Addendum 1
May 14, 2015
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
1. Question: Re Specification #8. “Provide procedures for system setup, configuration, login, verification and activation on Election Day and at Lake County Clerk’s office."
"on Election Day" is a date and "Lake County Clerk's office" is a place. Please elaborate on what was intended in this bullet.
1. Response: Any procedures required for system setup and configuration should be provided.
2. Question: Re Specification #12. “Provide complete procedures for processing voter and decision path to handle any special circumstance voters."
Cook County identifies 16 special circumstances voter categories. Does Lake County Clerk use the same categories?
2. Response: All affidavits are prescribed by the Illinois State Board of Elections and Illinois Election Code. Election Jurisdictions may have some formatting differences but all affidavits used by Election officials are substantially similar.
3. Question: Re Specification #23. “Provide the capability to utilize prompted electronic data transfer to and from EIMS servers and to receive data electronically between pollsites and at regular intervals."
What is the size of the intervals the County Clerk within which the County Clerk expects data should be transferred between pollsites?
3. Response: Vendors are expected to provide their system capabilities.
4. Question: Re Specification #24. “Provide a method to retrieve the purged data and to place this data back on the active file should the need arise."
What purged data is the County Clerk anticipating? There is no earlier mention of "purge" in the RFP.
4. Response: Vendors should provide any methods that are available for retrieving data that may have been purged or deleted.
5. Question: Re: Specification Under "Functional Requirements; Deliverables" Re: "(c) A method to ensure that updated voter registration information can be communicated to poll workers on any day or days on which voting is being conducted in as near to real-time as feasible, including, but not limited to, whether an individual had already voted, where that individual voted, and by what method that individual voted and the status of the ballot."
Is the "updated voter registration information" from the poll books, EIMS, or both. The poll books are under the vendors control. EIMS will require DFM cooperation to complete.
5. Response: Updated information may be from both EIMS or the poll books.
6. Question: What does the phrase "operating system variables" mean in the context of the RFP?
6. Response: Vendors should provide all information regarding their OS requirements.
7. Question: Re: Specification (m) “A system that is well documented and will enable the County Clerk’s office staff to assume in-house set-up, operations and maintenance, subject to applicable license agreements."
At what level is the County Clerk expecting to maintain a system proposed in response to this RFP? Is processing and communications code maintenance anticipated or possibly just reporting code maintenance?
7. Response: Please provide the level of the setup and maintenance that the County Clerk’s office staff can independently participate with the Vendor’s system without violating licensing and maintenance agreements.
8. Question: Re: Specification (n) “A method of providing poll workers with general information regarding voting and Election Day procedures so that they may appropriately address and resolve, without outside intervention, common problems and questions occurring in the polling place (a “help desk” of FAQ solutions that can operate online or offline)."
Will the County Clerk be providing the content for the FAQ?
8. Response: Vendors should provide what is currently available with their systems.
9. Question: Re Specification (a) “ Detailed processes (including system steps, configuration settings, login and verification steps) for setting up and activating proposed system at early voting sites and on morning of Election Day, both in polling places and at central office location."
Please clarify what you see as the differences in setting up in polling places and at central office". How is processing seen to be different?
9. Response: Please provide setup and activation processes for proposed system, whether at polling site or at elections office.
10. Question: Are all provisional voters processed at the County Clerk's office to be processed through the electronic poll books?
10. Response: Provisional voters are processed at Early Voting Sites or on Election Day at the voting sites.
11. Question: Re Specification (k) “How the system would guide a voter who is not in the system to the correct precinct if that voter was registered."
May we assume that the RFP is also looking for the guiding mechanism to work if the voter is not registered?
11. Response: New Illinois legislation now allows voters to register on Election Day, but they must register at the correct voting site for their precinct. Vendors should provide system solutions for registering a voter at the correct polling site, and a solution to assist election workers in directing an unregistered voter to the correct voting site.
12. Question: Will Lake County include us in your evaluation even though we price as a system?
12. Response: All responses to this RFP will be considered.
13. Question: Will Lake County include us when we reserve hardware specification until contract negotiation or until after the contract is set as the County may prefer?
13. Response: All responses to this RFP will be considered.
May 13, 2015
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
1. Question: What are the minimum specifications required to print ballots for your voting system ballots (i.e., recommended paper stock, including weight, size, color, etc.), as well as any special printing technology required (i.e., special feeder tray, special exit tray, etc.)?
1. Response: The M-100 tabulator requires us to use 8 ½” x 14”, 80 pound, White Cougar, Opaque, corner cut stock.
2. Question: Can the County provide the specifications (operating system, screen size, memory, hard disk capacity, screen size, number of USB ports, on-board wireless adapter) of the 500 decision technology laptops?
2. Response: The current inventory of 500 decision technology laptops cannot be used for the e-pollbook application. They are out of warranty and are not supported by any manufacturer.
3. Question: Would the County make available for review any poll worker and election judge training materials?
3. Response: If a vendor requires poll worker training materials in order to make a more effective presentation, we will supply samples of our materials.
4. Question: Could the County make available the current method for reporting poll worker time and attendance a) while functioning at the polling place and b) while performing duties outside of the polling place?
4. Response: Paper timecards are submitted on Election Day, by all workers.
May 11, 2015
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
1. Question: RFP item 24 (page 11) states, “Provide a method to retrieve the purged data and to place this data back on the active file should the need arise.” What purged data are you specifically referring to?
1. Response: Any voter processing data, which may be inadvertently deleted at the polling place level or at the central Election Administration/County wide level, should be backed up on a regular basis and the system should have the capability to restore that data.
2. Question: Can you provide us a file that contains all of the PDFS of your ballots, identified by precinct or ballot style?
2. Response: In the event that proposers are requested to present a demonstration of their product, sample files may be supplied for a more accurate demonstration.
3. Question: Do your ballots contain serial numbers or any markings that make each ballot unique, or do you just have a single PDF for each ballot style? For example, if I need 500 copies of one ballot style can I print all 500 from a single PDF?
3. Response: Serial numbers are not used on any ballots in Lake County in order to maintain voter privacy. Ballot styles only vary by headings that differentiate provisional ballots, official ballots, and sample ballots
May 7, 2015
ADDITION TO GENERAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
Add the following to Section 5. Award:
Lake County reserves the right to award by Group or by Item if such an award is deemed to be in the best interest of Lake County.
ADDITION TO RFP DOCUMENTS
The attendees of the Pre-Proposal Meeting held on 5/7/15 are included herein.
Pre-Proposal Sign In Sheet
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
1. Question: What is the quantity of “ballot on demand” printers and/or “touch screen” systems needed for the Early Voting Sites?
1. Response: 30.
2. Question: Are there any plans for using a ballot sized at over 14 inches?
2. Response: There are no plans to use a ballot over 14 inches.
3. Question: What is the size of the Lake County Clerk’s I.T. staff?
3. Response: There are 4 full time technical employees.
4. Question: Would it be possible to simply bid on the equipment portion of this RFP? I understand that the purpose of the RFP is to develop a software management system, with the equipment included. Is rental of the equipment an option?
4. Response: Proposers may only include the equipment in their proposal. Lake County is asking Vendors to provide their solution. Proposals should be prepared as simple as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposed products and services to satisfy the requirements of the RFP.
5. Question: Average number of voters per precinct?
5. Response: There are 800 voters per precinct.
6. Question: Can the Vendor rely on internet access at all early voting and polling locations?
6. Response: No. We cannot guarantee access to an on-site IP at polling locations. The Lake County Clerk’s office is looking for vendors to provide a solution that will allow for as close to real-time connectivity as possible, between all voting sites and the central elections office.
7. Question: Does the County want a real-time integration with a central ePollbook application or is the County comfortable with a once-a- day synchronization process?
7. Response: The County Clerk’s office prefers real-time integration.
8. Question: Can the County elaborate on its request for information regarding “ballot on demand” or “touch-screen” voting? Are you referring to a tablet-based ballot?
8. Response: Ballot on demand is a process that is defined as one that is capable of printing our optical scan ballots as needed at the voting location. Touch Screen voting systems are independent voting systems that are capable of processing a ballot on a touch-screen platform. Please keep in mind that all ballot tabulation systems must be certified by the State Board of Elections.
9. Question: Does the County already have an ePollbook solution? If so, which vendor provided the solution?
9. Response: No.
10. Question: Does the County have a budget for this project? If so, what is the budget?
10. Response: This project was not on the horizon at the time of the 2015 Budget Preparation. There were no budgetary guidelines in the RFP, therefore vendors should provide pricing for their proposed solution.
11. Question: What is the training scope for the implementation? How many users? Is the County interested in a Train-the-Trainer option? How many system administrators or IT users does the County anticipate that need training? Will the County provide a facility to accommodate training?
11. Response: Lake County is asking Vendors to provide their solution. Respondents should propose implementation and training recommendations and associated pricing options.
12. Question: Does the County want an indirect interface with the State Voter Registration System? Or would the ePollbook system interface only with the local solution?
12. Response: E-pollbook would only interface with Lake County’s Election Management system. (EIMS – DFM Associates)
13. Question: Are you interested in an on-premise or hosted solution?
13. Response: Lake County is asking Vendors to provide their solution. The choices are up to the Vendor. Proposals should be prepared as simple as possible and provide a straightforward, concise description of the proposed products and services to satisfy the requirements of the RFP.