Request for Information

The Electoral Commission publishes a Request for Information with the intention to carry out market research on a particular subject matter. Such requests are not to be regarded as an invitation to tender nor an obligation to procure on the part of the Electoral Commission.

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3/2015 - AUDIT SERVICES

Issue Date: 05/10/2015
Closing Date: 21/10/2015

Clarifications

  1. Question:
    With reference to the above captioned, do you have an indication of when the mentioned briefing session with the interested firms will be held?

    Response:
    Briefing is planned to take place on the morning of  Wednesday, 4th November 2015.  Those concerned will be notified of the exact time.
     

  2. Question:
    Kindly clarify why there are two deadlines (21/10 and 12/11) and for the 21/10 deadline, is it sufficient to send a letter stating that we are interested in providing audit services to the Electoral Commission?  Can you please provide us with the tender dossier?

    Response:
    The deadlines are as follows:
    15/10/2015 – last day for receipt by email of queries or requests for clarifications;
    21/10/2015 -  last day for receipt of the proper Expression of Interest that must include the info specified in the three listed requisites in the EOI – this is very important;
    12/11/2015 – last day for receipt of the financial proposals.

    There will be a briefing session for those who send their Expression of Interest on 04/11/2015.

    There is no tender dossier at this stage.
     

  3. Questions:
    Please clarify what is meant by “financial proposals”.

    Response:
    At this stage financial proposals are not required.  Interested companies should concentrate on the submission of an Expression of Interest containing the listed requisites.  The financial aspect will be explained during the briefing session of 04/11/2015.

1/2015 - EVCS2015 - Electronic Vote Counting Solution

Issue Date: 12/06/2015
Closing Date: 31/08/2015

Clarifications

  1. Question:
    Since Malta would like to retain the ballot paper system but moving to an electronic counting system, is it possible to supply us with some samples of ballot papers for each type of election or referendum?

    Response:
    A number of sample ballot papers from recent elections namely the 2013 General Election, 2014 European Parliament Election and the 2015 Local Council Elections is available for download by clicking here.
     

  2. Question:
    Is the standard size of the ballot paper 170 x 835 mm, or is this the maximum size the automatic counting solution must process?

    Response:
    The size quoted in the RFI is the maximum size of ballot paper that the system needs to handle, typically the ballot paper used for the European Parliament Elections is close to the maximum size. In the case of General Election and Local Council ballot papers the length can vary, however the width of 170mm is always retained.
     
  3. Question:
    What should happen after the ballot papers are counted? Do they need to be sorted into multiple boxes or pockets, or do they need to be placed into one large stack?

    Response:
    It is envisaged that once the ballot papers are scanned and counted these will be retained in packets according to the original polling booth.
     
  4. Question:
    Would the Electoral Commission consider changing the ballot format?

    Response:
    Currently the Electoral Commission has no plans to change the ballot format, however, it is not being ruled out in the future.
     
  5. Question:
    Which variant of STV calculation is used?

    Response:
    The STV calculation used in Malta is the Hare-Clark method. The quota is calculated using the Droop method.
     
  6. Question:
    Do the ballot papers include any type of unique identifying mark such as a ballot paper number or a barcode? Is there any legislation precluding the use of these?

    Response:
    No, the ballot papers do not have any unique identifying marks. In fact, article 49(3) of Chapter 354, stipulates what should be on the ballot paper. To include such marks as a barcode would require amendments to current legislation.
     
  7. Question:
    Are ballot papers marked or stamped in anyway at the polling station?

    Response:
    Yes, the ballot papers are rubber stamped on the reverse at the polling station.
     
  8. Question:
    What are the timing objectives for an electronic count i.e. time from receipt of ballot boxes to announcement of results?

    Response:
    Currently it takes close to 4 days to issue the full results of a national election. The objective of the electronic counting system is to publish the full results in the shortest possible time.
     
  9. Question:
    Can the ballot paper size be standardised i.e. for there to be agreed ballot paper templates that cater for different numbers of candidates/parties?

    Response:
    Whilst the width of 170mm is always retained, the length depends on the type of election and the number of contesting parties/candidates. There are 4 types of elections each requiring different lengths of ballot papers: Referendum ballot papers are standard throughout. Similarly the ballot paper for the MEPs elections normally approaches the maximum size of 170mm x 385mm. However, for Local Councils Elections and General Elections there will be 68 and 13 variations in length respectively.
     
  10. Question:
    Will it be possible to reduce the size of the ballot paper to accommodate e-Counting and ensure that full images of ballot papers can be presented on screen for the adjudication process?

    Response:
    Yes, whilst it may be possible to reduce the size of the ballot paper this would require some changes in the current legislation.
     
  11. Question:
    How many contests/ballot papers types are being counted on the same day?

    Response:
    At present only one contest/ballot paper type is being counted on the same day.
     
  12. Question:
    Are there combined polls?  If so, are all ballot papers posted in one single ballot box, or multiple ballot boxes?

    Response:
    Yes there are combined polls. The ballot papers are posted in multiple ballot boxes.
     
  13. Question:
    The RFI demands a Hard Copy and Soft Copy of the response to be sent to the address of the Electoral Commission.  An Electronic Submission of the response is also solicited in the RFI. Could you please confirm whether it will suffice, if we send a Hard Copy (1 Copy) of the RFI response to the address of the Electoral Commission and the Soft Copy (via Electronic Submission) to [email protected]?

    Response:
    Yes, it is sufficient to send 1 hard copy to the address of the  Electoral Commission and the soft copy (via email) to [email protected].
     
  14. Question:
    Is the presence of the bidder expected on August 31st 2015 at the office of the Electoral Commission on August 31st 2015 to have subsequent discussions on the response submitted?

    Response:
    No, the presence of the bidder is not expected on 31st August.
     
  15. Question:
    Is it possible to have some samples of the physical ballot papers as we need to analyse the type of paper used, the thickness, the grams, etc.?

    Response:

    It is not possible to provide you with actual samples of actual ballot papers. However, we can provide you with some information on the specifications of the paper used.

    The security paper is manufactured by the Fourdrinier cylinder mould process. The paper is 85gsm, wood-free, incorporates an all-over security watermark, and has invisible fluorescent fibres.