Solicitation_RFP_Requirements_With_Exceptions_Final_9.18.2025.pdf

Request for Proposal under A.R.S. § 41-2534

Notice Page

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office 1802 W. Jackson, #100

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 8 | Revised 03-24 | Page 1 of 92

ALL EXCEPTIONS ARE IN BLUE. ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION

REFER TO EXCEPTIONS DOCUMENT IN APP.

Solicitation Number: BPM006839

Description: SOS Petition Management Services

Solicitation Due Date and Time: As indicated in APP

Pre-Offer Conference: Pre-Offer Conference will not be conducted

Proposals will only be accepted online in the “State’s eProcurement System”, Arizona Procurement Portal (APP), at https://app.az.gov until the “Bid/Offer Due Date” indicated in the “State’s eProcurement System” for the Solicitation No. shown at the top of this page. Proposals must be in the State Procurement Office’s possession online no later than that deadline.

Submit technical inquiries about navigating and/or submitting proposals in the State’s eProcurement System to the State’s eProcurement System Help Desk by phone at (602) 542-7600, option 2; or by email to app@azdoa.gov.

LATE PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. No extension or grace period will be given for delays or incomplete proposals caused by internet connectivity problems, file uploading difficulties, or misunderstanding of the requirements or procedures for online submission in the “State’s eProcurement System”.

It is the responsibility of the Prospective Offeror to routinely check the APP website for Solicitation Amendments. Additional instructions for preparing an Offer are included in this solicitation.

Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting the Solicitation contact person. Requests shall be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange for the accommodation.

https://app.az.gov/ https://app.az.gov/ mailto:app@azdoa.gov

Table of Contents Request for Proposal under A.R.S. § 41-2534

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 2 of 92

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

Notice Page

Table of Contents

Solicitation Summary 3

Scope of Work 5

Special Terms and Conditions 31

Addendum A to the Special Terms and Conditions 65

Uniform Terms and Conditions 10.5 75

Exhibit A 92

Solicitation Summary

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 3 of 92

Solicitation Summary

1. What is the State Soliciting?

The Arizona Department of Administration, State Procurement Office (the State), as authorized under A.R.S. § 41-2501 et seq. is seeking to establish one or more single-agency Contracts on behalf of Secretary of State and for their sole use, to provide SOS Petition Management Services.

The State anticipates awarding contract(s) with the intent to secure service coverage statewide.

Whether or not it actually enters into any contracts, how many contracts it enters into, and how the work is awarded between those contracts are all at the State’s discretion. Furthermore, the State will use any awarded contracts on an as-needed basis, with no guarantee as to its actual spending under them.

The State reserves the right to accept any item or combination of items specified in the Solicitation, unless the Offeror expressly restricts an item or combination of items in its Offer, and conditions its response on receiving all items for which it provided a proposal. In the event of such restriction, the State will evaluate if an award on such a basis will result in the best value and is in the best interest for the State. The State may otherwise determine, at its sole discretion, that such restriction is non-responsive and deem the Offeror ineligible for further evaluation.

2. What is in the Solicitation?

2.1. At the time of publication, the following documents are included in the Solicitation:

2.1.1. Attachment: BPM006839 Solicitation Requirements

2.1.1.1. Notice / Cover Page

2.1.1.2. Table of Contents

2.1.1.3. Solicitation Summary

2.1.1.4. Scope of Work

2.1.1.5. Special Terms and Conditions

2.1.1.6. Addendum A to the Special Terms and Conditions

2.1.1.7. Addendum B to the Special Terms and Conditions

2.1.1.8. Uniform Terms and Conditions

2.1.1.9. Exhibits (if applicable)

2.1.2. Attachment: BPM006839 Solicitation Instructions

2.1.2.1. Special Instructions to Offerors

2.1.2.2. Standard Instructions to Offerors (RFP)

2.1.3. Solicitation Attachments

2.1.3.1. A1 - Offer and Acceptance

2.1.3.2. A2 - Boycott of Israel Disclosure

Solicitation Summary

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 4 of 92

2.1.3.3. A3 - Forced Labor of Ethnic Uyghurs Ban

2.1.3.4. A4 - Confidential Information Designation

○ Confidential Information Designation (for reference only)

2.1.3.5. A5 - Conformance Statements and Exceptions Requests

2.1.3.6. A6 - Key Personnel

2.1.3.7. A7 - Letter of Insurability

2.1.3.8. A8 - Organization Profile

2.1.3.9. A9 - Proposed Subcontractors

2.1.3.10. A10 - Experience and Capacity Response

2.1.3.11. A11 - References

2.1.3.12. A12 - Method of Approach

2.1.3.13. A13 - AZ Baseline Infrastructure Security Controls

2.1.3.14. A14 - Prerequisite Assessment of Arizona Baseline Infrastructure

Security Controls

2.1.3.15. A15 – Pricing Sheet

2.2. The State may issue a Solicitation Amendment at any time after Solicitation publication and before the Offer due date. It is the responsibility of the Prospective Offeror to routinely check the APP website for any Solicitation Amendments and revised documents.

ALL EXCEPTIONS ARE IN BLUE. ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION

REFER TO EXCEPTIONS DOCUMENT IN APP.

Scope of Work

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 5 of 92

Scope of Work

Scope of Work

1. Purpose and Background

The purpose of this Solicitation is to establish services for Petition Management for the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS). The SOS is responsible for processing initiative, referendum, recall, candidate and new party petitions. While changes in state law may change processes, the Petition Management system acquired must allow for changes to ensure the SOS remains in full compliance and fulfills its statutory requirements.

1.1. Initiative Petitions:

An initiative is the method by which voters may propose new laws or amend existing laws by gathering signatures from registered voters to place the issue on the ballot. The person or organization putting forward the initiative must file these signatures with the SOS at least four months prior to the next general election.

The Arizona Constitution requires valid signatures from 15% of qualified electors to place an initiative proposing a constitutional amendment on the ballot and valid signatures from 10% of qualified electors to place an initiative proposing a statutory amendment on the ballot. Ariz. Const. art. IV, § 1(2).

1.1.1. Overview of Process:

Initiative review is a multi-phase process that includes but is not limited to the following:

1. Manual review to ensure the text and title is attached to all sheets, remove any sheets not attached to a copy of the text and title and separate the text and title from each petition sheet.

2. Scanning and bates numbering every petition sheet.

3. Review of statutorily required content on the front and back of each petition sheet and removing sheets that do not meet statutory requirements.

4. Individual signature line review on each petition sheet and striking of signature lines that do not meet statutory requirements.

5. Sorting petition sheets by majority county.

6. Calculating the total number of valid signatures.

7. Selecting a random sample from the valid signature lines for County review and transmitting the sampled sheets to the County Recorders.

8. Providing electronic images of petition sheets for public records requests and court challenges.

9. Reporting required statistics to certify results for each petition filed.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 6 of 92

1.1.2. Timeline:

Initiatives are filed during even-numbered years. The initiative cycle for the award of this contract will begin in July 2028 for initiatives to appear on the November 2028 General Election ballot. See Ariz. Const. art. IV § 1(4). Once an initiative petition is filed, the SOS has 20 business days to conduct its statutorily required review, determine whether the petition cleared the signature threshold requirement, and, if so, transmit the random sample to the County Recorders’ Offices. A.R.S. § 19-121.01.

1.1.3. Volume from Previous Election Cycle:

Three initiatives were filed with the SOS in July 2024 with the following approximate totals for number of pages and signature lines. This volume may increase for future election cycles.

Serial Number

Pages Scanned

Lines Reviewed

Crossed Out/ Blank Lines

Rejected Lines

Valid Lines

I-02-2024 70,966 532,249 182,682 78,557 271,010 I-05-2024 170,578 1,279,337 466,866 35,314 777,157 I-14-2024 118,776 890,823 303,701 27,743 559,379

TOTALS 360,320 2,702,409 953,249 141,614 1,607,546

1.2. Referendum Petitions:

A referendum is the method by which voters may veto a law (or part of a law) by gathering petition signatures from registered voters to place the issue on the ballot.

The Arizona Constitution requires valid signatures from 5% of qualified electors to place a referendum on the ballot. Ariz. Const. art. IV, § 1(3).

1.2.1. Overview of Process:

Referendum petitions are processed under the same procedures as initiative petitions.

1.2.2. Timeline:

The person or organization putting forward the referendum must file these signatures with the SOS within 90 days of when the Legislature that enacted the House or Senate bill in question adjourns sine die for the year (odd and even year). Ariz. Const. art. IV, § 1(4). The filing would take place dependent on when the Legislature adjourns. The signatures may not be filed until late summer or fall.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 7 of 92

1.2.3. Volume from Previous Election Cycle:

The SOS received no referendum petitions in the 2024 election cycle. The most recent referendum was filed in 2021 to appear on the 2022 General Election Ballot. Below is the volume of pages and signature lines from this single referendum petition:

Serial Number

Pages Scanned

Lines Reviewed

Crossed Out/ Blank Lines

Rejected Lines

Valid Lines

R-01-2021 8,142 122,130 30,000 5,490 86,640 R-03-2021 23,000 345,664 120,079 16,832 208,753 R-06-2021 13,000 204,364 73,948 11,239 119,177

TOTALS 44,142 672,158 224,027 33,561 414,570

1.3. Recall Petitions:

A recall petition is the method by which voters may recall elected officials by gathering signatures from registered voters.

Arizona law requires valid signatures equal to 25% of the number of votes cast at the last preceding general election for all candidates for the office held by the officer, divided by the number of offices that were being filled at that election, to recall an elected official.

A.R.S. § 19-201.

1.3.1. Overview of Process:

Recall petitions are processed applying the same requirements as outlined in A.R.S. § 19-121.01(A) for initiative petitions. See A.R.S. § 19-208.01.

If the minimum number of signatures is met, the SOS must transmit an electronic image of the front of each petition sheet to the respective county. Unlike initiatives and referenda, every sheet must be transmitted instead of selecting a random sample. A.R.S. § 19-208.01.

If the recall petition is successful, it triggers a special election which includes candidate filing period with additional petition processing.

1.3.2. Timeline:

The person or organization putting forward the recall must file these signatures with the SOS within 120 days of when the recall serial number was issued. A.R.S.

§ 19-203(C). Practically, this means that recall petitions could be filed at any point throughout the election cycle (odd and even years).

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 8 of 92

The SOS has 10 days to process a recall petition once filed. A.R.S. § 19-208.01.

1.3.3. Volume from Previous Election Cycle:

The SOS received no recall petitions in the 2024 election cycle.

1.4. Candidate Petitions:

All aspiring candidates running for federal, statewide, or legislative office must file nomination petitions with the SOS with the required number of signatures of qualified electors to appear on the official ballot.

The nomination petition form and content must conform to statutory requirements. A photograph of the candidate may appear on the nomination petition, and the signature portion, circulator instructions, and statement must be in the form provided by law. A.R.S.

§§ 16-314; 16-315.

Nomination petitions may be circulated at any time during the election cycle. For example, the signature requirements to qualify for the 2028 election are based on the number of registered voters on January 2, 2028. The candidate must file at least the minimum number of signatures required for the office sought and no more than the maximum number.

The SOS must also process $5 Qualifying Contribution (QC) forms during the candidate filing period for candidates participating in the Clean Elections program. Aspiring statewide and legislative candidates may choose to run as a participating Clean Elections candidate by collecting the required number of $5 donations from registered voters within their district. This component of the process will be described in more detail below.

1.4.1. Overview of Process:

Candidate review is a simpler process that includes an initial petition review with the following steps:

1. Scanning and bates numbering every petition sheet.

2. Review of statutorily required content on the front and back of each petition sheet.

3. Calculating valid signature totals.

4. Providing electronic images for public records requests and court challenges.

Candidates may also submit supplemental petitions which follow the above process. Candidates participating in the Clean Elections program will also submit Qualifying Contribution slips.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 9 of 92

Participating candidates may collect Qualifying Contributions (QCs) in person by using a three-part reporting slip that includes the contributor’s name, address, and signature. The slip must also contain the name of the candidate for whom the contribution is made, the date, and the printed name and signature of the person soliciting the donation. One copy of the slip should be given to the contributor as a receipt, one copy should be retained by the candidate’s campaign committee, and the third original reporting slip should be filed with the SOS when the candidate applies for Clean Elections funding.

1.4.2. Timeline:

Candidate petitions may be filed during the following timeframes:

• In even-numbered years, someone may file to be a candidate on the Primary Election ballot. The filing window for the Election Cycle runs typically from March through April of the even-numbered year. A.R.S. §§ 16-314; 16-311. Candidates participating in the Clean Elections program may begin filing as early as January 1st of the even-numbered year.

A.R.S. § 16-951.

• In years with a presidential election, someone may file a candidate petition to appear as an independent candidate on the General Election ballot not less than 80 and not more than 100 days before the General Election. A.R.S. § 16-341(G).

• If a recall petition succeeds or a special election is called, someone may file a candidate petition to appear as a candidate in the recall/special election. This timing is tied to whether the recall petition is successful, or a special election is called and may happen at any time (odd and even years). See A.R.S. §§ 16-313; 19-212.

The timeframe for processing QCs will run from August in odd years until one week before the primary election. A.R.S. § 16-961. QCs may also need to be processed in a special/recall election cycle.

1.4.3. Volume from Previous Election Cycles:

As different offices are up for election in alternating cycles, the number of signatures filed each election cycle may vary widely. It is very likely that year after year the volume will increase from the previous cycle. Here are the totals from the most recent cycle:

2024 Election:

• 256 candidates submitted petition filings

• 439,160 total valid signatures recorded after processing

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 10 of 92

1.5. New Party Petitions:

The SOS is responsible for processing petitions for statewide new party recognition.

A.R.S. § 16-801. To qualify for statewide recognition, qualified electors must timely submit petition signatures equal to at least 1⅓ percent of the total votes cast for Governor at the last preceding general election at which a Governor was elected. A.R.S. § 16-801(A).

1.5.1. Overview of Process:

This process resembles the process outlined above in the initiative process and requires the same basic system functionality.

1. The SOS must conduct an out of county review striking signatures outside the county of the majority of signers in addition to reviewing individual signature lines and eliminating petition signatures based on statutory requirements. A.R.S. § 16-803.

2. Within seven business days after receipt of a petition for statewide recognition, the SOS shall select a random sample from the valid signature lines for County review and transmit the sampled sheets to the County Recorders.

1.5.2. Timeline:

New Party petitions are filed in odd numbered years. Typically, the filing period ends in November of the odd numbered year. The SOS has until December of the odd numbered year to finalize processing and transmit to the County Recorders. It is likely that if the parties are unsuccessful at gaining ballot status in 2025, they will try again in 2027.

1.5.3. Volume from Previous Election Cycles:

In 2023, the SOS received the following new party petitions:

• No Labels Party qualified with 7,049 sheets and 56,695 signatures.

• Patriot Party of AZ filed 5,332 sheets and 37,227 signatures and did not qualify for statewide representation.

• Arizona Green Party qualified with 8,015 sheets and 62,749 signatures.

2. Definitions

2.1. Election Cycle: The two-year period beginning on January 1 in the year after a statewide general election. A.R.S. § 16-544 (S).

3. Scope of Work

3.1. Mandatory Requirements:

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 11 of 92

3.1.1. Offerors are required to complete the AZRAMP Level 1 Prerequisite Control Sheet (https://azdohs.gov/sites/default/files/azramp-level-1-prerequisite-control-sheet_0.xlsx) and submit as part of their Offer. Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDOHS) Cyber Command will evaluate and rank submitted Arizona Baseline Infrastructure Security Controls for completeness, attention to detail, and understanding of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) security controls and framework. AZDOHS Cyber Command will forward assessment results and recommendations to the Procurement Officer. Results of these IT security control reviews are for internal use only and will not be shared with responding bidders, though the results may be used by the Procurement Officer to determine Offeror susceptibility for award.

3.1.2. Pursuant to State Data Classification Policy P8110, and the Data classification defined in the Special Terms and Conditions, the Contractor will have access to the following type of Data as part of its work under the Contract:

X Public State Data (AZRAMP 125 / NIST Low Impact) ☐ Confidential State Data (AZRAMP 325 / NIST Moderate Impact)

3.2. Scanning/Importing: Creating an electronic image of the petitions

The SOS receives hard-copy filings of all petitions and must organize and scan these sheets during the first stage of the petition process. Creating an electronic image allows the SOS to:

1. Increase processing speed by enabling review through an electronic petition review system; and

2. Maintain clear records of the petition sheets by Bates Numbering.

The three scanners (2 IBML ImageTracDS 1085 and 1 IBML ImageTracDS 1210) currently owned by the SOS meet the minimum requirements needed for the SOS process. Ideally these scanners would be incorporated in the proposed solution.

Requirements

Speed: Speed refers to both the speed of scanning sheets (front and back) as well as the speed at which the system is capable of importing those scanned images into a review platform. The system must simultaneously scan and import at a speed of 1,250 pages per hour.

The scanners will be connected to a review system that allows the SOS to review petition sheets and signature lines. A single petition will never be fed simultaneously through multiple scanners.

Color Images: The scanning solution must read all colors (including but not limited to black, red, green, blue, and grey/graphite) on a sheet and convert any color to a black and white image.

https://azdohs.gov/information-security-policies-standards-and-procedures

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 12 of 92

The scanner’s sensitivity can be calibrated by SOS staff to read sheets of varying ink darkness.

Instructions on how to do so will be included in written documents provided by the vendor.

Paper: Scanning solution must process different sizes of paper, including 8.5 x 11 and 8.5 x 14 without distorting the scanned image.

Scanning solution must scan/recognize paper such as but not limited to regular, recycled and carbon copy paper.

Bates Number: Scanning solution must print physical Bates Number and appropriate coding on hard copy sheet (which includes but not limited to regular, recycled or carbon copy paper).

The corresponding electronic image must be labeled with the identical Bates Number.

If additional sheets are added to a petition after the initial scan has been completed, the scanning solution must provide the option to continue both physical and electronic Bates Numbering from where it stopped in the same petition.

The scanning solution must include a feature that allows the vendor (under direction of the SOS) to adjust which data fields are included in the physical Bates display for all petition types.

The scanning solution must reset the Bates Numbering at the beginning of each new petition.

Sheet Assignment: When multiple petitions are processed, the scanning solution must have the capability of labeling and differentiating petition scans by the petition. At the start of imaging a petition, the SOS will identify the petition name that must be used to categorize any scanned images for that petition. The scanning solution must allow petition scans to be assigned by petition name.

The scanning solution must allow a team member to assign a three-letter county designation, as set by SOS in advance, to scanned and rescanned images. This county designation will appear on the electronic image as a three-letter designation and on the top of each physical sheet.

Rescan: The system must allow the rescan of sheets after the batch is closed or after the petition page has imported into the vendor’s review system without interfering with the continuous bates numbering of a petition.

The rescan option will be available after a page has been imported and made available for review.

The rescan option will be available after a batch has been closed. Bates numbering will remain continuous for the subsequent batches for the same petition.

A rescanned sheet will replace the original scanned image in the review system while maintaining the original bates number.

Once rescanned, the system provides a mechanism for importing the rescanned image into the review system for users to review it.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 13 of 92

The scanning solution includes an option to turn off the inkjet so a bates number will not be printed on the hard copy.

Exporting Raw Images: The system must be able to save scanned images as compressible formats including but not limited to TIF and PDF files that allows for viewing of the images with clear bates numbering in the image title and on the image. The system must allow for the SOS to provide a naming convention or a set of guidelines on how to name files. For example, saved files for initiative/referendum/recall petitions must only include the petition name, county and bates number and for candidate petitions only the office, candidate’s party, last name and first initial shall be included.

The scanning solution will move images from the scanner software into the review software.

Importing speed will be no slower than 1,250 sheets/hour.

The import process must not prevent scanning or reviewing.

The system must be able to continuously import and export pages simultaneously while review occurs.

The system will allow for batches as large as 350 pages to be scanned prior to closing the batch.

Petition Creation: When creating a specific petition in the software prior to scanning/import, the SOS admin users must be able to assign a specific petition type.

The petition type options must include candidate, new party, initiative, referendum, and recall.

The SOS will either provide example petition sheets or notify the vendor when the first batch of petitions have been scanned.

3.3. Petition Sheet and Line Review: User/Basic level Review

The scanned petition sheets must be reviewed for all elements established in the background section of this document. The review will vary by petition type. The following requirements apply to the petition review stage.

Requirements

User Access: The system must allow up to 100 users to review petitions or conduct administrator functions (for example: auditing sheets or pulling data) at the same time.

Each user will have a unique login for system access. The SOS admin will create the accounts and reset user passwords.

The system must track which sheets each user reviewed.

All users are able to access and conduct review on the review software remotely or from a central location.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 14 of 92

Navigation: Users can search or sort the appropriate petition by a key word in the petition title, petition type, or date uploaded using a search function built in the system or using the Ctrl + F function on keyboard.

The dashboard should reflect the numbers/data needed for reports listed in a separate section such as a Data and Reports section.

Sheet Access: Unprocessed sheets are automatically assigned to reviewers, ensuring that reviewers can work continuously as new sheets are imported. Petition page access for reviewers is not contingent on administrator assignment. This access does not interfere with other users' review. To ensure this, the users must be assigned the back and front page of a petition sheet. The back and front page of a petition sheet must be assigned to a singular user and must not be split (i.e. The system must never assign User A to the back page with Bates Number 1 and assign User B to the front page with Bates Number 1. The system must only assign User A both the back and front page with Baters Number 1 to avoid splitting the petition sheet).

Users must have the ability to access sheets they previously reviewed in the assigned petition to fix errors.

System allows individual reviewers to review petition sheets within parameters set by administrator.

System allows administrator to set parameters for user access to petition sheets.

Pages are checked out to a reviewer for no more than 10 minutes, and then are released.

Scanned Image Display: The system displays scanned images to optimize accuracy and review speed. When the user is in review mode, reject reasons, line disposition options, and other review features must be displayed as appropriate to the side or section of the sheet being viewed. The system can display the entire scanned image (front and back must be visible and should not appear on the same screen).

The back (affidavit) page review must be conducted prior to any signature line review on the front page.

When a user is reviewing a page, the following pieces of information are accessible on the screen or visible on the image of the scanned page as appropriate:

• Bates number is displayed on the screen when the reviewer is on the front or back of the sheet.

• Total number of valid lines should display when reviewing the front side of the sheet (signature side). The valid line total must change as signature lines are reviewed and dispositions are changed.

• Individual line disposition options when a user is reviewing the front side of the sheet.

Line options will not be visible when reviewing the back side of a sheet.

• County Assignment as set at the time of scanning appears on the front side of the review image. System allows county designation to appear when set by scanner/administrator.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 15 of 92

Sheet Dispositions: The system allows users and admins to tag/mark a sheet as rejected, accepted or flagged.

Selecting rejected/accepted saves all changes to the review and moves the user to the next side or petition sheet accordingly.

For the back/affidavit page, if no reject reason is selected and the user does not flag the page for supervisor review, the system must require the user to take a step to affirmatively accept the back page.

For the front/signature page, if no reject reason is selected and the user does not flag the page for supervisor review, then the system requires that each line-item component has a disposition before the user can move to the next petition sheet.

System allows the user to input a reason for supervisor review. This can be satisfied by selecting a “flagged with comment” reason from a drop-down menu under page options. The SOS will provide the “flagged with comment” options to the vendor to display in the system.

The SOS reserves the right to update the “flagged with comment” options after providing the initial list. The vendor must accommodate any changes as requested by the SOS.

Sheet Rejection Reasons: The system provides options for the reviewer to select rejection reasons on both the front and back of the sheet. Users may select multiple reject reasons.

If a rejection reason(s) is selected, the entire side is marked as rejected, the valid line total is zero, and the system records the sheet as in the rejected sheet tally for that petition.

If the back page is rejected, the front page must also be automatically rejected.

The system must allow the user to enter the circulator data even on rejected sheets.

The SOS will deliver rejection reasons to the vendor. The SOS reserves the right to update the rejection reasons after providing the initial reasons. The vendor must accommodate any changes as requested by the SOS.

Line Dispositions: The system must allow each individual line to be marked with a disposition value of Valid, Blank, Rejected, Flagged or Crossed Out. Each disposition value must be distinguishable in color from the other disposition values.

The system must allow for individual line dispositions with valid as the default.

The system must allow for individual line dispositions to be flagged by the user for supervisor review. Overlay must not obscure neighboring lines. Overlay must be distinguishable from the other disposition values.

The system marks rejected lines with a visible overlay indicating rejection. Overlay must not obscure neighboring lines. Overlay must be distinguishable from the other disposition values.

The system provides auto-recognition and auto-marking of blank lines and marks the line as blank, not adding them to the valid line total. Overlay must not obscure neighboring lines.

Overlay must be distinguishable from the other disposition values.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 16 of 92

The system provides auto-recognition and auto-marking of crossed out lines and marks them as crossed out, not adding them to the valid line total. Overlay must not obscure neighboring lines. Overlay must be distinguishable from the other disposition values.

Circulator Lookup Feature: The system allows users to search, select from the pre-loaded list, and confirm a circulator’s registration information. When a user selects the circulator from the drop down, the information will auto-populate on the screen with the following information:

circulator name, ID number, registration date, any registration date changes, paid status, and out-of-state status.

System provides a way to upload the circulator data as provided by the SOS. SOS admins can upload a list (excel or csv format) of all registered circulators with circulator name, circulator ID number, registration date, unregistered date, re-registration date, paid status (yes/no), and out-of-state status (yes/no) for an individual petition. The system must be able to accommodate additional unregistered and re-registration dates.

Users can search the list of registered circulators when reviewing the back page. The user must be able to search by circulator name (first name, last name, or both) or circulator ID number.

The system must allow users to select a circulator if found in the search feature and page is tagged with that circulator’s details. If a matching circulator is not found, users can manually enter the circulator’s name, address, and ID number, if provided. Once this information is added, the system must save the entered information for the circulator.

The system must display on the front page for the user to review the circulator’s ID, paid status, registration, unregistered and re-registration dates from the information selected or entered on the back page. This data must not block the petition sheet and must not be imprinted on the petition sheet; it is only for the user’s purpose while reviewing petitions.

Notary Information: The system must display on the front page for the user to review the notary date that was present on the back page. This data must not block the petition sheet and must not be imprinted on the petition sheet; it is only for the user’s purpose while reviewing the front side of the petition.

County Assignment: The system allows the user to manually change the county designation on the back and front of the petition sheet during review.

Display Errors: If a scanned image displays incorrectly, the system can adjust the image so the page can be reviewed without having to rescan the sheet. The system must provide the following options to users:

• To move line disposition mark-ups to align correctly with image (up and down);

• To flip the page if displayed upside down; and

• To zoom for better visibility.

3.4. Administrative Review and Audit Features

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 17 of 92

Administrators need a higher level of access than users for several functions: quality control, resolving flagged pages, and pulling data and exports. The system must allow multiple administrators to work on the same petition at the same time while the petition is still being reviewed by the users.

Requirements

Queuing of Administrator View: The system must allow administrators to access petition sheets for administrator review of user reviewed pages.

The system must allow the administrator to navigate both forward, backward, and jump to a specific sheet within the full petition by entering a Bates Number.

The system prevents non-administrative users from accessing this mode.

When reviewing pages administrators can make edits as a user would in the system and must have the capability to override any errors.

Flagged Page Review: The system must display flagged pages, and pages with flagged lines in the administrator review mode. The system must allow administrators to review and clear flagged pages, accept/reject pages following standard review criteria, and return to the review queue.

Quality Control: The system must allow multiple administrators to review pages at the same time.

The system must allow administrators to review work in a single petition by user and by page disposition/status such as:

• Accepted Pages

• Accepted Pages/ No Quality Control Review

• Flagged Pages

• Pages with Rejected Lines

• Pending Pages

• Rejected Pages

• Rejected Pages/ No Quality Control Review

The system must allow administrators and supervisor to view “User History” for purposes of conducting quality control.

The back and front page of a petition sheet must be assigned to a singular reviewer and must not be split (i.e. The system must never assign User A to the back page with Bates Number 1 and assign User B to the front page with Bates Number 1. The system must only assign User A both the back and front page with Bates Number 1 to avoid splitting the petition sheet).

3.5. Sampling and Exporting

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 18 of 92

The final step in any petition is to export the pages for review by counties and to fulfill public records requests. A random sample of valid lines needs to be sent to the counties for Initiatives, Referenda and New Party Petitions.

Requirements

Sampling: The system must produce a random sample of a certain percentage of valid lines in a petition once all pages have been reviewed and all flags from lines/pages have been cleared. The sampled pages must show the rejected and crossed out lines and ensure these lines are not included in the sample.

Initiative and Referenda require a 5% random sample of all valid lines.

New Party Petitions require a 20% random sample of all valid lines.

Sampled lines must be distinctly marked, such as by adding “S-“ in the margin next to the randomly sampled line.

The SOS must be able to manually input the percentage for the random sample.

Export Speed: The system must be able to export reviewed/marked sheets at a minimum speed of 1,500 petition sheets or 3,000 sides/pages per hour in a PDF.

Export Formats: The system must have the capability to export as a continuous PDF or 300 DPI, individual, Black & White TIF images. The system must allow for the SOS to provide a naming convention or a set of guidelines on how to name files. For example, saved files for initiative/referendum/recall petitions must only include the petition name, county and bates number and for candidate petitions only the office, candidate’s party, last name and first initial shall be included.

If a PDF needs to export in an increment, the largest increment size option must be 500 petition sheets, front and back, or 1,000 PDF pages.

Export Range: The system allows for exporting of the entire petition or by specified criteria as listed below:

• Front Sides Only

• Back Sides Only

• Only pages with sampled lines

• By county assignment

• Accepted pages only

• Rejected pages only

• Without overlay of line dispositions

Export Overlay: System displays the following information on the exported pages per statute: Bates numbering, number of accepted lines per page, county designation, rejected line strike through, and sampled line indicator.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 19 of 92

Export Support: The vendor must provide support and assistance during export to ensure there will be no interruption in the export process.

3.6. Data and Reports

In order to determine the outcome for petitions the office must be able to pull final statistics on the petition. Additionally, throughout the process, certain reports and statistics help monitor the progress of a petition review.

Requirements

Status Data: Once the petition is created, the system must display a dashboard with the total numbers (“status data”) of the following:

• Total number of petition sheets with a breakdown of the following categories:

o Accepted o Rejected o Flagged o Pending Review

• Total number of pages with a breakdown of the following categories:

o Accepted o Rejected

• Total number of signature rows to include the following categories:

o Accepted o Rejected o Flagged o Pending Review o Blank o Crossed Out

• Total number of sampled signature rows to include the following categories:

o Verified accepted signature rows o Rejected

• Total number of quality-controlled pages with a breakdown of the following categories:

o Pending o Reviewed

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 20 of 92

Reports: A report must be available for the following criteria as a function in the Reporting Tool. The vendor must provide the reports if the system becomes unavailable. All reports must be in the form of a spreadsheet (.csv or .xlsx) that includes columns with the bates number, side, county designation, circulator information (if applicable), and other relevant information in the requested report for all petitions. All candidate filing reports must also be available in PDF format.

• Rejected Pages with Rejection Reasons

• Flagged pages and lines including the flagged comment reason(s)

• Circulator information by bates number

• Pages with extra lines added (more than 10 for Candidate, New Party and Recall;

more than 15 for Initiative and Referendum)

• Pages missing their county designation

• Scanning and Page Import (This report should also designate specifically which pending scanned pages did not import into the system, if any.)

• Petition Processor (This report provides a breakdown of each user, user type such as reviewer and administrator, and the total number of reviewed pages categorized by processed, accepted, rejected, and flagged.)

• Quality Control (QC) report to provide the petition pages remaining that need a QC review.

Filing Reports (Receipts): Customized filing receipts must be in the form of a PDF. The SOS will provide all templates with the required information and digital signature for each of the following:

• Candidate Filing Receipt o Federal Candidate o Statewide Candidate (including a Clean Election Candidate) o Legislative Candidate (including a Clean Election Candidate)

Post-Sampling Report: Once the SOS has completed the petition review, the system must generate a random sample. The random sample must be in the form of a spreadsheet (.csv or .xlsx) and include at minimum the county designation, the bates number and petition lines that have been selected as part of the random sample.

3.7. Support, Training and Enhancement Procedures

The vendor must provide support during petition processing, outline enhancement procedures, and ensure SOS staff receive detailed hands-on training.

Requirements

Development: The vendor must engage in at least two stakeholder meetings with the SOS staff to discuss the development process and system requirements no later than four weeks after being awarded the contract. After these initial stakeholder meetings, the vendor shall hold monthly update meetings with the SOS staff as deemed necessary by the SOS.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 21 of 92

Training, Testing and Deployment: The vendor must provide hands-on detailed training for the SOS to utilize the entire system and all hardware components and provides continued technical support during the filing periods for the life of the system and contract. The vendor must provide ongoing training and updates if changes are made. The vendor must offer both in-person and virtual training. The SOS will determine which training option works best and will notify the vendor of which training format is chosen. The SOS reserves the right to choose either option.

The vendor must provide detailed step-by-step instructions within the user guide and provide updated guides if changes are made.

Vendor will provide training on the end-to-end system, as stated in other requirements.

The vendor must provide either in-person training or virtual training once annually throughout the life of the contract. The vendor will offer optional additional trainings at the development day rate agreed upon in the contract.

The complete system with any enhancements must be available for testing no later than May 1, 2026.

The vendor must provide the SOS with a post-testing improvement plan at the point of delivering the system and all components for testing. The improvement plan must address how the vendor will resolve any issues found during testing prior to deployment.

The vendor must conduct thorough testing of the system and components prior to the SOS staff testing. If any issues arise, the vendor must resolve the issues and then ensure thorough testing is completed and allow the SOS staff to test again.

The vendor must provide detailed training to the SOS staff of the end-to-end system after testing is completed and fixes have been implemented prior to the deployment deadline.

The system must be ready for deployment to process any petition type (candidate, initiative, referenda, recall, and new party) no later than September 2, 2026.

Technical Assistance and Support: The vendor must provide technical assistance before, during, and after all petition cycles (candidate, initiative, referenda, recall, and new party).

The vendor must provide technical support.

The vendor must provide a maintenance and technical support plan that includes all hardware, software and components throughout the life of the system and contract.

Damaged scanners require same-day repairs during an active filing or review period which may include after hours, weekends and holidays.

Prior to any petition processing, all issues must be immediately investigated and immediately resolved to ensure the SOS can meet statutory deadlines. Resolution may require the vendor to provide same-day in-person assistance which may include after hours, weekends and holidays.

Solicitation No. BPM006839 SOS Petition Management Services

Arizona Department of Administration State Procurement Office

Solicitation Requirements | Revision No. 9 | Revised 09-24 | Page 22 of 92

The vendor must demonstrate how it will provide technical support to the SOS throughout the petition cycles. The SOS may require 24-hour support during critical processing times which includes after hours, weekends and holidays, and the vendor is required to provide this support service.

The SOS is responsible for granting access to the building as needed including but not limited to repairs, meetings and trainings.

The vendor must provide support during export to ensure there will be no interruption in the export process and if the export is interrupted that it is restarted at the interruption point.

The vendor must troubleshoot issues as reported by the SOS and work with the SOS staff to address issues promptly as needed.

Enhancement Procedures: Enhancement Procedures: The system requirements must be adjusted if Arizona law changes, which will be billed by the vendor at set development rates agreed upon in the contract. The vendor must provide a detailed plan and instructions for its enhancement procedures. This must include but is not limited to timeframes for providing notice, developing a solution, testing, training, and deployment.

3.8. Process Integrity

As the petition process is a statutory requirement for the SOS, the process must maintain a high level of integrity to guarantee a fair process. The documents also contain sensitive voter information that must be protected.

Requirements

The system must allow the SOS to control all aspects of the petition process.

The system must allow the SOS to always maintain custody of the original petition sheets.

All review parameters, such as sheet reject reasons, are set by the SOS by informing the vendor what changes need to be made.

The system must allow the SOS to audit all work performed on the electronic petition sheets.

The vendor must not engage in business that would create a conflict of interest with the SOS’s petition review responsibilities.