In a Request for Proposal released June 1 and due in mid-summer, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) seeks “proposals from qualified firms to provide products and services” for upcoming Board of Administration elections. CalPERS, the nation’s largest public pension fund, provides retirement services to more than 1.9 million members and health benefits to around 1.5 million members and their families. The agency is governed by the board of 13 members, who are elected, appointed or ex officio. Among the takeaways:
• CalPERS seeks a contractor to develop and provide online voting for upcoming primary, runoff or special elections, including hosting electronic content, meeting accessibility requirements; offer a “dedicated server and fulltime staff for hardware, software, and support devices”; and controls to ensure accurate, valid voting. The contractor must also be able to store CalPERS’ “electronic election materials” for four years.
• The agency needs the contractor to provide voting by telephone via a secure, toll-free number, and automated speech recognition. And it wants the contractor to develop a voter tracking system with barcode scanning for return envelopes, and personal identification numbers for tracking online and telephone ballots – both randomly generated and not reflective of personal information or existing CalPERS ID numbers.
• CalPERS will do user acceptance testing (UAT) before approving online and telephone voting systems, and it requires the contractor to “facilitate design sessions” with the agency, during which CalPERS will “identify business requirements for system design with the contractor.” CalPERS also will require the contractor to clearly outline UAT roles, responsibilities, process and schedules ahead of time.
The agency has previously offered member voting via Internet, telephone and paper ballots, a CalPERS representative told Techwire via email, but its previous contract with Integrity Voting Systems expired in February. This is its election off-year; the next contest is in fall 2021.
• The pact’s estimated value is not specified – but this will be a contract of up to five years when awarded. The new contract is anticipated to start in January. Electronic services will cover the 2021 member-at-large primary election for two “independent” positions; state, school and public agency primary elections – three separate elections run concurrently; the 2023 retired member primary election; and any additional runoffs or special elections. Written questions on the RFP are due by 3 p.m. June 16. The final filing date for respondents is 3 p.m. Aug. 24. Finalists will be selected in September and interviewed in October; a notice of intent to award is expected in October.
