Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Mark Church, Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Subject: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Chief Election Officer to Execute Agreements with Essential Election Material Vendors
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the Chief Election Officer, or designee(s), to execute agreements with each vendor listed in Attachment A to this memorandum to provide, as needed, essential election-related materials for the June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election, with a term of May 17, 2022 through December 31, 2022, for an aggregate amount not to exceed $2,100,000, 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 (the “Elections Division”) requires certain products 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. The upcoming June 7, 2022 Statewide Direct Primary Election, the first statewide election since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, will require products and services from the vendors listed in Attachment A.
DISCUSSION:
California law recognizes that the procurement of elections-related materials is time-sensitive and requires flexibility, and the law therefore sets forth certain exceptions for procurement. 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.”
Attachment A of the resolution lists the vendors the Elections Division recommends as an eligible vendor pool, along with the estimated contract amounts for each vendor. Quality of work, available organizational support, and experience with providing election services were some of the criteria used in the evaluation process. The not-to-exceed aggregate amount of $2,100,000 will authorize the Chief Elections Officer, or designee(s), to execute agreements and associated amendments with the vendors listed in Attachment A.
All agreements awarded through the master services agreement (MSA) process shall be reviewed by the County Attorney to ensure appropriate procurement practices are followed.
Each of the vendors listed on Attachment A provides services vital to the elections process.
• Precise Printing & Mailing provides many of the public-facing materials that reach voters, including but not limited to voter notification postcards mandated by the Voter’s Choice Act, materials informing voters of changes to their district boundaries, voter address confirmation postcards, and outreach materials.
• Toppan Merrill typesets, prints, and binds the Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet, and provides the PDF version of these items for our voter lookup page. These large-scale projects require a vendor with the equipment and experience to guarantee delivery on schedule to meet statutory election deadlines.
• K&H Integrity Communications, which handles the printing of every San Mateo County Official Ballot, has been in business for over one hundred years and has demonstrated time and again the expertise and professionalism required for this essential service.
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 Elections Division has developed strong relationships with these vendors over a number of years. In addition, each of these vendors has the background, resources, and proven expertise necessary to handle the complex and time sensitive needs of the elections environment.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement authorized by the resolution is May 17, 2022 through December 31, 2022. The total aggregate not to exceed amount is $2,100,000. Total expenditures across all agreements will be monitored and managed by ACRE fiscal staff that support the Elections Division. Appropriations to cover the costs of this agreement are included in the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budgets. These costs will be fully funded by reimbursements from jurisdictions and a transfer from Non-Departmental Services.