Procurement Process for Electoral Equipment

Education | Elections | Census

Procurement Process for Electoral EquipmentConsiderations , Timescales , Case Studies


Agenda

• Planning

• Timeline for the procurement

• Procurement processes and considerations

• Contract management

• Identification of Suppliers

• Types of materials available for different parts of the electoral cycle

• Delivery Phase

• Case study 1 – Complex procurement in new election environment

• Case study 2 – Repeat procurement, showing lessons learnt and revisions applied


Planning

• Time

• Project Management – methodologies, skills

• Talk to others – it will be rare, unless your project

involves leading edge innovation, that other EC’s or

government bodies have not had experience in

procuring and delivering a similar project.

• Securing funding

• Securing stakeholder and political support


• When, in the Election Cycle, does your procurement begin?

• What do you have to fit into this process?

• This will be driven by the complexity of the procured services/products

Timelines


Timeline – real example Phase Timeline

Creation of the outline Statement of Requirements June 2009 (earlier if first time)

Undertaking a Cost Benefit Analysis of Technology versus Manual Methods September /December 2009

Notice of intent to tender August 2009 (PIN)

Procurement Industry Day November 2009

Start of procurement process – Pre-qualification stage December 2009

Tender Process March/June 2010

Contract Negotiations October/December 2010

Award of Contract December 2010

Blue Print Phase January to July 2010

User Acceptance and Testing Phase August to March 2010

Delivery April to May 2012


Procurement Procedures and Considerations• Working within country or regional (EU) procurement regulations

• Request demonstrations early in your timetable. Understand what is available in the

market. This may feed your Statement of Requirements.

• Consider local and international suppliers. If local project management is important,

consider the likelihood of consortiums or partnerships.

• Consider how you will compare and evaluate suppliers

• Consider how you can benefit from innovation

• Purchase or rental/lease

• Pilots and User Acceptance Tests (UAT) should form part of your procurement


Contract Management

• Leave sufficient time in the procurement process to undertaken and conclude the drafting of the

contract.

• Ensure that the contract demonstrates balance

• Allow for a change control provision - this requires tight control

• Includes as many key milestones or immovable dates in the contract as possible.

• Include user acceptance criteria and success criteria

• Consider all your stakeholders and how you will inform them of the contract and its progress

• The old adage that the best contracts never need to be looked at is true!


Identification of Suppliers

• Sources for the identification of suppliers – IFES Buyers Guide,

Advertise, International Journals, Trade Conferences and Exhibitions

• Delivery history and experience

• Sourcing materials locally - saves cost and benefits local economy -

but must consider quality assurance?

• Pre-qualification stage to the procurement – demonstrable

experience, size, financial sound


Equipment Options

• Types of materials/products/services available to support the different parts of the election:

– Voter registration kits;

– ballot papers; polling booths; ballot boxes;

– voting machines (DRE); centralised counting machines; e-Voting; electronic ballot

delivery

• Consider how a new product or service may impact on the current legislation or known

processes and procedures

• Consider your mandatory requirements

• Consider change


Delivery Phase

• Timescales

• Secure and safe storage in

country

• On-bound distribution

• Training Phase


Case Study of a large technology procurement –Sultanate of Oman Majilis As’ Shura National Elections 2011


Procurement consisted of:

• 600k ballot papers, of 61 designs

• 61 counting centres, containing 83 scanners

• Software and communication links

• Training• Technical Support


Case Study of a large technology procurement – GLA Mayor and Assembly Elections 2000 to 2012 London• Procurement of electronic counting

technologies for the London Regional for the counting three ballot papers types. Procurement involves:

– Approximately 14 million ballot papers

– 320 Scanners

– 230 PC Workstation and supporting fault tolerant Servers

– Training of 1000 staff

– 10,000 ballot boxes

– Setup and support of counting sites & Central Consolidation Site


Alexandra Palace - London


City Hall – Election HQ


Changes and Revisions

• A common theme – time! Procurement timeline was too short• Counting locations – 14, 10, 3• Counting time – night time to day time• Innovation to technologies – use of on-screen adjudication • Multi-year contract – driven down price!• Cost Benefit Analysis – driven down price!• Clearer statement of success criteria – CBA, Timings, Transparency• Changes to ballot paper design• Increase in training


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Procurement Process for Electoral Equipment

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