HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLK 05-21 Report to
Council
Report Number: CLK 05-21 Date: September 27, 2021
From: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor
Subject: 2022 Pre-Budget Approval and Award of RFP2021-6 for Integrated Voting
Solution -File: A-1440
Recommendation:
1. That Report CLK 05-21, regarding a Request for Proposal for an Integrated Voting Solution for the 2022 Municipal and School Board Elections, be received;
2. That the proposal submitted by Dominion Voting S ystems Corporation, in the amount of $246,667.70 (HST included), and a net project cost of $222,132.00 (net of HST rebate),
to provide an integrated internet and paper ballot election voting method for the Municipal and School Board Elections for a period of 5 years, be accepted;
3. That Council authorize the Director, Finance & Treasurer, to finance the net project cost of $222,132.00 by a transfer from the Election Reserve; and
4. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary
actions as indicated in this report.
Executive Summary: On Friday, July 9, 2021, the City of Pickering issued a Request for
Proposals (RFP) for an integrated internet and paper ballot election voting method, including
the use of vote tabulating equipment for paper ballots, for the 2022 City of Pickering Municipal and School Board Elections. The RFP requested the delivery of an integrated solution that demonstrates a seamless and full integration between the two voting methods for calculating final results that include both the ballots cast over the internet, and ballots cast at in-person
voting locations.
Request for Proposal No. RFP2021-6 was posted on the City's website on July 9, 2021 and three proposals were received by the closing date and time. Dominion Voting Systems is the highest ranked Proponent.
CLK 05-21 September 27, 2021
Subject: 2022 Pre-Budget Approval and Award of RFP2021-6 Page 2
Financial Implications:
Project Costing Summary
RFP2021-6 $218,290.00
HST (13%) 28,378.00
Total Gross Project Cost $246,668.00
HST Rebate (11.24%) (24,536.00)
Total Net Project Cost to City $222,132.00
The financial payments for the internet and paper ballot voting solution will be due in 2022. Election costs are financed by a transfer from the Election Reserve and the 2022 Budget for the elections cost centre will include this expenditure.
As of December 31, 2021, the projected balance in the Election Reserve (Account 408003) is $554,389.00. The residual funds will be applied to fund other operating costs associated with the administration of the 2022 Municipal Election.
Discussion: At the Executive Committee Meeting of May 3, 2021, Report CLK 02-
21, regarding the 2022 Municipal Election, Approval of Voting Method and Changes to the
Municipal Elections Act, was approved by the Committee. The Report was subsequently approved by Council at the May 25, 2021 Council Meeting, giving authority for an integrated internet and paper ballot voting method through Resolution #600/21.
As outlined in Report CLK 02-21, Internet Voting will be conducted throughout the entire voting
period for eight consecutive days beginning Monday, October 17, 2022 and ending at the close
of the polls at 8:00 pm on Election Day, Monday, October 24, 2022. In-person, paper ballot voting will only be offered on Election Day, Monday, October 24, 2022, at approximately 6 “vote anywhere” voting locations throughout the City.
Proponents submitted proposals for an integrated solution that needed to clearly demonstrate
a seamless and full integration of the internet and paper ballot voting systems, in conjunction
with the City’s Voters’ List management provider (DataFix), and for calculating final results that include both the ballots cast over the internet and by paper, at in-person voting locations.
On July 9, 2021, RFP2021-6 was issued, and three proposals were received. An Evaluation Committee consisting of staff from Corporate Services convened on August 26, 2021. The
three proposals were independently scored and evaluated based on the rated criteria. A
combined average score for each proposal was determined as part of the evaluation process and the top ranked proponent is Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion Voting Systems is a well-known vendor for election voting services and has been supporting elections since 2003. For the 2018 Municipal Election, the City of Pickering used
CLK 05-21 September 27, 2021
Subject: 2022 Pre-Budget Approval and Award of RFP2021-6 Page 3
Dominion Voting Systems for an internet and telephone voting solution. The election voting
systems were secure and reliable with the exception of a bandwidth issue in the final hours of
voting on Election Day. On October 22, 2018, several municipalities using Dominion Voting experienced a slowdown in the traffic to the internet voting system. The slowdown was caused by an unauthorized limit on incoming voting traffic by a third party internet colocation provider.
Since that time, Dominion has taken extensive measures to ensure that its infrastructure is
capable of providing sufficient bandwidth for future elections and has changed its entire
platform, resulting in more control and the ability to make real-time bandwidth adjustments as needed. Dominion Voting Systems is confident that these infrastructure changes will eliminate any bandwidth concerns in future elections. As part of the evaluation process, pointed questions were asked regarding the security aspects of the voting solution and in particular,
bandwidth specifications and any improvements made since the 2018 Election. All other
aspects of the services provided by Dominion in 2018 were successful, and with the changes made to correct the bandwidth issues experienced in 2018, the Evaluation Team feels confident in the voting solution being proposed by Dominion for the 2022 Municipal Election.
References provided by Dominion Voting Systems have been checked and are deemed
acceptable. The signed Health & Safety Regulation Form and a current WSIB Clearance
Certificate issued by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has been submitted by Dominion Voting Systems and the Certificate of Insurance has been reviewed by the Division Head, Finance, and is deemed acceptable.
Upon careful examination of all proposals and relevant documents submitted, staff recommend
the acceptance of Proposal RFP2021-6 submitted by Dominion Voting Systems in the amount
of $246,667.70 (HST included).
Attachment:
1. Supply and Services Memorandum dated September 21, 2021
Prepared By: Prepared/Approved/Endorsed By:
Original Signed By: Original Signed By:
Catalina Blumenberg Deputy Clerk Susan Cassel City Clerk
CLK 05-21 September 27, 2021
Subject: 2022 Pre-Budget Approval and Award of RFP2021-6 Page 4
Approved/Endorsed By: Approved/Endorsed By:
Original Signed By: Original Signed By:
Ray Rodrigues CPPB Manager, Supply & Services Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA Director, Finance & Treasurer
Approved/Endorsed By:
Original Signed By:
Paul Bigioni
Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City Council
Original Signed By:
Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer
Memo
To: Paul Bigioni
Director, Corporate Services
Sept 21, 2021
From: Ray Rodrigues
Manager, Supply & Services
Copy: Administrative Assistant, Corporate Services
City Clerk
Deputy Clerk
Subject: Proposal No. RFP2021-6
Integrated Voting Solution
Closing Date: August 5, 2021
- File: F-5300-001
Further to memo dated August 16, 2021, 3 proposals proceeded to Stage II evaluation.
The Evaluation Committee, consisting of City Staff from Corporate Services conducted
independent evaluations of the proposals. A summary of average scores is completed and a copy
is attached.
In accordance with Item 2.6 Stage V – Ranking of Proponents, all scores from Stage II and Stage
III have been added together, the proponents have been ranked based on their total scores, and 1
proponents was selected to attend an interview in Stage IV.
Dominion Voting Systems Corporation is the highest ranking proponent in the amount of
$218,290 plus HST.
A budget of $554,389 is available for this procurement. If the recommendation to award
exceeds the budgeted amount, refer to Financial Control Policy Item 11 for additional
instructions.
In accordance with Part B. Material Disclosures, Item 1, as a pre-condition of award, the
selected proponent, Dominion Voting Systems Corporation will be required to provide the
following documents for review:
(a) A copy of the City’s Health and Safety Policy form currently dated and signed;
(b) a certificate of insurance completed by the Company’s agent, broker or insurer; and
(c) a complete set of Operating Manuals, Maintenance Manuals, and all tools necessary
for basic operations and maintenance of the integrated solution, prior to the
deployment of the voting system.
Please advise if Supply & Services is to proceed with this task.
In accordance with Purchasing Policy Item 10.04, where written proposals are obtained by the
Manager in accordance with procedures set out in Section 06 and funds are available in the
approved budget:
(c) An award over $50,000 is subject to the additional approval of Council.
Please include the following items in your Report to Council:
1. if Items (a) is acceptable to the Co-ordinator, Health & Safety or designate, if required;
2. if Item (c) is acceptable to the Division Head, Finance;
3. any past work experience with the highest ranking proponent Dominion Voting Systems
including work location;
4. the appropriate account number(s) to which this work is to be charged;
5. the budget amount(s) assigned thereto;
6. Treasurer’s confirmation of funding;
7. related departmental approvals; and
8. related comments specific to the project.
Upon receiving Council’s approval, an approved requisition will be required to proceed.
Do not disclose any information to enquiries during this time. The Proponents will be
advised of the outcome in due course.
If you require further information, please feel free to contact me or a member of Supply &
Services.
RR
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RFP2021-6 Page 2 of 2