the bundle is less than 200 the quantity must be clearly marked on the front of the bundle. Ballots for each municipality will be in a separate, securely sealed cardboard box(es) , clearly marked as to its contents, (i.e. absentee ballots) and the quantity of each header code. The printer will have an adequate supply of paper and personnel on election day to produce any ballots that may have to be reprinted due to errors, or to print ballots on demand for election day shortages. These ballots will be produced at the same cost as the preordered ballots. The successful bidder must be willing to accept and print orders received until 5p.m. on election day, and to deliver them to the polling site within 2 hours of the order being placed.

Any work found to be in any way defective or unsatisfactory shall be corrected by the Provider at its own expense at the order of the County. The County also reserves the right to contract out services not satisfactorily completed and to purchase substitute services elsewhere. The County reserves the right to charge the vendor with any or all costs incurred or retain/deduct the amount of such costs incurred from any monies due or which may become due under this contract.

5. Pricing Proposal

Pricing shall be inclusive of all labor, delivery costs and other expenses necessary to provide product in accordance with the specifications and terms and conditions of this bid document and your proposal.

1 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS - ALL BALLOTS WILL BE 8.5" WIDE

Pricing shall be inclusive of all labor, delivery costs and other expenses necessary to provide product in accordance with the specifications and terms and conditions of this bid and your proposal. Vendors are required to provide pricing for all types of ballots listed in the Pricing Proposal. Bids which fail to provide pricing for any of the ballot types listed will be rejected.

Line Item BALLOT TYPE SIZE Unit Cost

1 1 sided, 2 column ballots 11 Inch

2 1 sided, 2 column ballots 14 inch

3 1 sided, 2 column ballots 17 inch

4 1 sided, 2 column ballots 19 inch

1 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS - ALL BALLOTS WILL BE 8.5" WIDE

Line Item BALLOT TYPE SIZE Unit Cost

5 1 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 11 Inch

6 1 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 14 inch

7 1 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 17 inch

8 1 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 19 inch

2 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS - ALL BALLOTS WILL BE 8.5" WIDE

9 2 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS 11 Inch

10 2 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS 14 inch

11 2 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS 17 inch

12 2 SIDED, 2 COLUMN BALLOTS 19 inch

2 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS - ALL BALLOTS WILL BE 8.5" WIDE

13 2 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 11 Inch

14 2 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 14 inch

15 2 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 17 inch

16 2 SIDED, 3 COLUMN BALLOTS 19 inch

ADDITIONAL FEES

Line Item Description Unit of Measure Unit Cost

17 COST FOR COLORED STRIP, IF ANY Each Ballot

18 DELIVERY FEES Per Trip

PERCENT INCREASE FOR YEARS 2 - 5

Line Item Description Unit of Measure Percentage

19 PERCENT INCREASE FOR 2026 %

20 PERCENT INCREASE FOR 2027 %

21 PERCENT INCREASE FOR 2028 %

22 PERCENT INCREASE FOR 2029 %

6. Vendor Questionnaire

6.1. BID DOCUMENT UPLOADS

6.1.1. Single Proposal Submission*

Only 1 proposal is allowed to be submitted per Vendor Account. This means if you are submitting multiple proposals, you must follow the instructions set forth within the Section 2.2 Bid Guidelines and

Overview - Multiple Proposals & Acceptance.

It is understood that if multiple proposals are uploaded using 1 vendor account, the entire submission will be subject to disqualification.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.1.2. Upload supplemental documents

Upload any additional or required information documents that supplements the bid submission.

6.1.3. Upload W9*

Upload your company's W9 form.

NOTE: The W9 is required to be signed within the past 12 months

*Response required

6.2. VENDOR INFORMATION

6.2.1. Local Content Vendor Preference*

Select a Local Content Vendor Preference:

Dane County Made Criteria:

1. An article that is manufactured, mined, produced or grown in the Dane County and;

2. Over 50% of the total cost of its components are made in Dane County.

Regionally Made Criteria:

1. An article that is manufactured, mined, produced or grown in one of the following counties: Dane, Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, or Sauk and;

2. Over 50% of the total cost of its components are made in one of the following counties: Dane, Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, or Sauk.

Wisconsin Made Criteria

1. An article that is manufactured, mined, produced or grown in the State of Wisconsin and;

2. Over 50% of the total cost of its components are made in the State of Wisconsin.

NOTE: “Component”, as referenced in the above criteria, means an article, materials, or supply incorporated directly into a finished product.

☐ Dane County-Made

☐ Regionally-Made

☐ Wisconsin-Made

☐ No Preference

*Response required

6.2.2. Local Vendor Preference *

Select a Local Vendor Preference:

Locally Based and Owned Vendor Criteria

1. Your business or corporate headquarters is physically located in Dane County and;

2. Your business owners or shareholders totaling more than 50% of ownership live in Dane County and;

3. Your business is registered and authorized to do business in the State of Wisconsin.

Locally Operated Vendor Criteria

1. Your business is registered and authorized to do business in the State of Wisconsin and;

2. Your business has an established place of business within Dane County.

Non-Locally Operated Vendor Criteria

1. Your business is registered and authorized to do business in the State of Wisconsin and;

2. Your business has an established place of business in one of the following Wisconsin Counties:

Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, or Sauk.

NOTE: A post office box address does not qualify as an established place of business.

☐ Locally Based & Owned Vendor

☐ Locally Operated Vendor

☐ Non-Locally Operated Vendor

☐ No Preference

*Response required

6.2.3. Cooperative Purchasing*

Reference General Guidelines - Section 8.

Does your company agree to furnish the commodities or services of this bid to municipalities and state agencies?

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

6.2.4. Fair Labor Practice Certification*

Has your company been found by the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") or the Wisconsin

Employment Relations Commission ("WERC") to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed?

If yesis answered, a copy of any relevant information regarding such violation is required to be uploaded with your bid submission.

Additional information about the NLRB and WERC can be found using the following links:

www.nlrb.gov and http://werc.wi.gov.

☐ No, our company has NOT been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

☐ Yes, our company HAS been found by the NLRB or the WERC to have violated any statute or regulation regarding labor standards or relations in the seven years prior to the date this bid submission is signed.

*Response required

6.3. BID SPECIFICATIONS

6.3.1. Bid Specifications*

Vendor complies and agrees to all Bid Specifications listed on the Bid Specifications Page.

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

6.4. BID DEVIATIONS

6.4.1. Specification Deviations*

If there are no specification deviations, write in "None"

If there are specifications deviations, provide the Spec # and deviation explanation for each deviation.

*Response required

6.5. BID ADDENDA

6.5.1. I understand that if any addendum is issued I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum. * ☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.5.2. If an addendum is posted after I have submitted my bid response and the resulting addendum requires action to be taken either in the Specification Section or Pricing Section, I understand that:*

1. I will have to unsubmit my bid response.

2. I will have to acknowledge the posted addendum.

http://www.nlrb.gov/ http://werc.wi.gov/ https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/countyofdane/projects/116970/document?section=1072686

3. I will have to take action in responding to the changes on either the Specification Section or Pricing

Section.

4. I will then have to resubmit my bid response.

Further instructions on addendum(a) postings can be found here.

☐ Please confirm

*Response required

6.6. SIGNATURE AFFIDAVIT

6.6.1. Solicitation Response Signature Affidavit*

This is an electronic signature form via DocuSign that is required to be signed upon finalizing submission of bid or proposal.

NOTE: For detailed instructions on how to complete the forms via DocuSign, please access the help articles below:

How to Complete DocuSign Forms

How to Download, Complete and Upload without DocuSign

Click here to go to the form

*Response required

6.6.2. Please provide Delivery Method of Ballots in the space below:* *Response required https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/4413350-managing-addenda https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/5659414-how-to-complete-docusign-forms https://help.procurement.opengov.com/en/articles/5608000-how-to-download-docusign-forms https://na4.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=edc59ca5-ec84-4fbd-949b-c65e2eec75b7&env=na4&acct=89dea4ef-d946-42fe-b789-43edb8d4c6b1&v=2

7. Standard Terms and Conditions

7.1. APPLICABILITY

The terms and conditions set forth in this document apply to Requests for Proposals (RFP), Bids and all other transactions whereby the County of Dane acquires goods or services, or both.

7.2. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Standard Terms and Conditions shall apply to any contract, including any purchase order, awarded as a result of this request. Special requirements of a resulting contract may also apply. Said written contract with referenced parts and attachments shall constitute the entire agreement, and no other terms and conditions in any document, acceptance, or acknowledgment shall be effective or binding unless expressly agreed to in writing by the County. Unless otherwise stated in the agreement, these standard terms conditions supersede any other terms and/or conditions applicable to this agreement.

7.3. DEFINITIONS

As used herein, “vendor” includes a provider of goods or services, or both, who is responding to an RFP or a bid, and “bid” includes a response to either an RFP or a bid.

7.4. SPECIFICATIONS

The specifications herein are the minimum acceptable. When specific manufacturer and model numbers are used, they are to establish a design, type of construction, quality, functional capability or performance level, or any combination thereof, desired. When alternates are proposed, they must be identified by manufacturer, stock number, and such other information necessary to establish equivalency. Dane County shall be the sole judge of equivalency. Vendors are cautioned to avoid proposing alternates to the specifications that may result in rejection of their bid.

7.5. DEVIATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

Deviations and exceptions from terms, conditions, or specifications shall be described fully in writing, signed, and attached to the bid. In the absence of such statement, the bid shall be accepted as in strict compliance with all terms, conditions, and specifications and vendor shall be held liable for injury resulting from any deviation.

7.6. QUALITY

Unless otherwise indicated in the request, all material shall be first quality.