Usability_Services-_BPM-050815-_4.21.2025.docx

Jared DeMarinis State Administrator

Katherine Berry Deputy Administrator Michael Summers, Chairman Jim Shalleck, Vice Chairman Yaakov “Jake” Weissmann Diane Butler Victoria Jackson-Stanley

RFI- Usability Services 4/21/2025

Usability Services eMMA: BPM-050815 Date: April 21, 2025 Purpose/Overview: Background: The purpose of this solicitation is to procure usability services for the upcoming election cycle. The State Board of Elections is seeking a vendor to review several documents and provide suggestions as to how to make them more usable. The documents include the election judge manual, election related forms, and text to be included on the website. The successful vendor will provide final language and graphic design services, and incorporate feedback from SBE staff.

I. Vendor Qualifications – Minimum and Preferred A qualified Company must meet the following minimum qualifications to be considered for the solicitation:

● Possess an understanding of Maryland voting process and elections administration.

● Able to review existing, and potential new, materials for several SBE divisions and provide suggestions related to usability and accessibility, and to update or create those materials, including graphic design services.

● Capacity to complete review in a timely manner on mutually agreed upon deadlines.

The following are preferred qualifications:

● Experience in conducting usability reviews of election materials for the State of Maryland.

II. Experience Requirements

● 5 years experience in performing usability analysis and testing on election materials.

● Demonstrable experience in performing usability reviews and testing on election judge materials.

III. Deliverables Required

1. Usability review and updates to election judge facing materials, including Election Judge Manual, polling place forms, election judge application, checklists provided to pollworkers and curriculums used to train pollworkers.

2. Usability review and updates to voter facing materials, including:

· Between 20-25 webpages that contain voting information and election specific information. The vendor need only provide language for those webpages, they need not make the updates to the website.

· Roughly 25-30 PDF and paper forms, including but not limited to voter registration application, provisional ballot application, mail-in ballot applications, and possible future voter education needs.

· Between 5-10 email notices that serve as voter communications about their mail-in ballot status.

3. Update and usability review of Local board facing materials, including:

· Polling Place evaluation form and summary form

· Correctional Facility Voting materials

4. Review and update candidate facing materials - roughly 5 forms.

IV. Optional Deliverables

1. The vendor should provide a quote for providing plain language for ballot questions

2. The vendor should provide a quote for reviewing and updating the Nursing Home manual

3. The vendor should provide a quote for reviewing and the Mail-in Ballot Manual

4. The vendor should provide a quote for reviewing and updating the Challenger and Watchers Manual.

V. Term May 12, 2025 - April 30, 2026 VI. Proposal Submission Requirements To apply for this solicitation, vendors must submit:

1. Narrative explaining how the vendor meets the minimum and preferred vendor qualifications;

2. Narrative explaining how the vendor meets the experience requirements;

3. Grand total quote including both the required deliverables and optional deliverables listed above as well as subtotals for (1) required deliverables and (2) optional deliverables;

4. Contact information for three references for whom the vendor provided similar work and when the work was performed.

5. If you are in the Small Business Reserve (SBR) program please include your SBR Registration Number (this can be found on eMMA).

6. If you are a Maryland certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) please include your MBE certification number, which is available on: https://marylandmdbe.mdbecert.com/ The deadline to submit the requested information is May 5, at 2:00 pm. The required submissions must be emailed to Whitney.LeRoux@maryland.gov.

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