STATE OF ALASKA

REQUEST FOR

PROPOSALS

OFFERORS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RETURN THIS FORM.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: IF YOU RECEIVED THIS SOLICITATION FROM THE STATE OF ALASKA’S

“ONLINE PUBLIC NOTICE” WEB SITE, YOU MUST REGISTER WITH THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER

LISTED IN THIS DOCUMENT TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS. FAILURE

TO CONTACT THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER MAY RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER.

ISSUED BY:

DEPARTMENT OF OFFICE OF THE

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE

SERVICES

PRIMARY CONTACT:

JARED MILLER

PROCUREMENT OFFICER

JARED.MILLER@ALASKA.GOV

(907) 465-4875

STATEWIDE ELECTION BALLOTS

RFP NUMBER 2026-0001-0248

ISSUED MARCH 6, 2026

PRINTING AND DELIVERY OF OFFICIAL BALLOTS FOR 2026-2027 STATEWIDE ELECTIONS

STATE OF ALASKA – REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP 2026-0001-0248

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION & INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.01 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

SEC. 1.02 BUDGET

SEC. 1.03 DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.04 PRIOR EXPERIENCE

SEC. 1.05 REQUIRED REVIEW

SEC. 1.06 QUESTIONS PRIOR TO DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.07 RETURN INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.08 ASSISTANCE TO OFFERORS WITH A DISABILITY

SEC. 1.09 AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.10 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

SEC. 1.11 RFP SCHEDULE

SEC. 1.12 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

SEC. 1.13 NEWS RELEASES

SECTION 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SEC. 2.01 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK & CONTRACT INFORMATION

SEC. 3.01 SCOPE OF WORK

SEC. 3.02 DELIVERABLES

SEC. 3.03 CONTRACT TERM AND WORK SCHEDULE

SEC. 3.04 CONTRACT TYPE

SEC. 3.05 PROPOSED PAYMENT PROCEDURES

SEC. 3.06 PROMPT PAYMENT

SEC. 3.07 CONTRACT PAYMENT

SEC. 3.08 LOCATION OF WORK

SEC. 3.09 RIGHT TO INSPECT PLACE OF BUSINESS

SEC. 3.10 F.O.B. POINT

SEC. 3.11 CONTRACT PERSONNEL

SEC. 3.12 INSPECTION & MODIFICATION - REIMBURSEMENT FOR UNACCEPTABLE DELIVERABLES

SEC. 3.13 CONTRACT CHANGES - UNANTICIPATED AMENDMENTS

SEC. 3.14 NONDISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

SEC. 3.15 INDEMNIFICATION

SEC. 3.16 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 3.17 TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

SECTION 4. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

SEC. 4.01 RFP SUBMITTAL FORMS

SEC. 4.02 SPECIAL FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

SEC. 4.03 OFFEROR INFORMATION AND CERTIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM A)

SEC. 4.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM B)

SEC. 4.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM C)

SEC. 4.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM D)

SEC. 4.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM E)

SEC. 4.08 COST PROPOSAL (ATTACHEMENT 4)

SECTION 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CONTRACTOR SELECTION

SEC. 5.01 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION PROCESS

SEC. 5.02 EVALUATION CRITERIA

SEC. 5.03 SCORING METHOD AND CALCULATION

SEC. 5.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

SEC. 5.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT

SEC. 5.08 CONTRACT COST (COST PROPOSAL)

SEC. 5.09 ALASKA OFFEROR PREFERENCE

SECTION 6. GENERAL PROCESS AND LEGAL INFORMATION

SEC. 6.01 INFORMAL DEBRIEFING

SEC. 6.02 ALASKA BUSINESS LICENSE AND OTHER REQUIRED LICENSES

SEC. 6.03 SITE INSPECTION

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SEC. 6.04 CLARIFICATION OF OFFERS

SEC. 6.05 DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFERORS

SEC. 6.06 EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

SEC. 6.07 CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

SEC. 6.08 FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE

SEC. 6.09 OFFEROR NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION

SEC. 6.10 PROTEST

SEC. 6.11 APPLICATION OF PREFERENCES

SEC. 6.12 ALASKA BIDDER PREFERENCE

SEC. 6.13 ALASKA VETERAN PREFERENCE

SEC. 6.14 ALASKA MILITARY SKILLS PROGRAM PREFERENCE

SEC. 6.15 STANDARD CONTRACT PROVISIONS

SEC. 6.16 QUALIFIED OFFERORS

SEC. 6.17 PROPOSAL AS PART OF THE CONTRACT

SEC. 6.18 ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SEC. 6.19 HUMAN TRAFFICKING

SEC. 6.20 RIGHT OF REJECTION

SEC. 6.21 STATE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARATION COSTS

SEC. 6.22 DISCLOSURE OF PROPOSAL CONTENTS

SEC. 6.23 ASSIGNMENT

SEC. 6.24 FORCE MAJEURE (IMPOSSIBILITY TO PERFORM)

SEC. 6.25 DISPUTES

SEC. 6.26 SEVERABILITY

SEC. 6.27 SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

SEC. 6.28 SOLICITATION ADVERTISING

SEC. 6.29 FEDERALLY IMPOSED TARIFFS

SECTION 7. ATTACHMENTS

SEC. 7.01 ATTACHMENTS

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INTRODUCTION & INSTRUCTIONS

SEC. 1.01 PURPOSE OF THE RFP

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Division of Elections, is soliciting proposals for the printing and delivery of official ballots for the August 18, 2026, Primary election, November 3, 2026, General Election, October 6, 2026 and October 5, 2027 Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) Elections or any other special elections conducted in the 2026-2027 State of Alaska election cycle.

SEC. 1.02 BUDGET

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Division of Elections (DOE), estimates a budget of $2,000,000.00 for completion of this project, including all contract renewals. All costs must be included in the total proposal price.

Proposals priced at more than $2,000,000.00 will be considered non-responsive.

SEC. 1.03 DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be received no later than 3:00 P.M. prevailing Alaska Time on April 7, 2026. Faxed, emailed or oral proposals are not acceptable. Late proposals or amendments will be disqualified and not opened or accepted for evaluation.

SEC. 1.04 PRIOR EXPERIENCE

In order for offers to be considered responsive, offerors must complete Submittal Form F and provide sufficient evidence in writing that clearly demonstrates and confirms the firm meets or exceeds the following prior experience requirements:

• Demonstrate a minimum of five (5) years of experience printing statewide primary, general or similar election ballots in the State of Alaska for use in the precinct voting units, where multiple ballot styles were required in at least 200 different precincts, as well as related printed election material.

• Offeror must be a qualified print vendor for Liberty Vote at the time of submission and be able to supply a copy of their qualification letter.

An offeror's failure to meet these minimum prior experience requirements will cause their proposal to be considered non-responsive and the proposal will be rejected.

SEC. 1.05 REQUIRED REVIEW

Offerors should carefully review this solicitation for defects and questionable or objectionable material.

Comments concerning defects and questionable or objectionable material should be made in writing and received by the procurement officer at least ten days before the deadline for receipt of proposals. This will allow time for the issuance of any necessary amendments. It will also help prevent the opening of a defective proposal and exposure of offeror's proposals upon which award could not be made. Protests based on any omission or error, or on the content of the solicitation, will be disallowed if these faults have not been brought to the attention of the procurement officer, in writing, at least ten days before the deadline for receipt of proposals.

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SEC. 1.06 QUESTIONS PRIOR TO DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS

All questions must be in writing and directed to the procurement officer. The interested party must confirm telephone conversations in writing.

Two types of questions generally arise. One may be answered by directing the questioner to a specific section of the RFP. These questions may be answered over the telephone. Other questions may be more complex and may require a written amendment to the RFP. The procurement officer will make that decision.

PROCUREMENT OFFICER: JARED MILLER – PHONE: 907-209-9583 – EMAIL ADDRESS:

JARED.MILLER@ALASKA.GOV

SEC. 1.07 RETURN INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals must be submitted via email. The technical proposal and cost proposal must be saved as separate PDF documents and emailed to Jared.Miller@alaska.gov as separate, clearly labeled attachments, such as “Vendor A – Technical Proposal.pdf” and “Vendor A – Cost Proposal.pdf”. The email must contain the RFP number in the subject line.

The maximum size of a single email (including all text and attachments) that can be received by the State is 20mb (megabytes). If the email containing the proposal exceeds this size, the proposal must be sent in multiple emails that are each less than 20 megabytes and each email must comply with the requirements described above.

Please note that email transmission is not instantaneous. Similar to sending a hard copy proposal, if you are emailing your proposal, the State recommends sending it enough ahead of time to ensure the email is delivered by the deadline for receipt of proposals.

It is the offeror’s responsibility to contact the issuing agency at 907-209-9583 to confirm that the proposal has been received. The State is not responsible for unreadable, corrupt, or missing attachments.

An offeror’s failure to submit its proposal prior to the deadline will cause the proposal to be disqualified. Late proposals or amendments will not be opened or accepted for evaluation.

Office of the Governor or (Lieutenant Governor) Division of ELECTIONS

Attention: JARED MILLER Request for Proposal (RFP) Number: 2026-0001-0248

RFP Title: STATEWIDE ELECTION BALLOTS

Faxed and oral proposals will not be accepted.

Proposals must be received no later than 3:00 P.M., Alaska Time on April 7, 2026.

SEC. 1.08 ASSISTANCE TO OFFERORS WITH A DISABILITY

Offerors with a disability may receive accommodation regarding the means of communicating this RFP or participating in the procurement process. For more information, contact the procurement officer no later than ten days prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals.

mailto:Jared.Miller@alaska.gov

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SEC. 1.09 AMENDMENTS TO PROPOSALS

Amendments to or withdrawals of proposals will only be allowed if acceptable requests are received prior to the deadline that is set for receipt of proposals. No amendments or withdrawals will be accepted after the deadline unless they are in response to the state's request in accordance with 2 AAC 12.290.

SEC. 1.10 AMENDMENTS TO THE RFP

If an amendment is issued, it will be provided to all who were notified of the RFP and to those who have registered with the procurement officer after receiving the RFP from the State of Alaska Online Public Notice web site.

If an amendment is issued before the deadline for receipt of proposals, the amendment will be posted on the State of Alaska Online Public Notice (OPN) website. The link to the posting of the amendment will be provided to all who were notified of the RFP and to those who have registered with the procurement officer after receiving the RFP from the OPN.

After receipt of proposals, if there is a need for any substantial clarification or material change in the RFP, an amendment will be issued. The amendment will incorporate the clarification or change, and a new date and time established for new or amended proposals. Evaluations may be adjusted as a result of receiving new or amended proposals.

SEC. 1.11 RFP SCHEDULE

RFP schedule set out herein represents the state’s best estimate of the schedule that will be followed. If a component of this schedule, such as the deadline for receipt of proposals, is delayed, the rest of the schedule may be shifted accordingly. All times are Alaska Standard Time.

ACTIVITY TIME DATE

Issue Date / RFP Released N/A March 6, 2026 Deadline for Receipt of Proposals / Proposal Due Date 3:00 PM April 7, 2026 Proposal Evaluations Complete N/A April 15, 2026 Ballot test materials shipped out April 20, 2026 Deadline to return sample and proof ballots electronically Two days from receipts of test materials

Deadline to return test ballots and accountability documents is Seven days from receipt of test materials

Deadline to return printed ballots is 14 days from receipt of test materials Offeror test ballot review N/A May 7, 2026 Notice of Intent to Award N/A May 8, 2026 Contract Issued N/A May 18, 2026 Contract Start Date N/A June 1, 2026

This RFP does not, by itself, obligate the state. The state's obligation will commence when the contract is approved by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, or the Lieutenant Governor’s designee. Upon written notice to the contractor, the state may set a different starting date for the contract. The state will not be responsible for any work done by the contractor, even work done in good faith, if it occurs prior to the contract start date set by the state.

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SEC. 1.12 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS

Offerors may only submit one proposal for evaluation. In accordance with 2 AAC 12.830 alternate proposals (proposals that offer something different than what is asked for) will be rejected.

SEC. 1.13 NEWS RELEASES

News releases related to this RFP will not be made without prior approval of the project director.

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SECTION 2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SEC. 2.01 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The State of Alaska, Division of Elections (the division), is responsible for conducting federal and statewide Primary and General elections in even-numbered years in Alaska, as well as annually state-conducted local elections and run-off election(s) for Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAA) and, on occasion, special elections, such as incorporation, liquor and marijuana option elections. To conduct elections, the division designs ballots using the Election Event Designer (EED) database and the ballots are counted using the Liberty Vote’s Imagecast Precinct (ICP2) and Imagecast Central (ICC) digital scan units. The division is requesting proposals for printing, stubbing, numbering, packaging, folding, and delivery of the designed ballots under strict guidelines, deadlines, security and accountability, with accuracy being the foremost priority. Ballots must be printed using defined specifications to ensure ballots will accurately scan and be read by the scanning units.

There are five regional election offices in Alaska (Nome, Anchorage, Mat-Su, Fairbanks, and Juneau), as well as the director’s office located in Juneau, the Absentee and Petition Office located in Anchorage and a satellite office in Kenai. Ballots are delivered by chain of custody to the eight offices as arranged by the offeror. The ballots are shipped or delivered from the regional offices to the actual polling places and absentee officials and stations;

but the offeror will provide for the packing and accountability of the boxes for each of the location’s ballots.

In Alaska, there are 40 house districts. There is a total of 402 precincts that are contained within the house districts, approximately 170 to 180 absentee voting officials and stations and the absentee by-mail program. Each house district will have a unique ballot(s) that will only work in an ICP2 unit in precincts under that house district designation. For the open primary system all candidates are on the same ballot. For the REAA elections, there is one ballot style for each REAA district and for the general election, there is a total of 45 house district ballot styles, one for each house district except house districts 30, 36, 37, and 39 which have two ballot styles due to more than one judicial district for each of the house districts. For any special election, it will be a single ballot style.

Once the EED database is set for election, ballots in PDF format are electronically sent to the offeror. After the certified ballot PDFs are delivered to the offeror by the division, the offeror will electronically send ballot proofs and sample ballots to the division within two days.

The division will also send PDFs of the pre-marked test ballots. The test ballots must be printed and received by the director’s office for testing within seven days. The printer must perform a test of these ballots using each of the provided SD cards to ensure the ballots are tabulating accurately.

The offeror will have about three weeks after receipt of the official PDF ballots to generate and ship the official printed election ballots to the delivery sites as noted in the ballot order. Prior to shipping, the offeror must test the official ballots using each of the provided SD cards to ensure the ballots are tabulating accurately.

The division will supply the offeror with a ballot order in an electronic format that includes a layout of the detailed ballot amounts that must be delivered to each of the division’s seven delivery locations. Each ballot is assigned a cumulative number as listed on the ballot order and this number is printed on the ballot stub of each ballot in red. The offeror must prepare accountability documentation in a format that can be used by the division to check for accuracy against the ballot order using a computer program that includes: Precinct Receiving Lists for each

Page | 9 precinct, absentee official and station and absentee by-mail program to ensure they have the correct ballots according to the ballot order; Box Packing Lists which lists the contents of each box; Box Lists showing which boxes go to each delivery site; and Ballot Test Deck Lists showing the number of test decks ordered.

A timeline for ballot delivery for each election will be delivered to the offeror.

The total amount of estimated ballots needed for 2026 will be approximately 600,000 for the primary election (possibly with three different ballot types as mentioned above); 25,000 for the REAA election; 750,000 for the general election; and possibly 3,500 for a special incorporation election. The REAA 2027 election would require approximately 25,000 ballots.

Due to the short timelines and remote locations, the division has a zero tolerance for misprints that affect the readability of the ballot through our scanning equipment or the professional look of the ballot presented to our voters that would delay delivery of the ballots.

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SECTION 3. SCOPE OF WORK & CONTRACT INFORMATION

SEC. 3.01 SCOPE OF WORK

The Alaska Division of Elections (the division) is soliciting proposals for the printing and delivery of official ballots for the primary, general, Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) elections, or any other special elections conducted in the 2026-2027 State of Alaska election cycle.

Ballot Specifications

Printing of ballots must be accomplished by following specific guidelines found in the Liberty Vote Ballot Specification Guide. The ballot layout has been prepared using Liberty Vote’s Democracy Suite V5.17.18.1.

All printing, stubbing, binding, perforating, and packaging of ballots is required to be done on-site. No subcontracting is allowed.

Ballot Size

Ballot size is determined in April or May of even-numbered years for the three elections scheduled: the primary, REAA, and general elections. The general election ballot size is usually 8.5” x 14” but can require up to an 8.5” x 18”, the REAA ballot size is usually 8.5” x 11”; and the primary election ballot size is usually 8.5” x 11” but can require up to an 8.5” x 18” ballot. The offeror is notified in April or May of the projected ballot size for each election to help ensure that enough ballot paper is ordered for the entire election cycle. Ballot paper may also be ordered during this time to supply the REAA election for the next odd-numbered year. Normally, the primary and REAA ballots are one-sided but can be two-sided and the general election is normally two-sided.

Print Color

All ballots will be printed in black and white except the ballot sequence numbers, “TEST” markings on test ballots and the “targets” or ovals or other information as defined by the division, which will be printed in red using Liberty Vote’s print specifications.

Estimated Ballot Quantities

The division estimates approximately 600,000 ballots to be printed for the primary election, 25,000 for the REAA election, and 750,000 for the general election (amounts include sample, facsimile and test ballots in addition to the official election ballots). There will possibly be one incorporation election requiring an estimated 3,500 ballots.

2026 Estimated Ballot Order Ballots Samples Facsimile Test Folded Total Primary 530,000 13,000 9,000 12,000 30,000 594,000

REAA 20,000 800 400 14,000 28,200

General 700,000 24,000 11,000 12,000 65,000 754,500 Special Varies Depending On The Contests Total 1,250,000 37,800 20,000 24,400 109,000 1,376,700

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*Out of the estimated number of ballots, approximately 109,000 will need to be pre-folded for the Absentee and Petition Office to mail to voters. This amount is not in addition to the total.

Ballot Order

The ballot order is created in a database. The ballot order is broken into separate pages, test deck, totals, federal only, absentee by mail and the 40 house districts. Within the 40 house district pages, each house district lists the precincts and absentee officials and stations assigned to the house district.

For each of the 40 house district pages, the columns after each precinct will provide the:

• Number of registered voters in the precinct.

• Number of ballots to be ordered for the precinct.

• Consecutive ballot numbers from and to assigned to the district. The consecutive ballot numbers must be printed individually, in red ink on each ballot stub in sequential order.

• Number of sample ballots ordered for the precinct.

• Number of facsimile ballots ordered for the office.

• Office delivery location.

For each of the 40 house district pages, the columns after each absentee officials and stations will provide the:

• Number of ballots to be ordered for the location.

• Consecutive ballot numbers from and to assigned to the location. The consecutive ballot numbers must be printed individually, in red ink on each ballot stub in sequential order.

• Number of sample ballots ordered for the location.

• Office delivery location.

For the absentee by-mail program page and the federal only ballots page, the columns consist of:

• Card Number (house district number).

• Number of ballots to be ordered for the house district.

• Consecutive ballot numbers from and to assigned to the precinct. The consecutive ballot numbers must be printed individually, in red ink on each ballot stub in sequential order.

• Office delivery location.

• Number of registered voters for the house district.

For the test deck order page, the columns after each house district will display the number of test decks needed for the director’s office and each of the regional offices.

Copies of the 2024 ballot orders are attached to this document for reference. (Exhibit 1-primary election ballot order report, Exhibit 2-general election ballot order report, and Exhibit 3-REAA election ballot order report).

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Ballot Proofs, Sample Ballots

Upon delivery of the certified ballot PDF files to the offeror, within two days, the offeror will electronically deliver to the director’s office a proof of each ballot style.

Sample ballots are to be printed by the offeror on colored bond paper generally light blue for all open primary, general election sample ballots and REAA election sample ballots). They are printed one- or two-sided as needed. Sample ballots are gummed and padded in sets of 5, 10 or 25, or amounts as directed on the ballot order. Printed ballot stubs are not required for sample ballots. A copy of a sample ballot is attached to this document (Exhibit 4).

Test Ballots

Test ballots are delivered approximately seven days after the certified Test Deck Ballot PDFs are electronically sent to the offeror. The Test Ballots PDFs will be provided pre-marked according to a predetermined outcome defined by the division. Each ballot style will have a test packet that is to be clearly marked to identify it and bundled prior to shipping.

Facsimile Ballots

Facsimile ballots are printed without stubs and with the wording “FACSIMILE” printed in red ink across the header of the ballot. These ballots are used to duplicate unusable or damaged ballots so they can be fed through an ICP unit.

Perforation, Stubs, Pads, Folding and Sequential Numbering

Ballot stubs must be sequentially numbered in red ink and justified to the far-right margin according to the ballot order numbering appearing on the ballot order. Each ballot must be perforated to divide the ballot from a numbered stub. The perforation is a micro-perf that allows the ballot card to be torn easily from the stub with a smooth edge and no apparent hinge remaining, and minimal “dust” which jams the ICP units. Padded ballots must lay flat with no bulky perforation. The stub cannot be greater than 1 inch exactly. Additionally, for the general election, the ballot stubs will list the house district number and judicial number; the primary election ballot stubs must list the house district number; and REAA ballot stubs must list the REAA number. For example:

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Ballots must be stitched into pads of 25, except for the REAA election when pads of five are sometimes required. Ballots for the Absentee and Petition Office must be pre-folded for mailing prior to delivery to that office. Samples of these stubs and ballots are attached as Exhibit 5.

Accountability and Delivery Paperwork Produced by Offeror

The offeror electronically submits delivery and accountability paperwork to the Director’s office for review approximately one month after the ballot order is delivered to the offeror. This paperwork shows delivery receipts and boxing information for each office location. Ballots are to be boxed in house district and precinct order and each box has an internal receipt showing exactly what serial numbered ballots are in that specific box.

The accountability paperwork consists of four lists for each delivery site (Region I, II, III, IV, V, DO, A&P & Kenai). In addition to the accountability paperwork, the division would like the data in a .csv format that can be computer matched with the ballot order to check for errors electronically. The four lists include:

Box Packing List. A printed copy of each box packing list must be included inside each box delivered. This gives staff the ability to see the house district and precinct contents of each box without opening the boxes.

Box Listing. A list of boxes that each delivery point will be receiving. The lists are used to check off all boxes received to ensure that regions are not missing any items upon delivery.

Precinct Receiving Lists. An individual list for each house district and precinct for regions to account for and verify they have received the correct ballots for each precinct.

Test Deck Ballot Lists. Test Deck Ballots are shipped earlier and separately from other ballots and a list of Test Decks Ballots for each delivery site that ordered test decks from the ballot order is to be included.

After the director’s office has reviewed the accountability paperwork, they will contact the offeror and let them know about any edits or changes, and the offeror will be ready to proceed with printing the ballots once the certified ballot PDFs have been delivered.

Ballot Timeline

A timeline for ballot delivery for each election will be delivered to the offeror. For the 2026 election cycle, the offeror can expect a document similar to the following:

SEC. 3.02 DELIVERABLES

The contractor will be required to provide the following deliverables:

The contractor will be required to provide the following deliverables:

A. Ballot Proofs B. Test Ballots C. Sample Ballots D. Official Ballots (Stubbed & Sequentially Numbered) E. Facsimile Ballots (If Ordered) F. Official Absentee By-mail Ballots (Folded) G. Accountability Paperwork Containing

A. Box Packing Lists

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B. Box Listing C. Precinct Receiving Lists D. Test Deck Ballot Lists

SEC. 3.03 CONTRACT TERM AND WORK SCHEDULE

The length of the contract will be from the date of award, approximately JUNE 1, 2026, for approximately TWO

(2) YEARS, until completion, June 30, 2028. The State may, at its discretion, renew the contract for two (2) additional two (2) year terms, at the same original terms and conditions, with the first two-year renewal beginning July 1, 2029, and ending June 30, 2031. Each contract renewal is contingent upon appropriated funding and satisfactory performance by the contractor.

Unless otherwise provided in this RFP, the State and the successful offeror/contractor agree: (1) that any extension of the contract excluding any exercised renewal options, will be considered as a month-to-month extension, and all other terms and conditions shall remain in full force and effect and (2) the procurement officer will provide notice to the contractor of the intent to cancel such month-to-month extension at least 30 days before the desired date of cancellation. A month-to-month extension may only be executed by the procurement officer via a written contract amendment.

SEC. 3.04 CONTRACT TYPE

This contract is a FIRM FIXED PRICE contract.

SEC. 3.05 PROPOSED PAYMENT PROCEDURES

The state will make payments based on a negotiated payment schedule. Each billing must consist of an invoice and progress report. No payment will be made until the progress report and invoice has been approved by the project director.

SEC. 3.06 PROMPT PAYMENT

The state is eligible to receive a 5% discount for all invoices paid within 15 business days from the date of receipt of the commodities or services and/or a correct invoice, whichever is later. The discount shall be taken on the full invoice amount. The state shall consider payment being made as either the date a printed warrant is issued or the date an electronic funds transfer (EFT) is initiated.

SEC. 3.07 CONTRACT PAYMENT

No payment will be made until the contract is approved by the Lieutenant Governor, Division of Elections. Under no conditions will the state be liable for the payment of any interest charges associated with the cost of the contract. The state is not responsible for and will not pay local, state, or federal taxes. All costs associated with the contract must be stated in U.S. currency.

Payment for agreements under $500,000 for the undisputed purchase of goods or services provided to a state agency, will be made within 30 days of the receipt of a proper billing or the delivery of the goods or services to the location(s) specified in the agreement, whichever is later. A late payment is subject to 1.5% interest per month on the unpaid balance. Interest will not be paid if there is a dispute or if there is an agreement that establishes a lower interest rate or precludes the charging of interest.

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Any single contract payment of $1 million or higher must be accepted by the contractor via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

SEC. 3.08 LOCATION OF WORK

The offeror must own and operate all printing facilities utilized in producing all election materials and those facilities must be available for inspection by the State of Alaska election staff. All the work required (with the possible exception of mailing services) must be performed directly by the printer at the printer’s facilities.

By signature on their proposal, the offeror certifies that all services provided under this contract by the offeror shall be performed in the United States.

If the offeror cannot certify that all work will be performed in the United States, the offeror must contact the procurement officer in writing to request a waiver at least 10 prior to the deadline for receipt of proposals.

The request must include a detailed description of the portion of work that will be performed outside the United States, where, by whom, and the reason the waiver is necessary.

Failure to comply with this requirement or to obtain a waiver may cause the State to reject the proposal as nonresponsive.

SEC. 3.09 RIGHT TO INSPECT PLACE OF BUSINESS

At reasonable times, the state may inspect those areas of the contractor's place of business that are related to the performance of a contract. If the state makes such an inspection, the contractor must provide reasonable assistance.

SEC. 3.10 F.O.B. POINT

All goods purchased through this contract will be F.O.B. final destination. Unless specifically stated otherwise, all prices offered must include the delivery costs to any location within the State of Alaska.

SEC. 3.11 CONTRACT PERSONNEL

Any change of project team members named in the proposal must be approved, in advance and in writing, by the project director and the procurement officer. Changes that are not approved by the state may be grounds for the state to terminate the contract.

SEC. 3.12 INSPECTION & MODIFICATION - REIMBURSEMENT FOR

UNACCEPTABLE DELIVERABLES

The contractor is responsible for the completion of all work set out in the contract. All work is subject to inspection, evaluation, and approval by the project director. The state may employ all reasonable means to ensure that the work is progressing and being performed in compliance with the contract. The project director or procurement officer may instruct the contractor to make corrections or modifications if needed in order to accomplish the contract’s intent. The contractor will not unreasonably withhold such changes.

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Substantial failure of the contractor to perform the contract may cause the state to terminate the contract. In this event, the state may require the contractor to reimburse monies paid (based on the identified portion of unacceptable work received) and may seek associated damages.

SEC. 3.13 CONTRACT CHANGES - UNANTICIPATED AMENDMENTS

During the course of this contract, the contractor may be required to perform additional work. That work will be within the general scope of the initial contract. When additional work is required, the project director will provide the contractor with a written description of the additional work and request the contractor to submit a firm time schedule for accomplishing the additional work and a firm price for the additional work. Cost and pricing data must be provided to justify the cost of such amendments per AS 36.30.400.

The contractor will not commence additional work until the procurement officer has secured any required state approvals necessary for the amendment and issued a written contract amendment, approved by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Division of Elections.

SEC. 3.14 NONDISCLOSURE AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Contractor agrees that all confidential information shall be used only for purposes of providing the deliverables and performing the services specified herein and shall not disseminate or allow dissemination of confidential information except as provided for in this section. The contractor shall hold as confidential and will use reasonable care (including both facility physical security and electronic security) to prevent unauthorized access by, storage, disclosure, publication, dissemination to and/or use by third parties of, the confidential information. “Reasonable care” means compliance by the contractor with all applicable federal and state law, including the Social Security Act and HIPAA. The contractor must promptly notify the state in writing if it becomes aware of any storage, disclosure, loss, unauthorized access to or use of the confidential information.

Confidential information, as used herein, means any data, files, software, information or materials (whether prepared by the state or its agents or advisors) in oral, electronic, tangible or intangible form and however stored, compiled or memorialized that is classified confidential as defined by State of Alaska classification and categorization guidelines provided by the state to the contractor or a contractor agent or otherwise made available to the contractor or a contractor agent in connection with this contract, or acquired, obtained or learned by the contractor or a contractor agent in the performance of this contract. Examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to: technology infrastructure, architecture, financial data, trade secrets, equipment specifications, user lists, passwords, research data, and technology data (infrastructure, architecture, operating systems, security tools, IP addresses, etc).

If confidential information is requested to be disclosed by the contractor pursuant to a request received by a third party and such disclosure of the confidential information is required under applicable state or federal law, regulation, governmental or regulatory authority, the contractor may disclose the confidential information after providing the state with written notice of the requested disclosure ( to the extent such notice to the state is permitted by applicable law) and giving the state opportunity to review the request. If the contractor receives no objection from the state, it may release the confidential information within 30 days. Notice of the requested disclosure of confidential information by the contractor must be provided to the state within a reasonable time after the contractor’s receipt of notice of the requested disclosure and, upon request of the state, shall seek to obtain legal protection from the release of the confidential information.

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The following information shall not be considered confidential information: information previously known to be public information when received from the other party; information freely available to the general public;

information which now is or hereafter becomes publicly known by other than a breach of confidentiality hereof;

or information which is disclosed by a party pursuant to subpoena or other legal process and which as a result becomes lawfully obtainable by the general public.

SEC. 3.15 INDEMNIFICATION

The contractor shall indemnify, hold harmless, and defend the contracting agency from and against any claim of, or liability for error, omission, or negligent act of the contractor under this agreement. The contractor shall not be required to indemnify the contracting agency for a claim of, or liability for, the independent negligence of the contracting agency. If there is a claim of, or liability for, the joint negligent error or omission of the contractor and the independent negligence of the contracting agency, the indemnification and hold harmless obligation shall be apportioned on a comparative fault basis. “Contractor” and “contracting agency”, as used within this and the following article, include the employees, agents and other contractors who are directly responsible, respectively, to each. The term “independent negligence” is negligence other than in the contracting agency’s selection, administration, monitoring, or controlling of the contractor and in approving or accepting the contractor’s work.

SEC. 3.16 INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Without limiting contractor's indemnification, it is agreed that contractor shall purchase at its own expense and maintain in force at all times during the performance of services under this agreement the following policies of insurance. Where specific limits are shown, it is understood that they shall be the minimum acceptable limits. If the contractor's policy contains higher limits, the state shall be entitled to coverage to the extent of such higher limits.

Certificates of Insurance must be furnished to the procurement officer prior to beginning work and must provide for a notice of cancellation, non-renewal, or material change of conditions in accordance with policy provisions.

Failure to furnish satisfactory evidence of insurance or lapse of the policy is a material breach of this contract and shall be grounds for termination of the contractor's services. All insurance policies shall comply with and be issued by insurers licensed to transact the business of insurance under AS 21.

Workers' Compensation Insurance: The contractor shall provide and maintain, for all employees engaged in work under this contract, coverage as required by AS 23.30.045, and where applicable, any other statutory obligations including but not limited to Federal U.S.L. & H. and Jones Act requirements.

The policy must waive subrogation against the State.

Commercial General Liability Insurance: covering all business premises and operations used by the Contractor in the performance of services under this agreement with minimum coverage limits of $300,000 combined single limit per claim.

Commercial Automobile Liability Insurance: covering all vehicles used by the contractor in the performance of services under this agreement with minimum coverage limits of $300,000 combined single limit per claim.

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SEC. 3.17 TERMINATION FOR DEFAULT

a. If the Project Director or Procurement Officer determines that the contractor has refused to perform the work or has failed to perform the work with such diligence as to ensure its timely and accurate completion, the state may, by providing written notice to the contractor, terminate the contractor's right to proceed with part or all the remaining work.

b. The Procurement Officer may also, by written notice, terminate this contract under Administrative Order 352 if the contractor supports or participates in a boycott of the State of Israel.

This clause does not restrict the state's termination rights under the contract provisions of Appendix A, attached in SECTION 7. ATTACHMENTS.

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SECTION 4. PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENT

SEC. 4.01 RFP SUBMITTAL FORMS

This RFP contains Submittal Forms, which must be completed by the offeror and submitted as part of their proposal. An electronic copy of the forms is posted along with this RFP.

Unless otherwise specified in this RFP, the Submittal Forms shall be the offeror’s entire proposal. Do not include any marketing information in the proposal.

Any proposal that does not follow these requirements may be deemed non-responsive.

SEC. 4.02 SPECIAL FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS

The offeror must ensure that their proposal meets all special formatting requirements identified in this section.

Documents and Text: All attachment documents must be written in the English language, be single sided, and be single spaced with a minimum font size of 10. Pictures or graphics may be used if the offeror feels it is necessary to communicate their information, however, be aware of the below requirements for page limits.

Page Limits: Some Submittal Forms listed below have maximum page limit requirements. Offerors must not exceed the maximum page limits. Note, the page limit applies to the front side of a page only (for example, ‘1 Page’ implies that the offeror can only provide a response on one side of a piece of paper). Any pages exceeding the maximum page limit will be discarded and will not be included in the evaluations (for example, the maximum page limit is 3 pages, but the Offeror submits 5 pages for that submittal form. Only pages 1-3 will be evaluated. Pages 4 and 5 would be discarded by the Procurement Officer before sending to the proposal evaluation committee for evaluation.).

Submittal Form Maximum Page Limits

Submittal Form A – Offeror Information and Certifications Submittal Form B – Experience and Qualifications 5 Submittal Form C – Understanding of the Project 5 Submittal Form D – Methodology Used for the Project 5 Submittal Form E – Management Plan for the Project 5

Any Submittal Form submitted as part of a proposal that is not compliant with the instructions above may be a basis for finding the proposal non-responsive and thus rejected.

SEC. 4.03 OFFEROR INFORMATION AND CERTIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL

FORM A)

The offeror must complete and submit this Submittal Form. The form must be signed by an individual authorized to bind the offeror to the provisions of the RFP.

By signature on the form, the offeror certifies they comply with the following:

a) the laws of the State of Alaska;

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b) the applicable portion of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964;

c) the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government;

d) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the regulations issued thereunder by the federal government;

e) all terms and conditions set out in this RFP;

f) a condition that the proposal submitted was independently arrived at, without collusion, under penalty of perjury; and

g) that the offers will remain open and valid for at least 90 days.

If any offeror fails to comply with [a] through [g] of this paragraph, the state reserves the right to disregard the proposal, terminate the contract, or consider the contractor in default.

The Submittal Form also requests the following information:

a) The complete name and address of offeror’s firm along with the offeror’s Tax ID.

b) Information on the person the state should contact regarding the proposal.

c) Names of critical team members/personnel.

d) Addenda acknowledgement.

e) Conflict of interest statement.

f) Federal requirements.

g) Alaska preference qualifications.

An offeror's failure to address/respond/include these items may cause the proposal to be determined to be non-responsive and the proposal may be rejected.

SEC. 4.04 EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS (SUBMITTAL FORM B)

Offerors must provide detail on the personnel assigned to accomplish the work called for in this RFP; illustrate the lines of authority; designate the individual responsible and accountable for the completion of each component and deliverable of the RFP.

Offerors must provide a narrative description of the organization of the project team and a personnel roster that identifies each person who will actually work on the contract along with their titles and location(s) where work will be performed.

Offerors must also provide reference names and phone numbers for similar projects the offeror’s firm has completed.

The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form. Submission forms shall not exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

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Offerors must provide resumes for those personnel with names and title that will be assigned to complete the project as a separate attachment to Submittal Form B.

SEC. 4.05 UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM C)

Offerors must provide comprehensive narrative statements that illustrate their understanding of the requirements of the project and the project schedule.

The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form. Submission forms shall not exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.06 METHODOLOGY USED FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM D)

Offerors must provide comprehensive narrative statements that set out the methodology they intend to employ and illustrate how the methodology will serve to accomplish the work and meet the state’s project schedule.

The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form. Submission forms shall not exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.07 MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT (SUBMITTAL FORM E)

Offerors must provide comprehensive narrative statements that set out the management plan they intend to follow and illustrate how the plan will serve to accomplish the work and meet the state's project schedule.

The offeror shall not disclose their costs in this Submittal Form. Submission forms shall not exceed the page limit (as described in Section 4.02).

SEC. 4.08 COST PROPOSAL (ATTACHEMENT 4)

Offerors must complete and submit this Submittal Form. Proposed costs must include all direct and indirect costs associated with the performance of the contract, including, but not limited to, total number of hours at various hourly rates, direct expenses, payroll, supplies, overhead assigned to each person working on the project, percentage of each person's time devoted to the project, and profit. The costs identified on the cost proposal are the total amount of costs to be paid by the state. No additional charges shall be allowed.

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SECTION 5. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND CONTRACTOR

SELECTION

SEC. 5.01 SUMMARY OF EVALUATION PROCESS

The state will use the following steps to evaluate and prioritize proposals:

1) Proposals will be assessed for overall responsiveness. Proposals deemed non-responsive will be eliminated from further consideration.

2) A proposal evaluation committee (PEC), made up of at least three state employees or public officials, will evaluate the Technical portion of all responsive proposals.

3) The Submittal Forms, from each responsive proposal, will be sent to the PEC. No cost information will be shared or provided to the PEC.

4) The PEC will independently evaluate and score the documents based on the degree to which they meet the stated evaluation criteria.

5) After independent scoring, the PEC will have a meeting, chaired by the procurement officer, where the PEC may have a group discussion prior to finalizing their scores.

6) The evaluators will submit their final individual scores to the procurement officer, who will then compile the scores and calculate awarded points as set out in Section 5.03.

7) The procurement officer will calculate scores for cost proposals as set out in Section 5.08 and add those scores to the awarded points along with factoring in any Alaska preferences.

8) The procurement officer may ask for best and final offers from offerors susceptible for award and revise the cost scores accordingly.

9) The state will then conduct any necessary negotiations with the highest scoring offeror and award a contract if the negotiations are successful.

SEC. 5.02 EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be evaluated based on their overall value to state, considering both cost and non-cost factors as described below. Note: An evaluation may not be based on discrimination due to the race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability, or political affiliation of the offeror.

Overall Criteria Weight Responsiveness Pass/Fail

Qualifications Criteria Weight Experience and Qualifications (Submittal Form B) 125 Understanding of the Project (Submittal Form C) 125 Methodology Used for the Project (Submittal Form D) 125 Management Plan for the Project (Submittal Form E) 125

Total 500

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Cost Criteria Weight Cost Proposal (Attachment 4) 400 Total 400

Preference Criteria Weight Alaska Offeror Preference (if applicable) 100 Total 100

TOTAL EVALUATION POINTS AVAILABLE: 1000

SEC. 5.03 SCORING METHOD AND CALCULATION

Each Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) member will individually evaluate and score each responsive proposal using the criteria set out in Sections 5.04 through 5.07 and assign a single score of 1, 5, or 10, with 10 representing the highest score, 5 representing the average score, and 1 representing the lowest score.

PEC members should start with a score of 5 on each section. The score may either increase or decrease depending on the offeror’s response to each question for that section.