Description of Work & Bid Form - Nov 2026 VIGs.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 43 KB Posted
- Attached to
- BOE Voter Information Guides - Nov 2026 General
- Solicitation number
- 7150
- Issued by
- Cuyahoga County, Ohio
About this file
This is a Request for Bids (RFB) issued by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for printing and mailing services related to Voter Information Guides (VIGs) for the November 3, 2026 General Election. The project involves the printing and mailing of approximately 493,000 VIGs to Ohio voters. The RFB was posted on July 21, 2026, with bids due by 11:00 AM Eastern on July 28, 2026. Vendor approval is scheduled for August 4, 2026. The project timeline includes multiple proof submission and approval phases: artwork proofs due August 26, 2026; shell printing approval by August 27, 2026; final precinct proofs due September 4, 2026; and variable data printing approval by September 8, 2026. Delivery of completed VIGs to the USPS Business Mail Entry Unit in Cleveland must occur between September 22-24, 2026, with no deliveries permitted before or after these dates without Board approval.
Pricing must be quoted on a per-thousand (per M) basis and shall be all-inclusive of programming, setup, delivery, and all associated fees. The vendor is responsible for printing on 80# text weight white opaque uncoated stock in 2/2 color (black, PMS 295C blue, and PMS 1795C red), printing variable data including household names, addresses, precinct information, and Intelligent Mail barcodes, folding and sealing materials per USPS specifications, and processing CSV data using CASS-certified software with sorting to nonprofit automated walk sequence. The Board of Elections will provide artwork by August 25, 2026, and the CSV data file by August 28, 2026. Postage will be pre-paid by the Board using permit #3452. The RFB notes that the quantity of 493,000 is an estimate subject to change due to circumstances beyond the Board's control, which may result in increases or decreases in final quantities and potential variable data changes during the printing process.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Terms and Conditions.pdf | ||
| Voter Info Guide - SAMPLE ONLY.pdf |
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Description of Work
| The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is requesting bids for the job of: | |
| Printing and Mailing of Voter Information Guides (VIGs) |
for the November 3, 2026 General Election
| RFB Event # 7150 | |
| Quantity | Vendor Responsibilities |
879,000 Printing - Stock: 80# Text Weight Stock; White, Opaque, Uncoated, Smooth Offset; (White Finch Opaque or comparable stock)
- Printing: Print 2/2 (black, PMS 295C blue, and PMS 1795C red). No Bleeds.
- Finish Size: 8.5" x 11"
- Quantity: Approximately 493,000 Voter Information Guides to be printed and mailed.
- After receiving the artwork from the Board of Elections ("CCBOE"), the Vendor must submit a PDF proof of the artwork to the Board's Executive Office by Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
- The Vendor shall print the voters' household name, address information, and Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) in the appropriate locations on one side of each VIG. Vendor will also print the voters' precinct name, poll location name and address, and district information in the appropriate locations on each notice. For some households, an additional "Alert" of a new polling location shall be affixed.
- Proofs: Provide 1 proof per each of the approximate 897 precincts. Proofs shall be sorted alphabetically by precinct and delivered via email in PDF format for approval by the Board by Friday, September 4, 2026. The Board will send the approval to print by Tuesday, September 8, 2026 if there are no errors. Vendor CANNOT begin printing variable data until proofs have written approval by the Board of Elections. Proof(s) shall be sent to Peter James (pjames@cuyahogacounty.gov) and BOE Fiscal Services (boefiscalservices@cuyahogacounty.gov).
- PLEASE NOTE: Quantity is best estimate as of the time of this RFB event and is subject to change. Fluctuations in quantity may occur due to changes beyond the control of the Board of Elections which may result in an increase or decrease in the final number of guides printed/mailed as well as the possibility of variable data changes mid-print.
Pricing to be quoted on the bid form is per thousand (per M) & inclusive of all fees (programming, setup, etc.).
879,000 Mailing - Required Assembly: Fold in half and apply spot glue seal or 2 tabs (wafer seals) per USPS specifications.
- Variable Data: Process information from comma separated value CSV file with CASS certified software. CSV file will be provided by the Board and will include the following: household names, addresses, precinct name, poll location name and address. Sort to nonprofit automated walk sequence (USPS authorization #1715595). Remove all NCOAs/Vacant/Non-USPS address records. The Vendor shall not substantively change or update the address information on any record in a file unless specifically requested by the Board.
- Mail Preparation: Tray VIGs and prepare all required USPS paperwork to meet "Standard Mail Automation Letters" Requirements. Postage will be pre-paid on Board of Elections permit #3452
- Delivery: Deliveries must be made to the USPS Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) at 2400 Orange Ave, Cleveland, OH 44101. Deliveries to the USPS BMEU may begin on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 and must be completed no later than Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 4:00pm Eastern.
Pricing to be quoted on the bid form is per thousand (per M) & inclusive of all fees (programming, setup, delivery, etc.).
CCBOE Responsibilities
- Board of Elections ("CCBOE") is to provide artwork via ZIP file in Adobe InDesign CS6 and a high resolution PDF format by Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Information on font type, color, and graphics will be included with the artwork.
- The CCBOE Executive Office will send the approval to print for the shells by Thursday, August 27, 2026 if there are no errors.
- A data file will be sent to the Vendor by the CCBOE IS Department by Friday, August 28, 2026.
- The CCBOE Executive Office will give approval to print on the final proofs by Tuesday, September 8, 2026 if there are no errors.
Project Timeline
| Printing and Mailing of Voter Information Guides (VIGs) | ||||
| for the | 11/3/26 | General Election | ||
| Project Timeline | ||||
| Date | Day of Week | Description | ||
| 07/21/26 | Tuesday | RFB is posted to Infor Supplier Portal and Board's Website. | ||
| 07/28/26 | Tuesday | Bids must be submitted in the Infor Portal by 11:00 AM (Eastern). The Board opens bids and selects a vendor. | ||
| 08/04/26 | Tuesday | Vendor is approved by the Board. | ||
| 08/25/26 | Tuesday | The Board's Executive Office will send artwork zip file to the Vendor. | ||
| 08/26/26 | Wednesday | Vendor must send pdf proofs of artwork to the Board's Executive Office. | ||
| 08/27/26 | Thursday | The Board's Executive Office will send approval to print if the pdf proofs are acceptable. Vendor may begin printing shells after receiving approval. | ||
| 08/28/26 | Friday | The Board's IS Department will send CSV data file to the vendor by this date. | ||
| 09/04/26 | Friday | Vendor must send 1 final pdf proof per each of the approximately 897 precincts to the Board's Registration Department. | ||
| 09/08/26 | Tuesday | The Board's Registration Department will send approval to print if the final proofs are acceptable. Vendor may begin printing variable data after receiving approval. | ||
| 09/22/26 | Tuesday | Between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, Vendor should begin delivery of the VIGs to the USPS BMEU. No VIGs should be delivered before this date without the Board's approval. | ||
| 09/24/26 | Thursday | Between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, Vendor should deliver the remaining VIGs to the USPS BMEU. No VIGs should be delivered after this date without the Board's approval. |
Bid Form Printing and Mailing of Voter Information Guides (VIGs) for the November 3, 2026 General Election Instructions: Please tab through this bid form to enter data into the blue cells. Enter rates for each category. After totals are automatically calculated, save Excel file to include your Vendor Name, then upload to the Infor Portal. Pricing is per thousand (per M) and is all-inclusive (programming, setup, delivery, etc.).
Company Name: Date:
| Quantity | Item | Rate | Unit | Total | ||
| 1 | 493,000 | Printing & Assembly | $ - 0 | per/m | $ - 0 | << ENTER THIS AMOUNT INTO LINE 1 OF THE BID IN THE PORTAL |
| 2 | 493,000 | Mailing |
Direct Delivery to BMEU
| 2400 Orange Ave. in Cleveland, OH | $ - 0 | per/m | $ - 0 | << ENTER THIS AMOUNT INTO LINE 2 OF THE BID IN THE PORTAL | |
| Contingency (for possibility of unplanned increase in print and/or mailed documents) | |||||
| This amount will be added to the awarded purchase order & not reflected in the bid. | $ - 0 | ||||
| The above rates are inclusive of all fees and delivery costs. TOTAL BID AMOUNT | $ - 0 |
Please Note: If the final quantity varies by 15% or more from the estimate, the Board and Vendor may renegotiate the per-thousand (per/M) rate based on actual volume.
Please type YES or NO in this field to agree or disagree to the adjacent terms: We understand that, while uncommon, last-minute location changes outside the CCBOE's control may require us to remove the affected records and proceed with the remaining mailers. These changes could occur either before or after the impacted records have been printed and may necessitate removing these records and reprinting once updated variable data is available. We agree to be flexible to this possibility and to bill any reprints using the rates quoted above.
Additional Information to be Considered:
Example: Minimum quantities, quantity rate changes, postage savings from presort mailing services, etc.
*** Unbiased Business Conduct: The respondents to the RFB acknowledge that this contract is integral to the Board's ability to administer free and fair elections, which constitutes the essence of the contract. When selecting the Contractor for award based on this RFB, the Board must consider any action, appearance of impropriety, or political bias that the respondent might impute to the Board. The Contractor will not act or engage in any conduct that gives the appearance of impropriety or exhibits political bias or taints the elections process by reason of any partisanship of any kind, perceived or otherwise. The Contractor agrees i) to conduct its operations so as not to cause disrepute, contempt or scandal on the Board or otherwise interfere, directly or indirectly, with the Board's election administration process, and ii) that the Contractor acknowledgements and agreements are a material inducement for the Board to select the Contractor for contract award.***
| Vendor Contact Information: | |
| Contact Person Name: | Title: |
| Email Address: | Phone #: | |
| RFB Event 7150 |
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