Hauling of voting machines for St. Mary Parish

The Louisiana Secretary of State's office is seeking a contractor to provide drayage services for voting machines and election materials in St. Mary Parish for the 2025 election cycle. The procurement involves transporting approximately 95 voting machines across 46 precincts, with services including obtaining precinct registers, delivering signage, loading, hauling, setting up, and maintaining chain of custody documentation for election equipment. Bidders must use enclosed trucks/trailers and handle machines that weigh 265 pounds each and are valued at approximately $6,000. The contract will run from the date of award through December 31, 2025, with potential for two additional 12-month renewal periods. Sealed bids are due by January 6, 2025, at 10:00 am CST, with bid packages available starting December 6, 2024. Mandatory bid requirements include a 5% bid bond and potential performance bond of 1.5 times the contract price. Contractors must also provide comprehensive insurance coverage, including workers' compensation, public liability, bodily injury, property damage, and auto liability insurance with specified minimum coverage amounts.

The contract appears to have geographical restrictions, limiting contractors to parishes with an aggregate total of no more than 1,000 voting machines or four parishes, whichever threshold is reached first. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly mentioned in the documentation. The contractor must demonstrate capability to handle sensitive election materials with precise logistical requirements, including returning all materials within 48 hours post-election. While specific budget ranges were not detailed, the complexity of the service and insurance requirements suggest this is a specialized contract requiring significant operational infrastructure and expertise in election equipment transportation. The procurement is specifically for St. Mary Parish, though the opportunity was also associated with St. Martin Parish and Baton Rouge City jurisdictions. Potential bidders should carefully review all technical specifications and insurance requirements to ensure full compliance with the Louisiana Secretary of State's rigorous standards for election equipment management and transportation.