Procurement
Process for Electoral
Equipment
Education | Elections | Census
Considerations , 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
Education | Elections | Census
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
Education | Elections | Census
Timelines
• 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
Education | Elections | Census
Timeline – real example
Phase
Creation of the outline Statement of Requirements
Undertaking a Cost Benefit Analysis of Technology versus Manual Methods
Timeline
June 2009 (earlier if first time)
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
Contract Negotiations
Award of Contract
Blue Print Phase
User Acceptance and Testing Phase
Delivery
March/June 2010
October/December 2010
December 2010
January to July 2010
August to March 2010
April to May 2012
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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
Education | Elections | Census
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!
Education | Elections | Census
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
Education | Elections | Census
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 
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Delivery Phase
• Timescales
• Secure and safe storage in
country
• On-bound distribution
• Training Phase
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Case Study of a large technology procurement –
Sultanate of Oman Majilis As’ Shura National
Elections 2011
Education | Elections | Census
Procurement consisted of:
• 600k ballot papers, of 61
designs
• 61 counting centres,
containing 83 scanners
• Software and
communication links
• Training
• Technical Support
Education | Elections | Census
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
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Alexandra Palace - London
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City Hall – Election HQ
Education | Elections | Census
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
Education | Elections | Census
Education | Elections | Census
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
Education | Elections | Census
Q&A
Please share your experiences
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