RFP - Election Services - 267000SR

The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) of the State of California is issuing Request for Proposal #267000SR to procure comprehensive election services from qualified vendors. The scope of work encompasses mailed ballot and electronic election services for eligible voters across California's public sector entities, including school districts, colleges, universities, state employees, local agencies, and various transportation authorities. Key deliverables and objectives include establishing election parameters, preparing ballots, distributing voting credentials, administering voting processes, operating a support helpdesk, and providing voter participation reporting. Qualified contractors must demonstrate organizational experience with at least one successful election services project of comparable size and scope completed within the last ten years, with state or public sector experience strongly preferred. The proposal evaluation process occurs in three stages: administrative review (pass/fail threshold), technical evaluation (70 points maximum based on project approach, contractor qualifications, staffing, and references), and cost evaluation (30 points maximum), with final award determined by highest total evaluated score. Critical deadlines include a written question submission deadline of May 1, 2026, with responses issued by May 4, 2026, a proposal submission deadline of May 11, 2026, at 5:00 PM (PST), proposal opening on May 12, 2026, and estimated contract award notification on May 15, 2026. The three-year contract term spans July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, with pricing structured on a per-ballot basis using sliding scales that vary by ballot volume ranges from 1 to 400,001+ ballots for both mailed and electronic elections.

The RFP includes a 5% Small Business (SB) preference in accordance with California Government Code sections 14835-14846, and qualified Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) bidders are eligible to receive bonus points during evaluation despite a zero percent participation requirement. Mandatory insurance requirements include general liability coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence, workers' compensation coverage, professional errors and omissions insurance of $1,000,000, and cyber liability insurance of $1,000,000. All proposals must include required documentation such as certifications, references, resumes, cost worksheets, and compliance forms, with failure to include required documents resulting in automatic proposal rejection. The total contract budget is capped at $250,000.00 for the entire three-year period, with actual award value dependent on vendor pricing and anticipated ballot volumes. Vendors must comply with the State's Bidder Instructions (GSPD-451) and the Department of General Services Non-IT Services General Terms and Conditions as part of their submission requirements.