REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 19, 2023
FROM
STEPHENIE SHEA, Registrar of Voters
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Westbound Communications Inc., for Additional Voter Education Outreach Activities
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 22-158, including non-standard terms, with Westbound Communications Inc., amending the Scope of Work to include additional voter education outreach activities utilizing the BallotMobile, and updating the payment terms, with no change to the term or contract amount.
(Presenter: Stephenie Shea, Registrar of Voters, 387-2100)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this recommendation will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The amendment expands the scope of Westbound Communications’ (Westbound) voter education outreach activities to include driving the County’s BallotMobile voter education vehicle, which will not result in increased costs. A portion of election expenses are billed to local jurisdictions - cities, school districts, and special districts - based upon the number of contests on the ballot and the number of registered voters for each contest. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Registrar of Voters’ (ROV) 2023-24 budget and will be included in the 2024-25 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On March 1, 2022 (Item No. 53), the Board of Supervisors approved Contract No. 22-158 with Westbound in an amount not to exceed $2,954,000 for voter education outreach activities, for the period of March 1, 2022 through February 28, 2025, with two one-year renewal options.
Amendment No. 1 will enable ROV to continue to educate voters by allowing Westbound staff to drive the County’s BallotMobile traveling voter education vehicle across the County, including unincorporated and far-reaching areas, to share information on voter registration, important election dates, and the multiple ways to vote. The vehicle will transport two staff members and outreach supplies for this voter education outreach program. The contract amendment will include the additional Scope of Work to allow ROV to conduct additional voter education outreach activities by utilizing the County’s BallotMobile. The contract amendment will not change the amount or the term of the contract, which is from March 1, 2022 through February 28, 2025.
Amendment No. 1 will change the payment terms under Contract No. 22-158, and is a non-standard term as follows:
1. Payment terms will be Net 30 days after approval of the invoice.
• Standard county contract payment terms are Net 60 days.
• Potential Impact: The County will have 30 days after approval of the invoice to make payments. Failing to make payments within 30 days means that Westbound could declare the County in material breach of contract terms.
ROV recommends approval of this Amendment, including the non-standard term, to change the payment terms to Net 30 days. This will allow Westbound to continue to provide voter outreach services and receive payment within a preferred time period.
PROCUREMENT
Contract No. 22-158 was procured through a competitive process on December 22, 2021, via Request for Proposals (RFP) No. ROV122-ROV-4418 through the County Electronic Procurement Network (ePro) which was released to solicit proposals for a Voter Education Program for a five-year contract period. ROV received a proposal from one vendor (Westbound). A review of the proposal was completed, and it was determined that Westbound’s proposal met the requirements of the RFP. Both ROV and Purchasing agreed to recommend awarding Westbound the contract.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 9, 2023; Risk Management (Victor Tordesillas, Director, 386-8623) on November 29, 2023; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on November 15, 2023; Finance (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on November 15, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on November 27, 2023.