RFP 2025-71 Ballot Tabulation Solution.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS #2025-71

FOR

BALLOT TABULATION SOLUTION

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

CRAIG ROBERTS, Chair

PAUL SAVAS, Commissioner MARTHA SCHRADER, Commissioner

BEN WEST, Commissioner DIANA HELM, Commissioner

Gary Schmidt

County Administrator

Thomas Candelario

Contract Analyst

PROPOSAL CLOSING DATE, TIME AND LOCATION

DATE: October 14, 2025

TIME: 2:00 PM, Pacific Time

PLACE: https://bidlocker.us/a/clackamascounty/BidLocker https://bidlocker.us/a/clackamascounty/BidLocker

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SCHEDULE

Request for Proposals Issued……........................... September 11, 2025

Protest of Specifications Deadline........................... September 18, 2025, 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

Deadline to Submit Clarifying Questions............... October 6, 2025, 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

Request for Proposals Closing Date and Time…. October 14, 2025, 2:00 PM, Pacific Time

Deadline to Submit Protest of Award...................Seven (7) days from the Intent to Award

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 – Notice of Request for Proposals

Section 2 – Instructions to Proposers

Section 3 – Scope of Work

Section 4 – Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Section 5 – Proposal Content (Including Proposal Certification)

SECTION 1

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Notice is hereby given that Clackamas County through its Board of County Commissioners will receive sealed Proposals per specifications until 2:00 PM, October 14, 2025 (“Closing”), to provide Ballot Tabulation Solution. No Proposals will be received or considered after that time.

Location of RFP documents: OregonBuys RFP Documents can be downloaded from the state of Oregon procurement website (“OregonBuys”) at the following address https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml, Document No. S-C01010- 0000014896.

Prospective Proposers will need to sign in to download the information and that information will be accumulated for a Plan Holder's List. Prospective Proposers are responsible for obtaining any Addenda, clarifying questions, and Notices of Award from OregonBuys.

Submitting Proposals: Bid Locker Proposals will only be accepted electronically thru a secure online bid submission service, Bid Locker.

Email submissions to Clackamas County email addresses will no longer be accepted.

A. Completed proposal documents must arrive electronically via Bid Locker located at https://bidlocker.us/a/clackamascounty/BidLocker.

B. Bid Locker will electronically document the date and time of all submissions. Completed documents must arrive by the deadline indicated in Section 1 or as modified by Addendum.

LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

C. Proposers must register and create a profile for their business with Bid Locker in order to submit for this project. It is free to register for Bid Locker.

D. Proposers with further questions concerning Bid Locker may review the Vendor’s Guide located at https://www.clackamas.us/how-to-bid-on-county-projects .

Contact Information Procurement Process and Technical Questions: Thomas Candelario, tcandelario@clackamas.us

The Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals not in compliance with all prescribed public bidding procedures and requirements, and may reject for good cause any and all Proposals upon the finding that it is in the public interest to do so and to waive any and all informalities in the public interest. In the award of the contract, the Board of County Commissioners will consider the element of time, will accept the Proposal or Proposals which in their estimation will best serve the interests of Clackamas County and will reserve the right to award the contract to the contractor whose Proposal shall be best for the public good.

Clackamas County encourages proposals from Minority, Women, Veteran and Emerging Small Businesses.

https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/view/login/login.xhtml https://www.clackamas.us/how-to-bid-on-county-projects mailto:tcandelario@clackamas.us

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SECTION 2

INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

Clackamas County (“County”) reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals received as a result of this RFP. County Local Contract Review Board Rules (“LCRB”) govern the procurement process for the County.

2.1 Modification or Withdrawal of Proposal: Any Proposal may be modified or withdrawn at any time prior to the Closing deadline, provided that a written request is received by the County Procurement Division Director, prior to the Closing. The withdrawal of a Proposal will not prejudice the right of a Proposer to submit a new Proposal.

2.2 Requests for Clarification and Requests for Change: Proposers may submit questions regarding the specifications of the RFP. Questions must be received in writing on or before 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), on the date indicated in the Schedule, at the Procurement Division address as listed in Section 1 of this RFP.

Requests for changes must include the reason for the change and any proposed changes to the requirements.

The purpose of this requirement is to permit County to correct, prior to the opening of Proposals, RFP terms or technical requirements that may be unlawful, improvident or which unjustifiably restrict competition.

County will consider all requested changes and, if appropriate, amend the RFP. No oral or written instructions or information concerning this RFP from County managers, employees or agents to prospective Proposers shall bind County unless included in an Addendum to the RFP.

2.3 Protests of the RFP/Specifications: Protests must be in accordance with LCRB C-047-0730.

Protests of Specifications must be received in writing on or before 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), on the date indicated in the Schedule, or within three (3) business days of issuance of any addendum, at the Procurement Division address listed in Section 1 of this RFP. Protests may not be faxed. Protests of the RFP specifications must include the reason for the protest and any proposed changes to the requirements.

2.4 Addenda: If any part of this RFP is changed, an addendum will be provided to Proposers that have provided an address to the Procurement Division for this procurement. It shall be Proposers responsibility to regularly check OregonBuys for any notices, published addenda, or response to clarifying questions.

2.5 Submission of Proposals: Proposals must be submitted in accordance with Section 5. All Proposals shall be legibly written in ink or typed and comply in all regards with the requirements of this RFP. Proposals that include orders or qualifications may be rejected as irregular. All Proposals must include a signature that affirms the Proposer’s intent to be bound by the Proposal (may be on cover letter, on the Proposal, or the Proposal Certification Form) shall be signed. If a Proposal is submitted by a firm or partnership, the name and address of the firm or partnership shall be shown, together with the names and addresses of the members. If the Proposal is submitted by a corporation, it shall be signed in the name of such corporation by an official who is authorized to bind the contractor. The Proposals will be considered by the County to be submitted in confidence and are not subject to public disclosure until the notice of intent to award has been issued.

No late Proposals will be accepted. Proposals submitted after the Closing will be considered late and will be returned unopened. Proposals may not be submitted by telephone or fax.

2.6 Post-Selection Review and Protest of Award: County will name the apparent successful Proposer in a Notice of Intent to Award published on OregonBuys. Identification of the apparent successful Proposer is procedural only and creates no right of the named Proposer to award of the contract. Competing Proposers shall be given seven (7) calendar days from the date on the Notice of Intent to Award to review the file at the Procurement Division office and file a written protest of award, pursuant to LCRB C-047-0740. Any award protest must be in writing and must be delivered by email, hand-delivery or mail to the address for the Procurement Division as listed in Section 1 of this RFP.

Only actual Proposers may protest if they believe they have been adversely affected because the Proposer would be eligible to be awarded the contract in the event the protest is successful. The basis of the written protest must be in accordance with ORS 279B.410 and shall specify the grounds upon which the protest is based. In order to be an adversely affected Proposer with a right to submit a written protest, a Proposer must be next in line for

2025-71 Page 3 award, i.e. the protester must claim that all higher rated Proposers are ineligible for award because they are non-responsive or non-responsible.

County will consider any protests received and:

a. reject all protests and proceed with final evaluation of, and any allowed contract language negotiation with, the apparent successful Proposer and, pending the satisfactory outcome of this final evaluation and negotiation, enter into a contract with the named Proposer; OR

b. sustain a meritorious protest(s) and reject the apparent successful Proposer as nonresponsive, if such Proposer is unable to demonstrate that its Proposal complied with all material requirements of the solicitation and Oregon public procurement law; thereafter, County may name a new apparent successful Proposer; OR

c. reject all Proposals and cancel the procurement.

2.7 Acceptance of Contractual Requirements: Failure of the selected Proposer to execute a contract and deliver required insurance certificates within ten (10) calendar days after notification of an award may result in cancellation of the award. This time period may be extended at the option of County.

2.8 Public Records: Proposals are deemed confidential until the “Notice of Intent to Award” letter is issued.

This RFP and one copy of each original Proposal received in response to it, together with copies of all documents pertaining to the award of a contract, will be kept and made a part of a file or record which will be open to public inspection. If a Proposal contains any information that is considered a TRADE SECRET under ORS 192.345(2), SUCH INFORMATION MUST BE LISTED ON A SEPARATE SHEET CAPABLE OF SEPARATION

FROM THE REMAINING PROPOSAL AND MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE

FOLLOWING LEGEND:

“This information constitutes a trade secret under ORS 192.345(2), and shall not be disclosed except in accordance with the Oregon Public Records Law, ORS Chapter 192.”

The Oregon Public Records Law exempts from disclosure only bona fide trade secrets, and the exemption from disclosure applies only “unless the public interest requires disclosure in the particular instance” (ORS 192.345).

Therefore, non-disclosure of documents, or any portion of a document submitted as part of a Proposal, may depend upon official or judicial determinations made pursuant to the Public Records Law.

2.9 Investigation of References: County reserves the right to investigate all references in addition to those supplied references and investigate past performance of any Proposer with respect to its successful performance of similar services, its compliance with specifications and contractual obligations, its completion or delivery of a project on schedule, its lawful payment of subcontractors and workers, and any other factor relevant to this RFP. County may postpone the award or the execution of the contract after the announcement of the apparent successful Proposer in order to complete its investigation.

2.10 RFP Proposal Preparation Costs and Other Costs: Proposer costs of developing the Proposal, cost of attendance at an interview (if requested by County), or any other costs are entirely the responsibility of the Proposer, and will not be reimbursed in any manner by County.

2.11 Clarification and Clarity: County reserves the right to seek clarification of each Proposal, or to make an award without further discussion of Proposals received. Therefore, it is important that each Proposal be submitted initially in the most complete, clear, and favorable manner possible.

2.12 Right to Reject Proposals: County reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals or to withdraw any item from the award, if such rejection or withdrawal would be in the public interest, as determined by County.

2.13 Cancellation: County reserves the right to cancel or postpone this RFP at any time or to award no contract.

2.14 Proposal Terms: All Proposals, including any price quotations, will be valid and firm through a period of one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days following the Closing date. County may require an

2025-71 Page 4 extension of this firm offer period. Proposers will be required to agree to the longer time frame in order to be further considered in the procurement process.

2.15 Oral Presentations: At County’s sole option, Proposers may be required to give an oral presentation of their Proposals to County, a process which would provide an opportunity for the Proposer to clarify or elaborate on the Proposal but will in no material way change Proposer’s original Proposal. If the evaluating committee requests presentations, the Procurement Division will schedule the time and location for said presentation. Any costs of participating in such presentations will be borne solely by Proposer and will not be reimbursed by County. Note: Oral presentations are at the discretion of the evaluating committee and may not be conducted;

therefore, written Proposals should be complete.

2.16 Usage: It is the intention of County to utilize the services of the successful Proposer(s) to provide services as outlined in the below Scope of Work.

2.17 Review for Responsiveness: Upon receipt of all Proposals, the Procurement Division or designee will determine the responsiveness of all Proposals before submitting them to the evaluation committee. If a Proposal is incomplete or non-responsive in significant part or in whole, it will be rejected and will not be submitted to the evaluation committee. County reserves the right to determine if an inadvertent error is solely clerical or is a minor informality which may be waived, and then to determine if an error is grounds for disqualifying a Proposal. The Proposer’s contact person identified on the Proposal will be notified, identifying the reason(s) the Proposal is non-responsive. One copy of the Proposal will be archived and all others discarded.

2.18 RFP Incorporated into Contract: This RFP will become part of the Contract between County and the selected contractor(s). The contractor(s) will be bound to perform according to the terms of this RFP, their Proposal(s), and the terms of the Sample Contract.

2.19 Communication Blackout Period: Except as called for in this RFP, Proposers may not communicate with members of the Evaluation Committee or other County employees or representatives about the RFP during the procurement process until the apparent successful Proposer is selected, and all protests, if any, have been resolved. Communication in violation of this restriction may result in rejection of a Proposer.

2.20 Prohibition on Commissions and Subcontractors: County will contract directly with persons/entities capable of performing the requirements of this RFP. Contractors must be represented directly.

Participation by brokers or commissioned agents will not be allowed during the Proposal process. Contractor shall not use subcontractors to perform the Work unless specifically pre-authorized in writing to do so by the County. Contractor represents that any employees assigned to perform the Work, and any authorized subcontractors performing the Work, are fully qualified to perform the tasks assigned to them, and shall perform the Work in a competent and professional manner. Contractor shall not be permitted to add on any fee or charge for subcontractor Work. Contractor shall provide, if requested, any documents relating to subcontractor’s qualifications to perform required Work.

2.21 Ownership of Proposals: All Proposals in response to this RFP are the sole property of County, and subject to the provisions of ORS 192.410-192.505 (Public Records Act).

2.22 Clerical Errors in Awards: County reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards resulting from its clerical errors.

2.23 Rejection of Qualified Proposals: Proposals may be rejected in whole or in part if they attempt to limit or modify any of the terms, conditions, or specifications of the RFP or the Sample Contract.

2.24 Collusion: By responding, the Proposer states that the Proposal is not made in connection with any competing Proposer submitting a separate response to the RFP, and is in all aspects fair and without collusion or fraud. Proposer also certifies that no officer, agent, elected official, or employee of County has a pecuniary interest in this Proposal.

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2.25 Evaluation Committee: Proposals will be evaluated by a committee consisting of representatives from County and potentially external representatives. County reserves the right to modify the Evaluation Committee make-up in its sole discretion.

2.26 Commencement of Work: The contractor shall commence no work until all insurance requirements have been met, the Protest of Awards deadline has been passed, any protest have been decided, a contract has been fully executed, and a Notice to Proceed has been issued by County.

2.27 Nondiscrimination: The successful Proposer agrees that, in performing the work called for by this RFP and in securing and supplying materials, contractor will not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religious creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, physical or mental handicap, national origin or ancestry, or any other class protected by applicable law.

2.28 Intergovernmental Cooperative Procurement Statement: Pursuant to ORS 279A and LCRB, other public agencies shall have the ability to purchase the awarded goods and services from the awarded contractor(s) under terms and conditions of the resultant contract. Any such purchases shall be between the contractor and the participating public agency and shall not impact the contactor’s obligation to the County.

Any estimated purchase volumes listed herein do not include other public agencies and County makes no guarantee as to their participation. Any Proposer, by written notification included with their Proposal, may decline to extend the prices and terms of this solicitation to any and/or all other public agencies. County grants to any and all public serving governmental agencies, authorization to purchase equivalent services or products described herein at the same submitted unit bid price, but only with the consent of the contractor awarded the contract by the County.

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SECTION 3

SCOPE OF WORK

3.1. INTRODUCTION

Clackamas County is seeking Proposals from vendors to provide a ballot tabulation solution which includes equipment, maintenance, training, and supporting software updates to create, scan, and tabulate ballots accurately and efficiently for the administration of elections in Clackamas County.

Please direct all Technical/Specifications or Procurement Process Questions to the indicated representative referenced in the Notice of Request for Proposals and note the communication restriction outlined in Section 2.19.

3.2 BACKGROUND

Clackamas County has over 315,000 registered voters and conducts up to four elections a year, with the potential of processing over 500,000 ballots a year. Voting is conducted by absentee ballot, in person or through the mail.

Clackamas County Elections is part of the Office of the County Clerk. The County Clerk conducts all federal, state, local, and special elections. The Clackamas County Clerk is an independently elected official (four-year terms) and serves as the head election official for the county. There are four scheduled elections each year, some are county-wide, and some are for specific jurisdictions within the county.

There are also special elections and/or recall elections held outside of scheduled dates.

3.3. SCOPE OF WORK

3.3.1. Scope:

The overall scope of the project is to replace the existing ballot tally machines and the current Election Management System, including election definition, ballot design, ballot tabulation and results reporting.

1. Process voted ballots prior to Election Day, suppressing election results until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

2. Import election definition data from the OCVR (Oregon Centralized Voter Registration) system and any future centralized state system.

3. Export ballot artwork for printing by 3rd party service providers or using County systems such as a photocopier or ballot on demand system.

4. Capable to design, produce, and tabulate ballots that contain a rank choice voting contest(s).

5. Extract election results and format them for publishing on the County’s website.

6. Extract election results and format them for publishing on the Secretary of State’s Election Night

Reporting website.

7. Guarantee the security and integrity of election data.

8. Enable the County to create and design ballots inhouse.

9. Provide auditing capabilities and transparency.

10. On-Screen adjudication of contests.

The system must, by design, be isolated from the County’s IT environment and not have any wireless capabilities such as Wi-Fi/bluetooth, and we expect the vendor to be responsible for supporting both hardware and software components of the system on an ongoing basis. As such, we do not have specific technical requirements other than any technical requirements required for certification by the State of Oregon and certification by U.S. Elections Assistance Commission for compliance with the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. The county prefers a system that is designed, from both a software and hardware standpoint, to be flexible enough to:

1. Accommodate future changes in functional requirements

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2. Leverage of new technologies

3. Enable the vendor to deliver software patches and upgrades in a timely manner

The County expects the solution to be fully implemented by January 31, 2026. Implementation includes procuring and installing all hardware components of the solution and for installing and configuring all software components of the solution. Additionally, provide training to Clackamas County Elections staff on how to use, maintain, and administer the system.

3.3.2. Work Schedule:

Full implementation no later than January 31, 2026.

3.3.3. Term of Contract:

The term of the contract shall be from the effective date through 06/31/2029, with the option for two (2) additional two (2) year renewals thereafter subject to the mutual agreement of the parties.

3.3.4 Sample Contract: Submission of a Proposal in response to this RFP indicates Proposer’s willingness to enter into a contract containing substantially the same terms (including insurance requirements) of the sample contract identified below. No action or response to the sample contract is required under this RFP. Any objections to the sample contract terms should be raised in accordance with Paragraphs 2.2 or 2.3 of this RFP, pertaining to requests for clarification or change or protest of the RFP/specifications, and as otherwise provided for in this RFP. This RFP and all supplemental information in response to this RFP will be a binding part of the final contract.

The applicable Sample Goods & Services Contract, for this RFP can be found at https://www.clackamas.us/finance/terms.html.

Personal Services Contract (unless checked, item does not apply)

The following paragraphs of the Professional Services Contract will be applicable:

Article I, Paragraph 5 – Travel and Other Expense is Authorized Article II, Paragraph 28 – Confidentiality Article II, Paragraph 29 – Criminal Background Check Requirements Article II, Paragraph 30 – Key Persons Article II, Paragraph 31 – Cooperative Contracting Article II, Paragraph 32 – Federal Contracting Requirements Exhibit A – On-Call Provision

The following insurance requirements will be applicable:

Commercial General Liability: combined single limit, or the equivalent, of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, with an annual aggregate limit of $2,000,000 for Bodily Injury and Property Damage.

Professional Liability: combined single limit, or the equivalent, of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence, with an annual aggregate limit of $2,000,000 for damages caused by error, omission or negligent acts.

Automobile Liability: combined single limit, or the equivalent, of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence for Bodily Injury and Property Damage.

Cyber Liability: combined single limit, or the equivalent, of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence for network security (including data breach), privacy, interruption of business, media liability, and errors and omissions https://www.clackamas.us/finance/terms.html

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SECTION 4

EVALUATION PROCEDURE

4.1 An evaluation committee will review all Proposals that are initially deemed responsive and they shall rank the Proposals in accordance with the below criteria. The evaluation committee may recommend an award based solely on the written responses or may request Proposal interviews/presentations.

Interviews/presentations, if deemed beneficial by the evaluation committee, will consist of the highest scoring Proposers. The invited Proposers will be notified of the time, place, and format of the interview/presentation. Based on the interview/presentation, the evaluation committee may revise their scoring.

Written Proposals must be complete and no additions, deletions, or substitutions will be permitted during the interview/presentation (if any). The evaluation committee will recommend award of a contract to the final County decision maker based on the highest scoring Proposal. The County decision maker reserves the right to accept the recommendation, award to a different Proposer, or reject all Proposals and cancel the RFP.

Proposers are not permitted to directly communicate with any member of the evaluation committee during the evaluation process. All communication will be facilitated through the Procurement representative.

4.2 Evaluation Criteria

Category Points available:

Vendor Experience and knowledge of Oregon vote-by-mail practices 0-30

Specifications of proposed equipment and software 0-30

Maintenance and training plan and availability 0-15

Ease of integration into Oregon election systems, including the 0-15

Oregon Centralized Voter Registration System and Election Night Reporting tools

Fee Schedule 0-10

Available points 0-100

4.3 Once a selection has been made, the County will enter into contract negotiations. During negotiation, the County may require any additional information it deems necessary to clarify the approach and understanding of the requested services. Any changes agreed upon during contract negotiations will become part of the final contract. The negotiations will identify a level of work and associated fee that best represents the efforts required. If the County is unable to come to terms with the highest scoring Proposer, discussions shall be terminated and negotiations will begin with the next highest scoring Proposer. If the resulting contract contemplates multiple phases and the County deems it is in its interest to not authorize any particular phase, it reserves the right to return to this solicitation and commence negotiations with the next highest ranked Proposer to complete the remaining phases.

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SECTION 5

PROPOSAL CONTENTS

5.1. Vendors must observe submission instructions and be advised as follows:

5.1.1. Proposals will only be accepted electronically thru Equity Hub’s Bid Locker. Email submissions to Clackamas County email addresses will no longer be accepted.

5.1.2. Completed proposal documents must arrive electronically via Equity Hub’s Bid Locker located at https://bidlocker.us/a/clackamascounty/BidLocker.

5.1.3. County reserves the right to solicit additional information or Proposal clarification from the vendors, or any one vendor, should the County deem such information necessary.

5.1.4. Proposal may not exceed a total of 40 pages (single-sided), inclusive of all exhibits, attachments, title pages, pages separations, table of contents, or other information. The Proposal Certification Page will NOT count towards the final page count.

Provide the following information in the order in which it appears below:

5.2. Proposer’s General Background and Qualifications:

• Description of the firm.

• Credentials/experience of key individuals that would be assigned to this project.

• Description of providing similar services to public entities of similar size within the past five (5) years.

• Description of the firm’s ability to meet the requirements in Section 3.

• Description of what distinguishes the firm from other firms performing a similar service.

5.3. Scope of Work

1. Provide an architecture design that identifies all software, hardware, and networking components used in the operation of the system including ballot design, ballot scanning and tabulation, and results reporting. Include all 3rd party software components such as operating systems, DBMS, browsers, report writing tools, etc. Label and attach the diagram to your proposal response.

2. Can your system ensure the security, accuracy, and reliability of election data? If so, describe the process for doing so.

3. Does your system offer audit functionality? If so, describe the process for doing so. What elements of your system are covered by the audit function?

4. Does your system have a security scheme? If so, describe how the security solution addresses access control, including network access and physical access; data management and data access;

environmental controls (power, air conditioning, etc.) and off-line storage; human resource security;

and audit trails and usage records.

5. Describe your vision for the product. Includes dates of any upcoming planned releases and describes new functionality included in these releases. Over the medium to long-term, describe how you plan to evolve the product in order to keep up with changing technology and business requirements. Describe how you plan to roll out bug fixes and new capabilities given the stringent certification requirements for voting software.

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6. The County wishes to have the system installed, fully tested, and available for use by the County no later than January 31, 2026. When would implementation need to start to meet that delivery date?

7. Are you aware of any system bugs or errors? If so, describe how those impact users of your system.

8. Has your system been implemented in at least one jurisdiction comparable to the size of Clackamas County that performs centralized tallying of paper ballots? If so, what is the name of the jurisdiction?

Has your system been implemented by another 100% Vote by Mail County of comparable size? If so, what is the name of the jurisdiction? Can your system support up to 500,000 registered voters?

9. Describe and provide technical specifications and minimum configuration requirements for all hardware components that make up the total of your proposed solution. Indicate the recommended number of each component type (database server, web server, scanning unit, workstations, network equipment items, ballot on demand, accessible voting equipment, etc.) based on the size of Clackamas County.

10. Describe any anticipated hardware upgrades. When do you anticipate the new hardware being certified for use?

11. What is the amount of sustained operational time the scanning equipment can provide? Describe how this is delivered.

12. In your system, is the process by which ballots are created integrated with the ballot tabulation function? If so, describe how this integration takes place.

13. Does your ballot system integrate with the Oregon Centralized Voting Registration (OCVR) system? If so, describe how this is accomplished.

14. Is there a limit on the number of ballot styles your system can manage for each election? If so, what is that number?

15. Can the system handle multiple precinct splits? If so, describe any limitations that may exist.

16. Is there a maximum number of targets (such as boxes, ovals, or arrows) available for each ballot size? Describe whether the target is placed on the left or right side of the candidate or measure name and whether the distance between ballot targets is variable, vendor specified, or user determined. Can the target size and placement be adjusted? Please answer this question for traditional voting methods and Ranked Choice Voting.

17. Are there any options and/or restrictions in your system that may exist regarding the size of the ballot? Provide a range of ballot dimensions, including the smallest and largest ballot dimensions.

18. In your system, can ballots use multiple fonts? Is there any limit to the number or type of font that can be used on a ballot? Can very large and/or very small fonts be used? Can shading, colors, and graphic features such as boxes or lines be used to enhance ballot appearance and readability? What accessibility features are there to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act? Are there defined areas for voter instructions?

19. Is your system capable of using both single- and double-sided ballots? Describe ballot requirements and/or limitations.

20. Can your system handle alternate voting techniques such as fusion voting, preference voting, or ranked choice voting? If so, what voting techniques can be used? If there are any restrictions, please describe them.

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21. Are there restrictions on how ballots are fed into the ballot scanning device? Does the size or use of single/double-side ballots affect this?

22. Describe vendor options, requirements, and recommendations for printing ballots. Do you require the County to use a specific vendor, or can the County select the vendor for printing of ballots? Is there an ability to print ballots directly from the ballot layout system to ballot stock?

23. Do you require printing vendors to obtain certification for printing ballots from your system? If so, what is the cost estimate to the vendor of obtaining that certification?

24. Are there any physical requirements regarding the ballot stock such as the paper type and weight, type of ink that must be used, etc.” If so, provide details.

25. Can the ballot design be transferred from your system to a ballot printer? If so, describe the process and options available.

26. Are there any writing instruments that should not be used for marking the ballot?

27. In your system do folded ballots (horizontally and/or vertically) affect the ability of vote counting devices to read ballots? If so, describe how this problem is addressed and resolved.

28. Is any pre-processing of ballots required or recommended prior to scanning them? Can the system scan ballots that are torn, stained, previously wet?

29. How many party names can be printed opposite a candidate’s name? Describe how this is handled.

30. What is the average rate of ballots scanned per hour for previously folded ballots? Is there a maximum number counted per hour?

31. How are the ballots that need adjudication identified and separated? What is the process to adjudicate ballots?

32. What is the process in your system for tabulating write-in votes? Can your system be set to tabulate write-in ovals for immediate results reporting with specific name assignment/tallying later?

33. Does the system count over and undervotes? If so, describe the process and how the over/under vote is determined.

34. Can your system tabulate votes cast in split precincts where all voters residing in one precinct are not receiving the same ballot style? If so, how is this addressed?

35. Can ballot tabulation be completed by precinct, batch, or either? If so, describe how this is handled.

36. Is the system capable of scanning and resolving ballots in such a way that results can be suppressed until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day? If so, describe how this is handled, including security measures in place to prevent early release of results.

37. Is there a testing process in place to ensure accuracy of results on Election Night? If so, describe the process.

38. Can election results from the system be transferred to the Secretary of State’s Election Night Reporting system? If so, describe how this is accomplished.

39. Describe the reporting capabilities of your system. Include a detailed list of available reports and examples of some of the reports.

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40. The County prefers a system capable of printing an alphanumeric precinct report containing the number of ballots cast, the number of ballots with write-ins, office title, candidate names/measure, and vote totals for each candidate/measure, the number of over and under votes in each contest. If your system can meet this preference, please describe the capability and provide an example of the report.

41. The County prefers a user-friendly, flexible ad-hoc query and report generator that does not require professional data processing assistance. Does your system provide these capabilities? Please describe.

Can data/reports be downloaded in a standard format such as Excel or CSV?

42. Are the same reports available from each scanner available with the central tabulation device?

43. Can reports and result exports be run while the scanner is scanning ballots, or do they need to be idle to run reports? Describe how the reports are run.

44. How is ballot scanning data transferred from the ballot scanners to the central tabulation device?

Please describe this process.

45. Do you have recommendations as to printer hardware requirements for reporting functions? If so, describe those requirements.

46. To print reports, does a printer need to be attached to each scanning unit and the central tabulation device. Describe how many printers are needed with your solution.

47. The County’s counting room is approximately 20’x32’ in size. Given the size, can your solution be physically set up in that amount of space? What is the amount of space that your solution would require? What sort of configuration would you recommend?

48. What resources, including labor, do you expect the County to provide during the installation process? If any are required, specify those resources, including estimated hours needed.

49. Vendor is expected to install all software including all network, operating system, software, and setup the solution including all hardware and connections provided as part of the system. Describe your plan to accomplish this work. The description should include how you will address issue management, risk management, integration, scope management, schedule management, quality management, quality assurance and change control.

50. Provide a high-level implementation timeline given the recommended system configuration for the County. The timeline should account for all activities that take place from when the contract is signed to when the system is fully operation. These activities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Kickoff meeting, requirements gathering/blueprint development, procuring hardware, installing and configuring hardware, installing and configuring software, test planning, test design, and test execution. For each activity, include vendor and County responsibilities related to that activity.

Label and attach the timeline to your proposal response.

51. Are there environmental considerations such as heating, cooling, power, lighting, etc. required for the counting room? If so, please describe.

52. If third party hardware and/or software is required to implement your system, how will the relationship with those third parties be managed? If so, please describe.

53. The vendor shall provide in-house training for staff in the use of your entire system and must be completed no later than January 31, 2026. Can you meet this deadline? If so, describe all training courses that would be provided, including the format for these training sessions would follow, the time required, a schedule and any physical requirements.

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54. Can you provide documentation on the use of all software and hardware in the tabulation system?

Describe the format of the documentation available.

55. Is support available for the initial election set-up, including election programming, ballot design and testing? If so, describe the support available.

56. At the end of the installation, can you provide one complete set of all technical, database, application, and end user documentation to the County?

57. Is online documentation available to assist users and administrators? If so, describe these resources and how the County would access them online.

58. Attach of a copy of your company’s standard Service Level Agreement to your proposal response.

Include how your company will comply with any federal requirements for accessing election equipment during the conduct of any federal election.

59. The Service Level Agreement should address how your company will provide support on Election Day/Night. Is onsite support provided on Election Day/Night?

60. The Service Level Agreement should address help desk response time guarantees, technical support capability, and familiarity of technical support staff/help desk agents with the proposed solution.

61. Is there a back-up and recovery plan with your solution? If so, describe any options available with your solution.

62. Are third party pieces (laptops, software, operating systems, scanners, network devices, etc.)

included in your solution? If so, describe how this is done.

63. What is the process for managing software bugs? Do you issue patches to fix individual bugs or all bug fixes rolled up into releases?

64. How are software and/or hardware upgrades performed? Describe and include the role of the County staff that would be required in the installation, testing, and implementation of upgrades to the system.

65. How often are software and/or hardware upgrades performed?

66. Is the County expected to deliver any maintained support for your solution? If so, please describe.

5.4. Fees

Fees should be on a time and material with a not to exceed fee basis. Fees should be sufficiently descriptive to facilitate acceptance of a Proposal. List the not-to-exceed amount you propose for the service. If time and material basis – Fees and fee schedules should outline all estimated expenses, hourly rates for all assigned individuals, anticipated travel, other reimbursable expenses.

5.5. References

Provide at least three (3) references from clients your firm has served similar to the County in the past three (3) years, including one client that has newly engaged the firm in the past thirty-six (36) months and one (1) long-term client. Provide the name, address, email, and phone number of the references. Please note the required three references may not be from County staff, but additional references may be supplied.

5.6. Completed Proposal Certification (see the below form)

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PROPOSAL CERTIFICATION

RFP #2025-71

Submitted by:

(Must be entity’s full legal name, and State of Formation)

Each Proposer must read, complete and submit a copy of this Proposal Certification with their Proposal. Failure to do so may result in rejection of the Proposal. By signature on this Proposal Certification, the undersigned certifies that they are authorized to act on behalf of the Proposer and that under penalty of perjury, the undersigned will comply with the following:

SECTION I. OREGON TAX LAWS: As required in ORS 279B.110(2)(e), the undersigned hereby certifies that, to the best of the undersigned’s knowledge, the Proposer is not in violation of any Oregon Tax Laws. For purposes of this certification, “Oregon Tax Laws” means the tax laws of the state or a political subdivision of the state, including ORS 305.620 and ORS chapters 316, 317 and 318. If a contract is executed, this information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Information not matching IRS records could subject Proposer to 24% backup withholding.

SECTION II. NON-DISCRIMINATION: That the Proposer has not and will not discriminate in its employment practices with regard to race, creed, age, religious affiliation, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or any other protected class. Nor has Proposer or will Proposer discriminate against a subcontractor in the awarding of a subcontract because the subcontractor is a disadvantaged business enterprise, a minority-owned business, a woman-owned business, a business that a service-disabled veteran owns or an emerging small business that is certified under ORS 200.055.

SECTION III. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The undersigned hereby certifies that no elected official, officer, agent or employee of Clackamas County is personally interested, directly or indirectly, in any resulting contract from this RFP, or the compensation to be paid under such contract, and that no representation, statements (oral or in writing), of the County, its elected officials, officers, agents, or employees had induced Proposer to submit this Proposal. In addition, the undersigned hereby certifies that this proposal is made without connection with any person, firm, or corporation submitting a proposal for the same material, and is in all respects fair and without collusion or fraud.

SECTION IV. COMPLIANCE WITH SOLICITATION: The undersigned further agrees and certifies that they:

1. Have read, understand and agree to be bound by and comply with all requirements, instructions, specifications, terms and conditions of the RFP (including any attachments); and

2. Are an authorized representative of the Proposer, that the information provided is true and accurate, and that providing incorrect or incomplete information may be cause for rejection of the Proposal or contract termination; and

3. Will furnish the designated item(s) and/or service(s) in accordance with the RFP and Proposal; and

4. Will use recyclable products to the maximum extend economically feasible in the performance of the contract work set forth in this RFP.

Name:_______________________________________ Date:______________________________________

Signature:____________________________________ Title:______________________________________

Email:_______________________________________ Telephone:_________________________________

Oregon Business Registry Number:________________ OR CCB # (if applicable):________________________

Business Designation (check one):

Corporation Partnership Sole Proprietorship Non-Profit Limited Liability Company

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Resident Quoter, as defined in ORS 279A.120 Non-Resident Quote. Resident State:__________________________