Voting Machines RFP

*Lot 2 Round 1 is issued to reopen the bid submission period based on a technical issue with Lot 1 Round 3. Proposals submitted to Lot 1 Round 3 do not need to be resubmitted. *Lot 1 Round 3 is issued to make updates to the RFP Scope of Work and Cost Proposal.*Lot 1 Round 2 is issued to correct a scriveners error throughout the RFP document.Pre-Proposal Conference The State will hold a virtual pre-Proposal conference on March 25, 2026, at 10:00AM Columbus, Ohio local time. Please see Section 3 of the RFP for details. The purpose of this RFP is to solicit Proposals for one or more Contractors to provide Voting Systems to the Agency and the County Boards of Elections that the Agency serves.The Ohio Secretary of State is the state’s Chief Elections Official charged with directing the conduct of boards of elections in Ohio. Elections are conducted locally in each of Ohio’s 88 counties by a bipartisan board of elections. If there is a need for technical support during your proposal submission in the last 48 hours prior to the submissions, contact 614-466-5090. This number is for OhioBuys solicitation technical questions only; there will not be any questions answered regarding the solicitation.A couple items of note –Chrome is the preferred browser for OhioBuys.Only have a single window open that is logged into OhioBuys, having multiple windows opened to a single user can create an error, especially when trying to submit your proposal.
Please find resources below to aid with using OhioBuys and solicitations: Using OhioBuys: https://procure.ohio.gov/bidders-and-suppliers/resources/03_Using+OhioBuys Submitting a response: https://procure.ohio.gov/bidders-and-suppliers/resources/04_Submitting+a+Response Additional Webinars regarding OhioBuys and Solicitations: https://procure.ohio.gov/bidders-and-suppliers/resources/bidder-and-supplier-training/01_Supplier+Webinars To participate or submit an inquiry for this RFx, you need to be registered in the OhioBuys Supplier Portal. Suppliers are not required at this time to be registered in OAKS. If you have a need to seek technical support, clearly specify you need access to an active Ohio Buys solicitation. Technical Support 1-877-644-6771
Computer Equipment and Accessories
Inquiries Inquiry 85928 | P. 9 # N. states "The State will not accept multiple Proposals from a single Offeror or any alternative solutions or options to the requirements of this RFP. Any Offeror that submits multiple Proposals may have all of its Proposals rejected." Question: Vendors may have multiple product lines to offer current and potential customers that meet all the requirements of the RFP. This allows Ohio customers to add on to or expand current systems or for prospects and customers to purchase new system tested and certified to the latest EAC standards. How should vendors submit all products to support all types of Ohio buyers? | Answer: Please see instructions 4 and 5 in the Instructions tab of the cost proposal. Offerors must include a list of all Voting systems software and hardware proposed for this RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85931 | P. 9, # N states, "The State will not accept multiple Proposals from a single Offeror or any alternative solutions or options to the requirements of this RFP. Any Offeror that submits multiple Proposals may have all of its Proposals rejected." Question: If the State will allow the submission of multiple product lines, how should the Cost Proposal be submitted? As it is now, there does not seem to be a way to support two separate product lines. | Answer: Please see instructions 4 and 5 in the Instructions tab of the cost proposal. Offerors must include a list of all Voting systems software and hardware proposed for this RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85934 | Page 21, #1 states, "The Offeror must propose a Voting System certified by the Ohio Secretary of State and must include documentation of such certification with its Proposal." Question: If the Offeror has a voting system that is certified by the EAC but is not yet certified by the State of Ohio, is it permissible to add to this contract contingent upon state certification? If not, is there a process by which it can be added at a later date once State Certification has been completed? | Answer: Please see Part 3, Section F, Changes to Scope of Work. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85937 | Question: Will the Final Score as defined under Section 6 – Evaluation Metrics be used for any other vendor award differentiation beyond advancement into the next phase of the evaluation process? | Answer: The final score will be utilized as defined in the RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85943 | Page 27 #7 states, "In its Proposal and in addition to the service level agreements in Part 2, the Offeror must include proposed service level agreements with associated credits and/or liquidated damages for the services provided under the Contract and the Voting System. All service level agreements, credits, and/or liquidated damages must be consistent with industry standards and demonstrate the Offeror’s commitment to service quality and accountability." Question: As a voting solution provider with many customers, including current Ohio customers, credits and/or liquidated damages are not an industry standard. We are committed to service quality and accountability, as demonstrated by our consistently high customer service ratings. Would the State please clarify if vendors can provide an SLA without credits and/or liquidated damages since this is not industry standard? | Answer: Please see Part 1, Section 7, Service Level Agreements and/or Liquidated Damages. All service level agreements, credits, and/or liquidated damages must be consistent with industry standards and demonstrate the Offeror’s commitment to service quality and accountability. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85946 | Page 30 Section 7 states, "The Contractor must remit the Revenue Share in U.S. dollars within 30 days after the end of the quarterly reporting period. The Revenue Share that the Contractor must pay under this Contract equals 0.75% of the total quarterly sales. The Revenue Share must be included in the prices reflected in any order and reflected in the total amount charged to an ordering agency, and the Contractor may not add a surcharge to orders under this Contract to cover the cost of the Revenue Share." Question: Will the State please clarify whether the fee applies to all purchases associated with the contract or only to purchases made by Cooperative Purchasing Members? | Answer: The Revenue Share that the Contractor must pay under this Contract is applicable to total quarterly sales. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85949 | For counties that previously purchased a voting system through the existing contract, please clarify whether an extension of the current license and support agreement may be executed under the new contract, or if the county would be required to procure a new voting system. | Answer: Questions about the prior contract should be directed to the associated contract analyst. Through this solicitation the State is asking for a submission of all available products meeting the mandatory requirement. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85952 | The Cost Proposal Example Build Tab calls for the Total Cost for an Example County. Question: Please confirm the number of years the Total Cost for the Example County should include. | Answer: The State intends to address this in an upcoming amendment to the RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85955 | The Cost Proposal Example Build Tab calls for the Total Cost for an Example County. Question: The overall configuration, including software and the number of voting system devices required for a county is driven by the number of precincts and registered voters, and the state has provided a broad range for both precinct counts and registered voters. To support more accurate pricing, would the state consider narrowing these ranges? Alternatively, would the state allow vendors to submit pricing based on multiple representative county sizes? | Answer: The State will not make this change at this time. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85958 | Question: Would the State consider adding a column for a description on the Hardware Costs, Software Costs, Additional Innovation or Value, and Optional Elements tabs? | Answer: The State intends to address this in an upcoming amendment to the RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 85961 | The Cost Proposal Instructions state, "The Offeror must not populate or change the "shaded" cells in any rows or columns of the Cost Proposal as these cells contain formulas or are not intended to be changed. Where necessary, the Offeror may add rows to tables to provide all applicable costs." Question: There are no shaded cells. Will the state please clarify if any cells should be shaded? | Answer: The State intends to address this in an upcoming amendment to the RFP. | Answered: 4/1/2026 Inquiry 86047 | Page 26 #3 states, "The Offeror must provide detailed pricing for five years beyond the expiration of the initial five years of acquisition and use of the Voting System." and Page 70 Part 8 states, "Once awarded, the term of the Contract will be from the date of the State’s signature through March 31, 2030." Question: Please clarify whether the initial term is 5 years from the contract start date or whether the initial term ends March 31, 2030. | Answer: The State intends to address this in an upcoming amendment to the RFP. | Answered: 4/2/2026 Inquiry 86226 | Regarding: Section 4 - Requirements for Proposals, B. Proposal Specifics, 1. Technical Proposal Components, c. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions: Acceptance of Terms and Conditions (page 13). The Offeror must include the entire content of Parts 2 through 4 as a single section in its Proposal. The Offeror must include a statement at the beginning of this section indicating that the Offeror has read, understands, and agrees to all of the terms and conditions contained in Parts 2 through 4.Question 1: Are Offerors allowed to take exceptions to the terms and conditions contained in Parts 2 through 4 of the RFP or must an offeror accept them as is? This provision seems to conflict with the Exceptions provision set forth in subsection d. of this part on page 14, which seems to allow exceptions to the terms and conditions of the RFP. Regarding: CONTRACT, Part 1 – Scope of Work, 2. Voting System Requirements: The Voting System must be approved by the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners and certified by the Ohio Secretary of State before it can be purchased for a county board of elections (page 25):Question 2: Once a contract is in effect, is there a process for adding a voting system component that is approved during the contract period by the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners and certified by the Ohio Secretary of State? If so, what is that process? | Answer: Response to Question 1: Please see to Section 4, B.1.d, Exceptions. Response to Question 2: Please see Part 3, Section F, Changes to Scope of Work. | Answered: 4/6/2026