Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: Resolution Authorizing the Chief Elections Officer to Execute Agreements and Amendments with Vendors for Essential Election Materials and Services
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the Chief Elections Officer, or designee(s), to execute agreements and amendments for the provision of as-needed essential election-related materials and services with the vendors listed in Attachment A of the resolution, for the terms identified on Attachment A, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $15,656,480, and granting a waiver of the competitive bidding requirement for acquisition of these services pursuant to Section 2.83.050(e) of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code.
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BACKGROUND:
The Registration & Elections Division (“Elections Division”) requires certain materials and services on a regular basis in order to successfully conduct elections in San Mateo County. During elections, sudden changes in circumstance requiring significant adaptation within tight statutory deadlines are common. Upcoming elections in 2026 through 2028 will require materials and services from the vendors listed in Attachment A of the resolution in excess of the departmental contract limit.
DISCUSSION:
California law recognizes that elections-related procurement is time-sensitive and requires flexibility. For example, Elections Code section 14100 provides that “[t]he county elections official, in providing the materials required by this division, shall not be required to utilize the services of the county purchasing agent.”
The Elections Division seeks, as it has for past elections, authority to utilize a master services agreement (“MSA”) model for the vendors listed on Attachment A, which identifies the recommended eligible vendor pool and provides the estimated contract amounts for each vendor. The aggregate not-to-exceed amount of $15,656,480 will authorize the Chief Elections Officer, or designee(s), to execute agreements and associated amendments with the vendors listed in Attachment A, for the contract terms (“Terms”) identified on Attachment A (January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028; January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026; January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028 with one 2-year option; or January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 with one 1-year option). For one of the vendors listed on Attachment A (DMT Solutions Global Corporation d/b/a BlueCrest, Inc.), the MSA authorizes modifications to the current agreement’s scope of work and increases the maximum amount payable under the agreement by $250,000, but does not change the contract term (December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2028).
All agreements and amendments entered into through the MSA process shall be reviewed by the County Attorney, Risk Management, and/or Information Services Department, where applicable, to ensure appropriate procurement practices are followed.
Each of the vendors listed on Attachment A of the resolution provides services vital to the elections process.
• DFM Associates (“DFM”) has provided the Division’s Elections Information Management System (“EIMS”) since 2009. EIMS is central to maintaining the County’s voter registration database and managing many critical election-related operations including (without limitation) candidate filing, the examination of voter-initiated petitions, precinct and district management, and Vote by Mail processing. EIMS holds all San Mateo County voter and election information, including historical files for over 440,000 active voters as well as previously registered voters and data from over 45 past elections. DFM has been a key and highly responsive partner for the Division.
• DMT Solutions Global Corporation d/b/a BlueCrest, Inc. (“BlueCrest”) has provided the Elections Division’s Vantage mail sorter (“Vantage”) and associated software, maintenance and support since 2007. The Vantage is important in sorting and processing Vote by Mail ballots. It captures images of all envelopes returned including images of the voter signatures, interacts with the voter registration system, and then sorts ballots into categories for processing. BlueCrest has been an important partner in the efficient and accurate Vote by Mail process.
• K&H Integrated Print Solutions (“K&H”), which has been in business for over 100 years, prints and mails every San Mateo County Official Ballot. K&H serves as a vendor for counties throughout the State, including the County of Santa Clara and County of Los Angeles, and is certified by the Secretary of State pursuant to California Code of Regulations Section 20220, which provides that no vendor shall print official ballots for use in a California election prior to certification by the Secretary of State. K&H provides a unique blend of unparalleled expertise and professionalism with a deep familiarity of both the County’s specific ballot preparation processes and our local community.
• Metropolitan Van & Storage (“MetroVan”) is a full-service moving company located in Mountain View which has decades of experience in transportation. They are vital in the delivery and pickup of highly sensitive voting equipment and supplies to Vote Centers across San Mateo County.
• Precise Printing & Mailing (“Precise”) prints and mails many of the public-facing materials that reach each and every voter in San Mateo County, including voter notification postcards required by the Voter’s Choice Act, materials informing voters of changes to their district boundaries, voter address confirmation postcards, and outreach materials. As a local vendor based in South San Francisco, Precise has proved able to respond in near real-time to issues that may arise in the printing and mailing of such critical materials and to offer the County efficient and cost-effective mailing solutions.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation (“SVCF”) works with the Elections Division in the Voter Engagement Fund, a grant program established to increase voter registration and turnout with populations that historically experience low turnout. SVCF manages the fund and selects community-based organizations with deep roots in the county’s diverse neighborhoods to serve as trusted messengers for multilingual outreach, organize culturally resonant events and develop creative media content to empower voters with accurate nonpartisan information, actions that have helped San Mateo County increase voter turnout, with targeted precincts showing measurable improvements over prior elections.
• Tenex Software Solutions (“Tenex”) is used in many critical ways to efficiently and effectively manage elections. The training module streamlines the training process for Vote Center workers by providing certain trainings via an online platform so that in-person training can focus on hands-on issues. The election results reporting software provides an intuitive website for providing timely election results to the public. The help desk software links the entire office and allows the Division to track its field staff in real time, monitor issues from the moment they arise, and more quickly respond to problems. The ePollbooks, which are used at Vote Centers to efficiently check-in voters, provide a real-time link to the voter registration system allowing a voter to go to any Vote Center in the county to vote while verifying that a voter cannot vote twice.
• Toppan Merrill (“Toppan”) typesets, prints, binds, and mails the Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet, and provides the PDF version of these items for our voter lookup page and has provided these essential services for over 40 years to elections offices across the state, including to the City and County of San Francisco and County of Santa Clara. As a vendor for the County, Toppan has demonstrated, with each election, an ability to meet all legally required timelines and is the only vendor in the area that maintains partnerships with three additional print facilities in case of printing emergencies, a critical resource for ensuring the delivery of accurate and timely voter materials.
For the reasons set forth above, the Elections Division recommends that the Board waive the requirement of competitive bidding for acquisition of these essential elections services pursuant to Section 2.83.050(e) of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code because the best interest of the County would be served without the necessity of competitive bidding.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
Entering into these agreements and amendments demonstrates fair and effective government services by ensuring that all registered voters in San Mateo County have access to voting materials and the opportunity to have their voices heard through the democratic process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The aggregate maximum fiscal obligation of agreements and/or amendments entered into under the MSA process during the Term is $15,656,480. Total expenditures across all agreements and amendments will be monitored and managed by fiscal staff that support the Elections Division. Appropriations to cover the costs of this MSA will be included in the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s budget.