City of Hyattsville, MD, RFP #ADM073018, for Election Services and Equipment CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 City of Hyattsville, MD, RFP #ADM073018, for Election Services and Equipment CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS

2 # Clarification Questions Explanation/Referenced RFP Section 1 a) Will the City provide clarifications as to the requirements of this bid to vendors via a conference call at a mutually agreed upon date and time? Hyattsville Response The City will not hold a conference call however will provide responses to all ed questions. Responses to questions will be posted as an addendum to the RFP on the City s website and e- Maryland. 2 a) May the vendor s Project Management team, currently supporting an active Maryland contract, coordinate directly with the State Board of Elections to facilitate our ability to answer the RFP requirements. 3 a) Does the City prefer a purchase or rental agreement? 4 a) What is the proposed RFP/project term? This coordination would be for all requirements listed in the RFP. REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS The City of Hyattsville invites qualified Election Services Vendors to submit sealed responses to this Request for Proposal (RFP) to supply practical and cost-effective election services and equipment for regular and special municipal elections in the City of Hyattsville, Maryland. Page 2 COMPENSATION FOR SERVICES (FEE) The City intends to enter a service contract(s) for the proposed project term. Compensation for the services rendered, will be based upon a contract and will be based on the unit rates as provided on the price proposal form. Yes, however local elections in Maryland are usually run independently of the State. Rental Services will be required pre and post the May 2019 election for a duration as agreed upon by both parties.

3 5 a) Is the City planning to use Prince George County s electronic pollbook units? b) No addendum was included with the bid document we received. Please provide the addendum, including the voter authority card, or provide instructions as to where vendors can access the addendum? Page 1 The City utilizes voter authority cards printed by the Prince George s County Board of Elections for voter check-in for all Maryland State registered voters. The City also maintains a separate City-only voter registry. Voter authority cards similar to the ones provided by the County Board of Elections will need to be created for City-only voters. A sample of a voter authority card is included as an addendum to this document. a) Prince George s County has previously stated that they will not rent poll books to municipalities. However, the City is open to the option of renting pollbooks from the State if this is something the selected vendor can facilitate. b) The addendum will be posted on the City s website and e- Maryland.

4 6 a) Will the City provide the secure location for the storage of machines/data? b) Is the vendor required to remove and transport the units to be stored? c) Will the City be responsible for the chain of custody for ballots during transportation, and subsequent storage? d) Does the City expect real time transaction processing during Early Voting such that the voter will receive the appropriate ballot instead of a provisional ballot? e) What are the networking requirements between the Early Voting site, the City, and the State Board of Elections? Is the vendor expected to design, setup, test, and maintain the network during the election cycle? f) Will the City use the same voting equipment for Early Voting and Election Day or require distinct equipment sets? Page 1 Early Voting Since 2015, the City has permitted residents to vote, in person, on selected dates before the election. All wards vote in one location for early voting. The proposed dates for early voting for the 2019 election are as follows. Voting machines and data must be secured by the election vendor at the close of each early voting day. A cost estimate for the storage of machines and data should be included in the proposal. Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 9 AM to 7 PM Saturday May 4, 2019 from 9 AM to 7 PM Possible to be Determined Weekday for a Duration of 4 Hours a) The City has limited storage options available and prefers that the vendor provide secure storage of machines/data between early voting day(s) and Election Day. b) Yes c) The City will work with the selected vendor to determine the appropriate chain of custody. d) Yes e) City Elections are operated independently from the State. In past elections, the City has not required networking between voting sites. However, the selected vendor should provide on-site support during early voting day(s) and Election Day. f) The City will use the same equipment for Early Voting and Election Day.

5 7 a) Please provide samples of the provisional applications, ballots, and receipts. Page 2 Provisional Voting Voters whose names are not listed in the pollbook or who may not appear eligible to vote for another reason may cast a provisional ballot. The selected vendor must provide provisional ballot applications, ballots, and receipts that will be provided to provisional voters allowing the voter to find out, post-election, if their ballot was counted. a) The City does not have samples available to share with vendors. 8 a) Is certification in the State of Maryland a requirement for the voting system, and if so, at what stage in the project is certification required? 9 a) The State of Maryland uses ES&S in all counties. Is the City permitted to purchase non-es&s technologies? N/A a) Certification is not a requirement. N/A a) The State of Maryland allows local governments the autonomy to run their own elections therefore we are able to utilize any vendor that meets our qualifications.