SRA 23-16 Election Services Pre-Bid Meeting Notes.pdf

STATE RETIREMENT AGENCY

120 East Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD 21202-6700

410-625-5555 ● 1-800-492-5909 TTY Users: call via Maryland Relay sra.maryland.gov

Election Services IFB

PRE-BID CONFERENCE

Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at 10:00am

Maryland State Retirement Agency SRA Bid#: SRA 23-16

Questions and Answers from Today’s meeting

Question: Can the bid sheet be revised to include a section for the cost of ballot replacements?

Answer: Attachment B – Bid Form to the IFB has been revised to include a section for the calculation of costs associated with paper ballots.

Question: Can the bid sheet be revised to include a section for the cost of providing a help line for live support?

Answer: Section 2.3.12.12.1 of the Scope of Work provides that customer support must include, “A toll-free customer support telephone line staffed with live representatives that are available to speak with members Monday through Friday throughout the hours of 8:00am and 6:00pm EST during the voting period. Therefore, there will be no revision to Attachment B – Bid Form to calculate a separate cost to provide a help line with live support.

Question: The IFB requires delivery of the first-class mail to the Baltimore Post Office, can the mail be delivered to a local post office of the vendor?

Answer: The first-class mail can be delivered to the local post office of the vendor.

Question: Does the Agency support sending ballots via email?

Answer: The Agency does not have the capability of providing email addresses for all of its eligible voters at this time. However, after the initial ballot is mailed, if an eligible voter calls the help line to request an additional ballot, a ballot can be provided to that voter via email (provided by the voter), at that time.

Question: Will the agency be handling the mailing of ballots to international members?

Answer: The Agency prefers that the vendor handle all international mailings. In addition, the IVR system offered by the vendor should be open to international voting.

Question: The IFB is written for the vendor to process 400,000 votes collectively, would the Agency consider revising the bid sheet to reflect this instead of the 200,000 individuals per election?

Answer: The Agency is offering one contract to a vendor to conduct two separate elections, simultaneously as needed, with approximately 200,000 voters in each election for a total of 400,000 votes. The bid sheet will remain the same, reflecting the cost per election.

Summary of Important IFB dates & requirements

1. Additional questions not addressed at this meeting are due to me by Tuesday, December 27, at 10:00 am via email to Procurement@sra.state.md.us

2. Bids are due via eMMA – Wednesday, December 28 at 10:00 am – no late bids will be accepted

3. Bid opening will be that same day 12/28 at 2:00 pm via Microsoft Teams. At the time of the bid opening, an apparent successful vendor will be determined. However, a final determination will be made after bid submission requirements, bid calculations, etc. are made and verified.

4. The resulting contract from this solicitation will be for 1 year.

5. There is 1 Minimum Qualification contained in the solicitation stated in Section 1 on page 1 if the IFB.

A. The Bidder shall have no less than two (2) years’ experience within the past five (5) years in providing election services using an Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system, paper ballots, and electronic voting via the internet for a minimum of 100,000 voters.

a. Required Documentation: As proof of meeting this requirement, the Bidder shall provide with its Bid three (3) references that collectively attest that the Bidder has met this requirement. For each reference, Bidder must provide:

i. Client name and contact information (phone number, email address),

ii. How many voters,

iii. Type of election services provided (IVR, paper ballots, electronic voting via internet), and

iv. Duration of contract or other engagement.

6. Section 4.9 (Award Basis)

a. A Contract shall be awarded to the responsible Bidder submitting a responsive Bid with the most favorable bid price or most favorable evaluated bid price (as referenced in COMAR 21.05.02.13) for providing the goods and services as specified in this IFB.

b. Award of this contract will not be final and complete until after: (1) the Contractor submits complete and satisfactory documentation required under the Contract and/or documentation required by the Procurement Officer; and (2) the Contract is signed by the Department following any required approvals of the Contract, including approval by the Board of Public Works.

7. This solicitation is open to anyone who meets the minimum qualifications of this IFB.

8. This solicitation is NOT designated as a Small Business Only solicitation.

9. This contract does not contain a Minority or Veteran Business Enterprise goals.

10. Documentation to be submitted with bid. See Section 7:

A. Bid Form B. Minimum qualification of References mentioned in section 1 C. Signed Bid/Proposal Affidavit - Attachment C .

D. Attachment F. Maryland Living Wage Affidavit of Agreement

I. Please include in your transmittal letter a statement regarding the appropriate Tier designation for the Living Wage Requirement Law = Tier 1

E. Conflict of Interest Affidavit and Disclosure – Attachment H F. Attachment 1 – Bidder Information Sheet -containing your Company info