Lake County Addendum Forum

RFP #26279 - Election Moving Services for the Lake County Clerk

By: Lake County Purchasing

Addendum 1


8/19

Question 1: The RFP states that there are approximately 10 delivery routes on any given day. Please confirm the anticipated number of vehicles required simultaneously and the required or recommended vehicle type/size for each route, including whether box trucks, liftgates, cargo vans, or other equipment are required.

Answer 1: The number of delivery routes is based upon the request of the voting sites on their delivery dates. Ten trucks would cover approximately 60 voting sites, so it would be unlikely that more than 10 trucks would be required for a given day. In the primary election, we had six routes on the Friday before Election Day delivery and seven routes on the Monday before Election Day delivery. Usually, we have 26-foot trucks with liftgates.

 

Question 2: Please confirm whether the reference to approximately ten routes means the awarded contractor should plan to provide approximately 10 vehicles and 20 employees simultaneously during peak delivery and pickup periods.

Answer 2: We would coordinate logistics in advance, so you would know the number of routes for a given day about two weeks in advance.

 

Question 3: Please confirm whether Lake County personnel will stage, load, and unload election equipment at the County Clerk's warehouse, or whether the contractor's personnel are responsible for all loading and unloading.

 Answer 3: The awarded vendor will be responsible for all loading and unloading all items. The warehouse will check and make sure everything is loaded correctly.

 

Question 4: Please confirm whether County or voting-site personnel will assist with loading/unloading at each location, or whether the contractor's two-person crews must transport and position all equipment inside each designated facility.

 Answer 4: The awarded vendor will be responsible for all loading and unloading all items.

 
Question 5: Please provide, if available, historical or estimated quantities, dimensions, weights, pallet/container counts, or approximate truckload volume assigned to each route. The RFP identifies approximately 1,000–1,800 containers for certain Election Day materials but does not provide enough information to determine the required truck capacity for each route.

Answer 5: The equipment for six voting sites usually fits in a 26-foot truck with lift.

 

Question 6: The Scope of Work identifies approximately 90 Election Day Voting sites, while the Proposal Price Sheet requests pricing for 95 Election Day Sites. Please confirm which quantity proposers should use when developing their fixed-fee pricing.

Answer 6: Vendors are asked to submit pricing based off 95 Election Day Voting Sites per election cycle.

 
Question 7: The Scope identifies 17 Early Voting sites, while the Proposal Price Sheet requests pricing for 20 Early Voting Sites. Please confirm which quantity should be used for pricing.

Answer 7: Vendors are asked to submit pricing based off 20 Early Voting Sites per election cycle.

 

Question 8: Please confirm that the proposed price for "Delivery & Pickup of 95 Election Day Sites per Election Cycle" is intended to be one fixed fee covering the complete delivery and subsequent pickup/return cycle for all sites, rather than a per-site charge.

Please provide the same clarification for Early Voting and Township Delivery pricing.

 Answer 8: Vendors are asked to submit pricing as an all-encompassing fee rather than a per site charge for each line item.

 

Question 9: The RFP states that contract pricing will remain in effect for Special Elections. If a Special Election involves substantially fewer sites than a regular countywide election, please clarify how the contractor will be compensated and whether the fixed election-cycle pricing will be prorated or otherwise adjusted.

 Answer 9: Pricing for Special Elections will be prorated based on the services required.

 

Question 10: Please provide, if available, the previous contract award amount, incumbent contractor, historical pricing, and/or annual expenditures for Election Moving Services. This information would assist proposers in understanding the historical level of effort associated with the contract.

 Answer 10: Contract #25173 can be viewed on our website at https://www.lakecountypurchasingportal.com/awarded-contracts/

 

Question 11: The RFP requires $1,000,000 in Cyber Liability coverage. Given that the primary scope involves physical transportation and handling of election equipment and materials, will Lake County consider waiving or reducing the Cyber Liability requirement for the awarded contractor? 
The RFP expressly states that the County's risk manager may waive or reduce insurance requirements in writing.

Answer 11: Vendors can indicate an exception in their response for this item, or any other item within the RFP.

 

Question 12: Please confirm whether the awarded contractor is expected to maintain a local warehouse, staging facility, or vehicle yard within Lake County during election cycles, and whether election equipment may be temporarily staged at a contractor-controlled facility.

 Answer 12: It is not required; the material will just need to be stored overnight on the 26-foot trucks.

 

Question 13: Please confirm whether proposers may utilize qualified subcontractors for vehicles, drivers, helpers, or other portions of the moving operation, and identify any forms, approvals, background checks, insurance documentation, or other information that must be submitted for proposed subcontractors.

Answer 13: Subcontracting is permitted for certain portions of the moving operations; however, all proposed subcontractors or third parties must be disclosed in the proposal and approved by Lake County in advance.

The RFP requires the Vendor to own the vehicles used to perform the moving services. Vehicles may not be rented, leased, or otherwise obtained from a third party for use in performing the services. This requirement applies to vehicles used to transport Lake County's voting equipment.

The proposer shall identify any proposed subcontractors or third parties in its proposal and describe the services they will provide. Any subcontractor or third party not identified in the proposal must receive prior written approval from Lake County before performing services. 

The awarded vendor will remain fully responsible for the performance of all services and for the acts and omissions of its subcontractors or third parties. The Vendor will also remain responsible for maintaining all insurance required under the resulting Agreement and shall ensure that any approved subcontractor or third party maintains appropriate insurance for the services it performs. Lake County may request evidence of such insurance and other information necessary to evaluate a proposed subcontractor or third party.

Approval of a subcontractor or third party does not relieve the Vendor of any responsibility or obligation under the Agreement.

 

Question 14: The RFP requires all employees to undergo a "thorough background check."

Please identify the specific background-check standards required by Lake County, including whether fingerprinting, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle record, drug screening, or other screenings are required. The RFP states that the awarded vendor bears the cost and must provide written documentation within ten working days following notice of award.

Answer 14: Upon receipt of notice of award, proof of pre-employment background checks must be submitted to Lake County within ten (10) working days.

 

8/27

Question 15: What is the estimated number of elections per year, and what is the typical volume (e.g., number of pallets, total weight, or number of individual items like laptops and ballot bins) that needs to be moved for each election?

Answer 15: Locations for 2027 and beyond have not been finalized and exact locations and quantity are subject to change. The RFP summarizes the 2026 General Election locations and may approximately represent the future needs of the Clerk’s Office for the purposes of this procurement.


Question 16: What is the expected lead time between the notification of a move request and the required delivery date?

Answer 16: The schedule for pick-up and delivery may vary depending on the election cycle; however, please see page 5 section (D) of the Election Moving Services for Clerk RFP for a full pick-up and delivery outline of the current schedule.


Question 17: Are there specific security clearances or background check requirements for personnel handling election-sensitive materials (voting tabulators, ballots, etc.)?

Answer 17: Please see the answer to Question 14.  Beyond that, there are no further requirements.


Question 18: Are there specific handling requirements for sensitive electronic equipment, such as climate control during transit or specific padding/crating standards?

Answer 18: Climate control is not necessary, but the awarded vendor is expected to utilize items such as moving blankets or padding to prevent damage to County equipment.


Question 19: What is the approximate square footage or volume of storage space currently required for the equipment and records?

Answer 19: Please see pages 4-6 of the RFP for approximate requirements.

 

Question 20: What is the expected frequency of access to the storage facility by County Clerk staff, and are there specific security requirements for the facility (e.g., surveillance, alarm systems, restricted entry)?

Answer 20: Long term storage will be handled by the Clerk’s Office and is not part of this RFP.



Question 21: What is the proposed term of the contract, and are there any options for renewal?

Answer 21: This contract shall be in effect for a two (2) year period beginning December 1, 2026. Lake County reserves the right to renew this contract for three (3) additional one (1) year period(s), subject to acceptable performance by the Proposer. At the end of any contract term, Lake County reserves the right to extend this contract for a period of sixty (60) days for the purpose of getting a new contract in place. For any year beyond the initial year, this contract is contingent on the appropriation of sufficient funds; no charges shall be assessed for failure of the County to appropriate funds in future contract years.


Question 22: Does the County prefer a flat-rate fee per election, an hourly rate for labor and equipment, or a combination? Should travel expenses and fuel surcharges be factored into the unit rates?

Answer 22: Vendors are asked to submit a flat rate fee in accordance with the Pricing Sheet which factors travel, fuel, and other related charges.


Question 23: Aside from standard liability, does the County require specialized insurance coverage for the high-value election equipment being transported and stored?

Answer 23: Details regarding insurance can be found on page 17 of the RFP.


Question 24: Are the pick-up and drop-off locations equipped with loading docks, or will lift-gate services and manual offloading be required?

Answer 24: The Clerk’s Warehouse contains a loading dock, however the polling locations are buildings such as schools, libraries, churches, etc., which typically will not contain loading docks.

 

Question 25: Does the facility or moving environment require specific equipment (e.g., pallet jacks, specialized dollies) that the vendor is expected to provide?

Answer 25: The Cages and Ballot Bins are on wheels, and smaller miscellaneous items are stored in banker boxes. If the vendor chooses to use pallets or similar, they would be expected to supply pallet jacks or additional moving equipment.

 

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