REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 7, 2021
FROM
BOB PAGE, Registrar of Voters
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with Toppan Merrill, LLC for Voter Information Guide Printing and Mailing Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Agreement with Toppan Merrill, LLC for printing and mailing services of Voter Information Guides, in an amount not to exceed $17,000,000, for the period of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2026.
(Presenter: Bob Page, Registrar of Voters, 387-2100)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item does not require the use of any additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). A portion of the expenses associated with the printing and mailing of voter information guides and sample ballots are billed to jurisdictions that call for an election and candidates who request a candidate statement be included in the guide. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in Registrar of Voters’ (ROV) 2021-22 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The recommended agreement will allow ROV to continue to provide County Voter Information Guides (VIG) to the registered voters throughout San Bernardino County by contracting with Toppan Merrill, LLC (Merrill) for the next five years, which aligns with the County and Chief Executive Officer’s goals and objectives to operate in a fiscally-responsible and business-like manner. Voter information guides are mailed to voters approximately one month before an election to assist with exercising the right to vote. These guides include a sample ballot, instructions on how to vote, candidate statements, the text of local measures, its impartial analysis, and arguments for and against the measures, and information about the assistance that ROV provides to voters who may have difficulty voting in English or have a disability.
Merrill has produced San Bernardino County’s VIG for more than 20 years and will continue to provide these services under the new contract. Merrill has provided ROV with accurate, timely and cost-effective printing and delivery of the VIG to San Bernardino County voters.
PROCUREMENT
On June 17, 2021, a Request for Proposals (ROV121-ROV-4270) was released to solicit proposals for Voter Information Guide and Sample Ballot Printing and Mailing Services for a five-year contract period. ROV received a proposal from one vendor (Toppan Merrill, LLC). A review of the proposal was completed and it was determined that Merrill’s proposal met the requirements of the RFP and it was agreed by both ROV and Purchasing to award Merrill the agreement.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Jolena Grider, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 28, 2021; Purchasing Department (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on November 3, 2021; Finance (Sofia Almeida, Administrative Analyst, 387-4378) on November 15, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Valerie Clay, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on November 16, 2021.