william m. gardner new hampshire ecretary of tate …das.nh.gov/purchasing/docs/bids/rfp sos...

WILLIAM M. GARDNER NEW HAMPSHIRE SECRETARY OF STATE

STATE HOUSE 107 NORTH STATE STREET

CONCORD, NH 03301 ___________________________________________

New Hampshire CARES Act

Request for Proposal – 2020 - 001

For Accounting Services

Establishing Standard Costs

and Other Accounting Services

to Facilitate CARES Act Funding to Sub-grantees

New Hampshire CARES Act funding RFP for Selection of Accounting Services Vendor

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Request for Proposal

For Accounting Services

Establishing Standard Costs and Other Accounting Services

To Facilitate CARES Act Funding to Sub-grantees

SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT (SPOC):

Orville Fitch II, State House Room 204, 107 North Main Street, Concord, New

Hampshire, 03301-4989

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone: (603)271-5335

MAIL RESPONSE TO:

Paula Penney

Secretary of State

State House, Room 204

107 North Main Street

Concord, New Hampshire 03301


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ATTENTION

RFP RESPONSE SUBMISSION

For your submission to be considered responsive, the following are required:

The Signature Page must be completed and returned, signed in the space provided by a person who is authorized to legally obligate your company.

Your submission must include an “ORIGINAL” mailed to the Secretary of State at the above address and a PDF of the original e-mailed to: [email protected].

To document that the proposal reflects any addenda to this RFP, printouts of all addenda issued by the Secretary of State (if any are issued). Addenda will appear on the Department of Administrative Services, Purchase and Property website. The printout must be filled out and signed by a person who is authorized to legally obligate your company. The signed addenda must be attached to the “ORIGINAL” proposal submitted.

Contact: Orville Fitch II at the New Hampshire Department of State, 603-271-5335, if

you need further clarification of these submission instructions.

mailto:[email protected]


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SIGNATURE PAGE

Date:

Response No.:

Response Date Due:

Response Time Due: 2:30 pm

PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS RFP TO:

TEL. NO.:

E-MAIL:

RESPONSE INVITATION FOR:

OFFER: The undersigned hereby offers to make available to the New Hampshire Secretary of State the services indicated in the following page(s) of this RFP at the price(s) quoted, in accordance with the conditions set forth in this RFP. All responses are expected to remain valid for a period of 60 days from the RFP Due Date.

Organization/Company Name: ______________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

Tel.: (local)_____________________________

(Toll Free)______________________________

Fax: __________________________________

Authorized Signature:

_________________________________________________________________

(SIGNATURE)

_________________________________________________________________

(TYPE OR PRINT NAME)

This document must be signed by a person who is authorized to legally obligate the accounting services provider submitting the proposal. The signature also certifies that there have been no alterations or substitutions of any of the RFP documents.


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Table of Contents

RFP RESPONSE SUBMISSION ..................................................................................... 4

RFP RESPONSE - CHECKLIST ............................................................................................ 8

1 RFP PURPOSE AND GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ........................................................... 9

1.1 VENDOR CONFERENCE CALL. ................................................................................ 12

1.2 RESPONSE INQUIRIES. ........................................................................................... 12

1.3 RESPONSE SUBMISSION. ....................................................................................... 13

1.4 PUBLIC DISCLOSURE. ............................................................................................ 14

1.5 ORAL PRESENTATION. ........................................................................................... 14

1.6 PROJECT BUDGET/LIMITATION ON PRICE. ............................................................... 15

1.7 RESPONSE PREPARATION COSTS........................................................................... 15

1.8 NON-COMMITMENT. ............................................................................................... 15

1.9 RFP NON-DEVIATION. ........................................................................................... 15

1.10 EVALUATION AND CONTRACT ................................................................................. 15

1.11 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS ........................................................................................... 15

2 GENERAL INFORMATION......................................................................................... 18

2.1 GENERAL OVERVIEW. ............................................................................................ 18

2.2 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 21

3 SERVICES, SPECIFICATIONS, ASV REQUIREMENTS, AND DELIVERABLES .................. 25

3.1 ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIFICATIONS. ......................................................................... 25

3.2 PROJECT/STATUS MEETINGS AND REPORTING ........................................................ 26

3.3 SCOPE OF SERVICES ............................................................................................. 27

3.3.1 DELIVERABLES ...................................................................................................... 27

4 KEY PERSONNEL ................................................................................................... 29

4.1 DEPARTMENT OF STATE ........................................................................................ 29

4.2 ACCOUNTING SERVICES VENDOR ........................................................................... 29

4.3 STAFF RETENTION/PERFORMANCE. ........................................................................ 29

5 RESPONSE FORMAT/GUIDELINES ............................................................................ 29

5.1 GENERAL INFORMATION .............................................................................................................. 30

5.2 RESPONSE OUTLINE. .................................................................................................................. 30

5.3 PROPOSAL DESCRIPTION. ........................................................................................................... 30


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6 EVALUATION PROCESS, CRITERIA, AND SELECTION .................................................... 34

6.1 RESPONSE RECEIPT AND REVIEW. ........................................................................................... 34

6.2 RESPONSE EVALUATION. ........................................................................................................... 35

6.3 RESPONSE REJECTION. ................................................................................................................ 36

6.4 SELECTION, NOTIFICATION, AND CONTRACT .......................................................................... 36

7 PRICE, PAYMENT SCHEDULE, AND CONTRACT TERM ................................................... 36

7.1 DELIVERABLES/SCHEDULES/PAYMENTS .................................................................................... 36

7.2 OTHER PRICING ................................................................................................................................ 39

7.2.1 INVOICING .............................................................................................................. 39

CONTRACT TERM ............................................................................................................ 40

EXHIBIT 1: NEW HAMPSHIRE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY .................................. 41


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RFP Response - Checklist This is a list of activities and requirements respondents commonly forget to include in their RFP response. An incomplete response may be grounds for determining that a response is unable to satisfy the needs of the Secretary of State. You may use this checklist to help prepare your response. If any item below will be sent late, accounting services providers should indicate when the State should expect to receive it.

Signature Page – must be signed and included with ORIGINAL

Response.

Printout of complete Addenda (if any issued), filled out by a person

who is authorized to legally obligate your company must be included

as part of your ORIGINAL response.

RFP response packaged and labeled in accordance with RFP Section 1.3:

Response Submission.

Certificate of Good Standing with State of New Hampshire or equivalent,

current as of April 1st, 2020.

Cover Page should include requirements listed in Proposal Description.

References and Letters of Reference with current contact information.

Preparations are made to ensure that the response is delivered prior to the

Response Submission due date and time defined in Section 1:11: Schedule

of Events.


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1.0 RFP Purpose and General Instructions This Request for Proposal (RFP) for accounting services is issued by the New Hampshire

Department of State, to assist in compliance with Federal CARES Act requirements. This

RFP solicits cost proposals from providers of accounting services, which are submitted in

a manner consistent with this Request for Proposal.

The Secretary of State has appointed the Select Committee on 2020 Emergency Election

Support to work on recommendations concerning the security and conduct of the

September and November 2020 elections. The Committee will advise the Department of

State on the use of the $3.2 million in federal CARES Act money received by the state.

This RFP and related work are to prepare an option for the Committee to consider.

Through this RFP, the Department of State is seeking to procure professional accounting

services to support implementation, administration, reporting, and audit responses

regarding funds provided by the federal CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond

to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for the 2020 Federal election cycle.

Time is of the essence. CARES Act election funds must be obligated and/or expended

by December 31, 2020. Use is restricted to the September 8, 2020 state primary and the

November 3, 2020 state general election. The successful accounting services vendor will

be required to provide work product in accordance with the delivery schedule detailed

below.

Post-Reports on the use of funds are due to the federal Election Assistance Commission

on September 28, 2020 and on November 23, 2020. The successful accounting services

vendor must be able to complete and submit reports for the Secretary of State’s approval

by September 18, 2020 and November 13, 2020. An additional Federal Financial Report

(FFR) is due for the period ending December 31, 2020 by February 28, 2021. The

accounting services vendor must submit a draft FFR report on CARES Act funds and any

2020 Cybersecurity Help America Vote Act funds used for CARES Act purposes to the

Secretary of State by January 15, 2021.

We seek expert accounting advice and services from a firm experienced with the

management and reporting requirements for federal funds, including but not limited to,

Title 2 C.F.R. Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200-Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost

Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 C.F.R. § 200) CARES Act.

General Guidance issued by the Election Assistance Commission can be found

here:https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/coronavirus-covid-19-resources

https://www.eac.gov/election-officials/coronavirus-covid-19-resources


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http://sos.nh.gov/2020selectcommittee.aspx See also the Secretary of State’s website

under “Select Committee on 2020 Emergency Election Support” at http://sos.nh.gov/.

Specific tasks required of the successful vendor include a statewide standard cost rate for

the expenses of municipalities in issuing and processing an absentee ballot. The

methodology for establishing the standard cost rate must satisfy all applicable federal

requirements for the use of federal funds. The EAC has recently provided the Secretary

of State guidance advising that a properly developed statewide standard cost rate is an

acceptable (if pre-approved by the EAC) substitute manner of documenting the proper use

of these federal funds. The work product produced to the Secretary of State must include

a written explanation of the methodology, copies of all data collected, and detailed written

analysis supporting your professional opinion stating a statewide standard cost rate, that

is sufficient to fulfill state and federal audit requirements. The detailed written analysis

produced must include any work papers or spreadsheets used for this project. The

documentation provided by the accounting services vendor (ASV) to the Secretary of State

must include all records and analysis that can reasonably be expected to be requested by

state or federal auditors who are auditing this project.

We rely on the vendor’s expertise to develop and determine a statewide standard cost

rate per absentee ballot. We anticipate that the methodology will include:

o Planning, drafting and refining survey questions and sampling criteria,

o Drafting a formal proposal to the U. S. Election Assistance Commission

seeking approval to use standard costs based on absentee ballot as a basis to

establish the state match and direct costs to replace the normal process of

documentation set forth in 2 CFR 200,

o Planning and execution of surveys of municipal officials,

o We will rely on the accounting services vendor to determine the scale and

methodology of the data gathering necessary to satisfy state and federal

auditing of the statewide standard cost;

o Stating a professional opinion setting standard cost,

o Providing a detailed report that will satisfy state and federal auditing

requirements,

o A commitment to support the vendor’s work and professional opinion during

any audits by State and Federal auditors. The proposal must include a

commitment to a fixed hourly cost for defending the vendor’s work and work

product during any future audit of these federal funds initiated on or before

October 1, 2026.

o Provide the Secretary of State with copies of all information and certifications

received from municipalities and maintain a copy in the vendor’s files until at

least October 1, 2026.

http://sos.nh.gov/2020selectcommittee.aspxhttp://sos.nh.gov/


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o Collecting from all municipalities receiving sub-grants of CARES Act funds all

applicable federally and state required agreements and certifications.

o Determine based on election night reporting by municipalities and any

additional documentation the vendor determines is required, the number of

additional absentee ballots cast at the election. The state will provide a

baseline number of absentee ballots cast in each municipality in the most

recent similar election, the 2016 state primary and general election.

o Prepare separate reports of the amount of sub-grant funds due to each

municipality for both the September primary and the November general

election. The Secretary of State plans to make two payments, one as soon as

practical following the state primary and a second as soon as practical following

the state general election.

o Prepare the documents required by the State of New Hampshire to authorize

payment to the municipalities following the September primary and following

the November general election. Work closely with the Secretary of States’

Elections Division and accounting staff to support timely payments to

municipalities.

o Provide a fixed hourly cost for additional accounting services to respond to

unanticipated accounting requirements following from the CARES Act and

2020 Election Security payments. These additional accounting services may

include working with towns and cities to guide them through submitting

documentation of personnel costs in a manner that is in full compliance with 2

CFR 200’s standard requirements.

The accounting services vendor must perform all work in compliance with professional

accounting standards pertinent to accounting of the use of federal funds by states and

municipalities, including but not limited to:

(a) Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (Yellow Book) issued by

the U.S Government Accountability Office, and

(b) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) regarding standard costs.

The selected accounting services vendor (ASV) will be expected to demonstrate

experience, capacity and expertise in three categories:

(a) Standard costs,

(b) Compliance with 2 CFR 200 and all other applicable laws and regulations as

administered by the Election Assistance Commission, and

(c) Understanding of accounting practices, capabilities, and availability of local officials in New Hampshire towns and cities.


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1.1 Vendor Conference Call. An optional vendor conference call will be held as identified in Section 1.11:

Schedule of Events:

The purpose of the Accounting Services Vendors (ASV) Conference Call

is to allow interested vendors to:

1. Request clarification of any section of the RFP.

2. Request changes to the RFP for ASV Requirements considered so

restrictive as to prohibit or discourage responses.

3. Offer suggestions or changes to the RFP that could improve the

RFP competition or reduce the proposed costs.

4. Request clarification of the work paper attachments to the RFP that

provide the Secretary of State’s draft estimates for a statewide

standard cost rate.

All written questions received prior to or at the Accounting Services Vendor

Conference Call will be read aloud and will receive unofficial oral responses

during the Conference Call. Official written answers to these questions will

be distributed in accordance with Section 1.2: Response Inquiries, of this

RFP.

ASVs are encouraged to submit written questions at least forty-eight (48)

hours prior to the conference call in order to enable the Secretary of State

to formulate better responses. No responses will be given prior to the ASV

Conference Call.

ASVs are requested to RSVP via e-mail by the date identified in Section

1.11: Schedule of Events, indicating they will participate in the ASV

Conference Call.

1.2 Response Inquiries. All inquiries concerning this RFP shall be made in writing, citing the RFP

title, RFP number, page, section, and paragraph, and shall be submitted

to:

Orville Fitch II Department of State

State House, Room 204 107 North Main St.


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Concord, New Hampshire 03301-4989 Telephone: (603) 271-5335

E-mail: [email protected]

Organizations/vendors are encouraged to submit questions via e-mail.

Questions on and clarifications for this RFP and the contract will be

addressed until the end of the ASV inquiry period. Proposal language

that conflicts with the RFP or the state’s contract form may not be

accepted.

Final questions must be received no later than the date specified in Section

1.11: Schedule of Events. Questions received after this date and time will

be addressed only if they are deemed by the Secretary of State to be critical

to the competitive selection process. An official written answer, via email,

will be provided to all questions meeting these requirements.

1.3 Response Submission. All responses in response to this RFP should be submitted as outlined in

Section 1.11: Schedule of Events, to:

State of New Hampshire Department of State

c/o Paula Penney State House, Room 204

107 North Main St. Concord, New Hampshire 03301-4989

(603) 271-3242

Providers of accounting services who wish to be considered should submit

one (1) original on paper and one PDF of their response. The original must

be delivered in a sealed container (envelope), and permanently marked:

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Department of State

Elections Division

RESPONSE TO SOS RFP 2020-001

For Accounting Services, Establishing Standard Costs and Other Services for CARES Act Funding to Sub-grantees


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The ASV’s signature on a response submitted in response to this RFP

guarantees that the prices quoted have been established without collusion

with other eligible Vendors and without effort to preclude the State of New

Hampshire from obtaining the best possible competitive response.

Specifications required by the RFP are detailed in Section 3: Services, Specifications, ASV Requirements and Deliverables. In responding to the RFP, the ASV should address all ASV Requirements for information and frame their response in the format outlined in Section 5: Response Format/Guidelines. Printouts of complete Addenda (if any issued), in numerical sequence, filled out and signed by a person who is authorized to legally obligate the ASV, must be included as part of your Original Response.

All RFP responses are expected to remain valid for a period of sixty (60)

days from the Response Due Date.

1.4 Public Disclosure. All material received in response to this RFP shall become the property of

the State and will not be returned to the Accounting Services Vendor.

Regardless of the ASV selected, the State reserves the right to use any

information presented in a response. The content of each ASV’s RFP

response shall become public information once a contract has been signed

that ensued from and cites this RFP.

1.5 Oral Presentation. Prior to the selection of an ASV under this RFP, an ASV may be required

to make an oral presentation to clarify any portion of their response or to

describe how the ASV Requirements will be accomplished. ASV finalists

may be asked to conduct the presentation during the period designated in

Section 1.11: Schedule of Events.

1.5.1 Contract Term Date.

The Secretary of State seeks to finalize a contract with the successful

vendor by May 29, 2020, and services may be required through October 1,

2026.

1.5.2 ASV Responsibility.

The selected ASV shall be solely responsible for meeting all Requirements

in the RFP, their response, and any resulting contract. A Selected ASV


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may not subcontract any part of the goods or services it agreed to provide

without prior written approval from the State.

1.6 Project Budget/Limitation on Price. The overall project, including the contract resulting from this RFP, will be

funded with federal CARES Act funds. New Hampshire’s allocation for

CARES Act funds is 3.2 million. To the extent that additional funds are

needed to fulfill sub-grants to municipalities, additional funds may be

drawn from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, Election Security

payments.

1.7 Response Preparation Costs. The Secretary of State shall not be held liable for any costs incurred by an

ASV in the preparation of their RFP response or for work performed in

connection with signing a contract with the Secretary of State.

1.8 Non-Commitment. The solicitation of the Request for Proposal shall not commit the Secretary

of State to select an ASV or sign a contract. We reserve the right to reject

any and all proposals.

1.9 RFP Non-Deviation. Some ASVs may be provided an electronic version of this RFP. Any alteration to the text or any file associated with this RFP in any way that could be construed to change the intent of the original document is forbidden. Any changes made to the original document may result in a response being considered non-responsive.

The original RFP document is on file with the State of New Hampshire, Secretary of State. This document will serve as the official document for this protocol.

1.10 Evaluation and Contract The RFP process enables the Secretary of State to establish deliverables,

evaluate responses from multiple entities and ultimately sign a contract

based upon stated criteria or evaluation factors as listed in Section 6:

Evaluation Process, Criteria, and Selection, of this RFP.

1.11 Schedule of Events


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EVENT DATE TIME

RFP released 05/01/2020 4:30 P.M.

Accounting Services Vendor inquiry period

begins

05/04/2020 9:00 A.M.

Optional Pre-response Accounting Services

Vendor Conference Call

05/06/2020 10:00A.M

Accounting Services Vendor inquiry period

ends (Final inquiries due)

05/07/2020 2:30 P.M.

Final State responses to Accounting Services

Vendor inquiries, as soon as possible but no

later than

05/11/2020 2:30 P.M.

Final date for RFP Response submission 05/15/2020 2:30 P.M.

Invitations for presentations and discussions, if

necessary

05/18/2020 9:30 A.M.

ASV presentations/discussion

sessions/interviews. (If needed, we anticipate

doing these on-line/by phone)

05/19/2020 through 05/22/2020

Contract Finalization with selected Accounting

Services Vendor

05/29/2020

Selected ASV provides Secretary with

proposed submission to the Election Assistance

Commission detailing how the Statewide

Standard Cost Rate would be determined

(wage sampling and time study design), and a

professional opinion that a rate determined in

this manner satisfies all federal requirements

and should be approved as a substitute

process pursuant to 2 CFR 200.240. Secretary

of State will request approval in the interim, if

6/12/2020


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granted this may not be necessary. As soon as

possible, but no later than

Selected ASV issues preliminary report

detailing methodology and analysis used to

determine the statewide standard cost rate

provided to Secretary.

06/26/2020

Selected ASV issues draft professional opinion

establishing the statewide standard cost for

absentee ballots to the Secretary of State no

later than.

07/1/2020

Obtain signed sub-grant and cooperative

agreements and all certifications required by

the Election Assistance Commission, federal

law, regulation, or guidance from all

municipalities.

08/5/2020

Provide the Secretary of State with copies of

signed sub-grant and cooperative agreements

and all certifications.

If the Secretary of State chooses to provide

Personal Protective Equipment through a

different vendor, the selected ASV would

include the PPE program in the sub-grant

agreement.

08/14/2020

Obtain signed documentation from

municipalities on the personal protective

equipment received through the PPE sub-grant

and match to PPE vendor’s reports on PPE

delivered to municipalities

8/14/2020

Provide the Secretary of State with a report on

the PPE received by sub-grantees, verified

against the vendor’s invoice, with

recommended payment amount to go to the

vendor.

8/21/2020


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Obtain the signed documentation of absentee

ballots cast at the state primary from the sub-

grantees/Secretary of State – Form of

documentation required to satisfy federal

requirements to be determined by the vendor,

with approval by the Secretary of State.

09/11/2020

Provide the Secretary of State with a report

detailing the additional absentee ballots cast in

each town and the resulting sub-grant for the

state primary

9/18/2020

Obtain the signed documentation of absentee

ballots cast at the state general election from

the sub-grantees/Secretary of State – Form of

documentation required to satisfy federal

requirements to be determined by the vendor,

with approval by the Secretary of State.

11/06/2020

Provide the Secretary of State with a report

detailing the additional absentee ballots cast in

each town and the resulting sub-grant for the

state general election.

11/13/2020

Provide the Secretary of State with a draft

Standard Form 425 Federal Financial Report

(SF-425) for CARES Act funds and any 2020

Election Security payment (from the

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020) used

by this project for CARES Act purposes.

01/15/2021

2.0 General Information

2.1 General Overview.

The Congress has appropriated federal funds through the CARES Act and the

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, Election Security payments to support the


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administration of elections by states and municipalities. These funds are administered

by the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC). While the federal laws

appropriating these funds characterize them as payments to the states, the Election

Assistance Commission characterizes them as grants. New Hampshire’s acceptance of

the funds required a commitment to use the funds for the specified purposes in

conformance with federal regulations governing state and local use of federal grant

funds.

The Secretary of State expects to sub-grant CARES Act funds to New Hampshire’s

towns and cities to reimburse some of their additional election administration expenses

caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Secretary of State, consistent with EAC

guidance, will also use payments from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020,

Election Security funds (2020 Election Security payment), to the extent necessary to

fulfill the program objectives. Separate accounting is required for each of the two

sources of the funds.

The first objective is to reimburse towns and cities, through a sub-grant, for as much of

the cost of sending out and processing returned additional absentee ballots as the

CARES Act funds will support. Additional absentee ballots are those absentee ballots

above the number of absentee ballots the town or city sent out that were cast in the most

recent similar election. The appropriating laws prohibit using the federal funds to

supplant state or municipal spending. The funds must be used to address additional

expenses in the 2020 State Primary and General Election caused by the COVID-19

pandemic. The sub-grant design satisfies this maintenance of effort (supplements, but

does not supplant) federal requirement by not reimbursing the expenses of the number

of absentee ballots the town or city experienced at the most recent similar election.

Voter turnout varies by election, with the historical high occurring at a general election

where the office of President of the United States is on the ballot. Therefore, the 2016

elections will be used as the maintenance of effort baseline.

The law appropriating these funds requires a 20% match provided by the grantee. This

requires that no more than 83% of the total additional cost be paid by federal funds. The

sub-grant design is to set a reimbursement rate that is no greater than 80% of the cost

for each additional absentee ballot. The cost to the grant recipient, the town or city, of

the balance of the cost of sending the additional absentee ballot will constitute the grant

match. Accounting, therefore, must include sufficient documentation to support the

existence of and use of those municipal funds to pay for 20% of the cost of each

additional absentee ballot.

Great uncertainty exists as to what percent of voters at either 2020 election will choose

to vote by absentee ballot. Historically, in New Hampshire 5% of voters at a state


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primary and 10% of voters at a general election vote by absentee. Nationwide, including

states where absentee voting is done primarily by mail, approximately 25% of voters,

excluding UOCAVA voters, vote absentee (by mail). EAVS 2018, page 11.

A primary election held during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, a state with

different laws, but similar historical pattern of use of absentee ballots, which also

permitted absentee voting by all voters in the election had approximately 80% of voters

use an absentee ballot (voting by mail). (Wisconsin regular absentee votes, excludes

UOCAVA voters) 2018 General Election from EAVS: State Turnout: 2,688,341.

Transmitted by mail: 168,788 = 6.3%, Counted: 147,597 = 5.5%. 2018 EAVS page 30).

The Secretary of State and the Attorney General have publicly announced that every

voter in New Hampshire may vote by absentee in the 2020 elections using the existing

law’s disability provisions. New Hampshire’s constitution and state laws require that in-

person voting at the polling place on election day remain available.

The first objective seeks to set a statewide standard reimbursement rate, per additional

absentee voter, that sub-grants a portion of CARES Act funds to New Hampshire’s

towns and cities. However, because the actual rate of absentee voting, the actual

number of additional ballots will not be known until after each election, the sub-grant

program must address the uncertainty of how many voters will vote by absentee.

The reimbursement rate will be set at a level that seeks to sub-grant a portion of the

CARES Act funds to municipalities if a likely level of absentee voting occurs. The likely

level of absentee voting has not yet been determined. If the actual number of additional

absentee ballots falls below the expected level, some CARES Act funds will not be sub-

granted and will be returned to the federal government. If the actual number of

additional absentee ballots exceeds the expected level the Secretary of State plans to

sub-grant 2020 Election Security payments. Therefore, while the reimbursement rate

will be set in part based on a most likely scenario in terms of how many voters use

absentee ballots, the rate must be at a level that the available 2020 Election Security

payment will be sufficient to sub-grant the additional amount needed if the rate of

absentee ballot use is higher.

The second objective is to provide towns and cities with Personal Protective Equipment

(PPE) for election staff and voters, to protect against infection from COVID-19. This

RFP seeks a separate cost proposal from the ASV to account for the PPE project. At

the time of issuing this RFP, it has not yet been determined whether this approach will

be used. The Secretary of State reserves the right to contract with the ASV for only the

first objective - reimbursing for additional absentee ballots.


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The Secretary of State expects to identify a list of PPE eligible for the program and an

eligible quantity based on the town or city’s number of registered voters. The Secretary

expects to issue a separate RFP for a PPE vendor. The vendor would make all eligible

PPE available for towns and cities to order directly from the PPE vendor. The Secretary

would pay the PPE vendor 80% of the cost, the municipality would be required to pay

20% of the cost directly to the PPE vendor. The ASV will be responsible for obtaining a

verification of receipt of the PPE from each town and city. The ASV will be provided with

the invoice the state receives from the PPE vendor. The ASV must match the PPE

vendor invoice with evidence obtained from the towns and cities that the quantity of PPE

on the invoice was received by the town/city, and that the town/city paid the 20% of the

cost. The evidence required must satisfy all applicable federal requirements to

constitute support that the federal funds were used for a permitted purpose and that the

federal match is made by the towns and cities payment for their share of the purchase

price.

The ASV proposal must include developing a plan that defines all required forms to be

completed by towns and cities for this purpose. Approval of the reimbursement for

additional absentee ballots, the first objective described above, must be conditioned on

the town or city providing all required documentation for the PPE acquired through this

project.

The Secretary of State is seeking responses from accounting service providers to survey

state and local election administrations and to establish statewide Standard Costs for

incremental absentee ballots sent and processed by these local officials. The Secretary

of State will consider all responses that meet the Requirements of this RFP.

The selected ASV will review the Secretary of State’s format for Standard Costs, and

develop a survey that will enable it to document and revise Standard Costs as needed.

2.2 Background

The Secretary of State’s initial proposal to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,

dated April 9, 2020, reads substantially as follows:

“Federal law and guidance prevents using federal funds to pay for activity already funded by the state

or local government receiving CARES funds. To accomplish this, here is an outline of a framework

using a reimbursement rate to local election jurisdictions based on a “Standard Cost,” in this case a

pre-determined rate per absentee ballot. This Standard Cost system would be developed by a

qualified accounting firm familiar with the Standard Cost discipline, using a statistically valid survey

of a sample of local election jurisdictions obtaining compensation rates and time studies of different


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steps in the absentee ballot process, within clerk’s offices with multiple staff members, with

allocations of work based on those who typically carry out this work.

“This model would enable the state and its election jurisdictions to spend the 2020 CARES funds

and match on incremental costs within calendar 2020 and meet the extremely tight reporting

deadlines in the CARES Act, e.g. 20 days after each 2020 state election, at a time when election-

related activity is still at a peak. Congress may have had this type of solution in mind when they set

these deadlines, implicitly acknowledging there would be insufficient time to collect, process,

reimburse and report local cost records within days after an election.

“This framework establishes a baseline using the number of absentee ballots funded in prior local

government budgets, with particular attention to the 2016 election cycle, which is most similar to the

current presidential election cycle. This method relies on the premise that if absentee ballots in the

2020 State Primary and the General Election rise significantly due to coronavirus, increased costs to

send and process absentee ballots would be proportional to absentee ballot volume. This premise

would be supported by an accounting survey and analysis before the 2020 elections.

Absentee ballot figures from 2016 would provide the baseline above which any number of absentee

ballots cast would be reimbursed to the municipality at the set per-voter rate which would be no

more than 80% of the total cost. The unreimbursed balance would be used as the state match. This

set per-voter rate would be a “Standard Cost,” an accounting term for a predetermined rate

established by qualified accounting professionals.

“ Within the limits of the available funds, local election jurisdictions would be reimbursed based on

the actual number of absentee ballots cast at the 2020 primary and general election.

“To obtain CARES funds, local election jurisdictions would be expected to:

(a) sign the documents and certifications the ASV determines are required to fulfill all federal

requirements for these funds. an initial memorandum of understanding demonstrating an

interest in obtaining funds to recover incremental costs of running 2020 State and Federal

elections due to coronavirus-related conditions, and

(b) after the 2020 state primary and general election, within a time limit established by the ASV,

submit the official documentation that the ASV determines is required as evidence of the

number of absentee ballots reported as cast in the 2020 State Primary and 2020 General Election

respectively;

“To establish Standard Costs, local election jurisdictions would be asked to cooperate by responding

to requests for information from the ASV regarding compensation and time studies before the 2020

elections.


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“Using this model, the state would be able to report the 20% match funds required by federal law,

having spent the CARES funds and match, within calendar 2020, on incremental costs due to the

coronavirus. Provided the state's (including local jurisdictions’) outlay using Standard Costs amounts

to 83.3% or less of the total added costs of absentee voting due to coronavirus, the state’s match

requirement would be satisfied. This method would enable the state to avoid collecting local cost

records after the election. It would provide for timely reimbursement to local election jurisdictions as

well as timely federal reporting. It would rely on the Standard Cost discipline used by professionals.”

An email to the EAC from the Secretary of State on April 29, 2020 included the following

clarifications:

“We believe that reimbursing New Hampshire’s towns and cities, by a sub-grant, for their additional

expenses of sending absentee ballots is one of the most appropriate uses for CARES Act funds. We

continue to be concerned that federal requirements for documenting the personnel costs of sending

additional absentee ballots is only feasible for New Hampshire’s towns and cities if some substitute

to the usual documentation required by 2 CFR 200.430(i) (1) is approved by the EAC. While paying

for the costs of sending additional absentee ballots is cited by the EAC in its description of

permissible uses of CARES Act election funds, without your assistance and approval, it may be

impractical to use CARES Act funds for these purposes.

“We are focused on subsection (5)

(5)For states, local governments and Indian tribes, substitute processes or systems for allocating

salaries and wages to Federal awards may be used in place of or in addition to the records described

in paragraph (1) if approved by the cognizant agency for indirect cost. Such systems may include, but

are not limited to, random moment sampling, "rolling" time studies, case counts, or other

quantifiable measures of work performed.

“Do we understand correctly that our proposal to substitute a statewide standard cost for the section

(1) documentation requires pre-approval by the Election Assistance Commission, as the cognizant

agency for these funds?

“Does this mean a vote by the Commission? If not, can you direct us to the grant of authority that

permits EAC staff to grant cognizant agency approval?

“ If this will require a vote of the commissioners, can you predict the timeline? Given the very short

time to make effective use of these funds, delayed approval may make this use of CARES Act funds

impractical in New Hampshire.

“To clarify our standard cost question, we would like to highlight the following issues:


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1) 2 CFR 200.430 reads as follows: “(iii): Less than full compliance with the statistical sampling

standards noted in subsection (5)(i) may be accepted by the cognizant agency for indirect costs if it

concludes that the amounts to be allocated to Federal awards will be minimal, or if it concludes that

the system proposed by the non-Federal entity will result in lower costs to Federal awards than a

system which complies with the standards.”

“The standard costs plan described in our April 9, 2020 email “will result in lower costs to Federal

awards than a system which complies with the standards.” We would emphasize that there is, on the

face of it, a large (est. 6 figure) cost differential between using standard costs and attempting to use

the standard documentation detailed in 2 CFR 200 (1). Relying on standard costs would be far more

equitable and practical for the election jurisdictions in New Hampshire for all but the largest

jurisdictions.

Federal payment programs which effectively are unavailable to small jurisdictions, that do not have

the established bureaucratic processes required by the federal government, are inherently unfair and

ineffective at achieving Congress’ stated goals. In New Hampshire the majority of the additional

work required as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct fair and safe elections will be done

in small and medium sized towns that will not have records to establish maintenance of effort and do

not have systems for time keeping to satisfy the section (1) standards. A statewide standard cost rate

for each additional absentee ballot, as a “substitute” process will be more effective and efficient at

establishing that these funds were used for the purposes the Congress and the EAC have established

and in a manner that fulfills the core requirements for use of federal funds.

2) Establishing that local election jurisdictions are ‘supplementing, not supplanting’ will be difficult

and potentially impractical without a system of standard costs that rely on absentee ballots

processed. See 42 USC 15404 (7) (HAVA Section 254 (7)).

3) To be clear, we are seeking to be allowed to use a standard cost rate for additional absentee ballots

as both a basis for a match and to represent and document direct costs. While we did not use the

term ‘direct costs’ in our April 9, 2020 email to you, that is the scenario we described in that

communication.

Once standard costs are established and agreed to by the vendor and the Secretary of State, CARES

Act funding can be delivered in sub-grants to as many as 236 New Hampshire towns, cities and

unincorporated districts organized for voting. The purpose is to allow the cities and towns to send

and process a number of absentee ballots up to the number they sent and processed in the 2016 State

Primary and General Election. Absentee ballots sent and processed above the 2016 levels would in

part represent direct spending on absentee ballots caused by COVID-19 and in part be the state

match.


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On April 30, 2020, the Election Assistance Commission responded with the following

email:

“Thank you for your submission and request, primarily contained in your email of April 9, 2020 to

EAC, related to establishing a basis for match for the EAC CARES grant. Your request and our

group discussion indicate a thoughtful strategy to implement a statistically valid approach to gather

match data from local election districts, a potentially difficult process in many states.

“In essence, you proposed to develop an audited basis using formally established standards for the

additional cost related to processing additional absentee ballots due to the expected COVID-19

impact on elections in the state of New Hampshire in 2020.

“We applaud your initiative to develop a valid basis for match determination under the CARES grant

which captures the added expenses in the voting districts for absentee balloting.

“As a state grantee, under OMB guidelines, 2 CFR § 200.430, you may propose ‘substitute processes

or systems for allocating salaries and wages’ in place of timesheet-related processes.

“Realizing the difficulty in establishing and obtaining reliable data from various-sized election

districts unfamiliar with standard federal time-accounting, the approach appears to be reasonable and

acceptable for deriving match effort at the local level.

“Please let us know the success of your approach.”

3 Services, Specifications, ASV Requirements, and

Deliverables

3.1 Administrative Specifications.

3.1.1 Travel Expense

It is anticipated that the ASV will include in the project cost proposal all travel expenses.

In light of the present stay-at-home orders and the closure of most town offices to the

public, if those restrictions continue, it will be necessary for contact to be by phone, e-

mail and mail.

3.1.2 Shipping and Delivery Fee Exemption


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The State will not pay separately for any shipping or delivery fees necessitated by the

contract resulting from this RFP.

3.1.3 Workspace

The ASV is expected to provide its own workspace.

3.1.4 State–Owned Documents and Copyright Privileges

During the period of the contract, the selected ASV shall provide the Secretary of State

access to all State-owned documents, materials, reports and other work in progress

relating to this RFP. Upon expiration or termination of the contract, the Selected ASV will

turn over all State-owned documents, material, reports, and work in progress relating to

this RFP to the Secretary of State.

3.1.5 Documentation

The ASV must provide the Secretary of State with a written explanation of the methodology, copies of all data collected, and detailed written analysis supporting your professional opinion stating a statewide standard cost rate, that is sufficient to fulfill state and federal audit requirements. The detailed written analysis produced must include any work papers or spreadsheets used for this project. Spreadsheets must be in Excel format, unrestricted, to allow the Secretary of State to see both values and the formulas used. The ASV must provide the Secretary of State with copies of all information, agreements, certifications, packing slips, invoices, or other records received from the towns and cities. The ASV must also retain copies of all documents necessary to respond to and defend against state and federal audits of this project.

Documentation shall include one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic version of every

document.

3.2 Project/Status Meetings and Reporting This section defines the requirements regarding meetings and reporting. It is expected

that most, if not all, meetings will be by WebEx, phone, or other on-line communication.

Introductory

Meeting

A Selected ASV is expected to participate in an introductory meeting with Secretary of State staff.


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Kickoff

Meeting

Initial project meeting between a Selected ASV personnel and the State program and information technology personnel to review the project intent.

Status

Meetings

The ASV and Secretary of State’s staff will conduct, at a minimum, weekly status meeting.

Either the ASV or the Secretary of State may schedule additional meetings as needed.

The ASV will participate in a webinar presenting the project and expected procedures to municipal officials. The webinar will be repeated so that it is available on a Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon, Thursday early evening, and Saturday morning. This pattern has been established to make information available to both full time and part-time municipal officials.

Selected ASV must participate in project and/or status meetings, either in person or via conference calls.

Project/status meetings will cover the schedule, and resource aspects of the project as well as the details of the percent complete status of required activities. Emphasis should be placed on the accomplishments for the concluded reporting period, the planned activity for the future reporting period, and identification and resolution of all issues and problems.

The agenda, reports, and minutes of each meeting shall be produced and distributed as mutually agreed by the Secretary of State and ASV manager.

3.3 Scope of Services

3.3.1 Deliverables

Mandatory Deliverables are listed below.

Project Deliverables (Mandatory) for each segment

1. Project Work Plan including milestones

2. Status Meetings: a. Project introductory meeting and minutes. b. Weekly meetings and minutes.


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3. Proposed survey plan, survey documents, and survey timeline

for data collection necessary to develop a professional opinion

on the statewide standard cost for an additional absentee ballot.

4. Draft Secretary of State’s formal proposal to the U.S. Election

Assistance Commission requesting approval of standard cost

approach to document state match and direct costs. Provide

professional opinion on ASV letterhead.

4. Professional opinion setting a statewide standard cost.

5. Proposed sub-grant agreement, certifications, and other tools to

gather required information from towns and cities. Proposed

timeline for obtaining these from the towns and cities.

6. Report on PPE received by municipalities with required

certifications, verified by the ASV against the PPE vendor

invoice.

7. Report on the number of absentee ballots cast in each municipality

in excess of the baseline at the September state primary. The

report must include the calculation of the sub-grant payment due

to each municipality.

8. Draft report to the EAC complying with all requirements for the

report due 20 days after the state primary.

9. Report on the number of absentee ballots cast in each municipality

in excess of the baseline at the November general election. The

report must include the calculation of the sub-grant payment due

to each municipality.

10. Draft report to the EAC complying with all requirements for

the report due 20 days after the state general election.

11. Draft report satisfying the requirements of the FFR for all

CARES Act and 2020 Election Security payments expended on

this project.

12. Two final reports, one for the CARES Act funds and one for

the Security grant funds used for this project. The reports must

incorporate all previously submitted draft reports and describe the


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manner in which the administration of these funds satisfy all

federal requirements.

4 Key Personnel

4.1 Department of State.

The New Hampshire Secretary of State has assigned Deputy Secretary of

State David Scanlan, State Elections Director Patricia Piecuch, and Elections

Legal Counsel Orville B. Fitch II to this project.

4.2 Accounting Services Vendor.

Qualifications of the Accounting Services Vendor Personnel.

Minimum requirements for proposed project manager. Project manager has

overall project responsibility for all ASV proposed staff and activities.

Certified Public Accountant licensed in New Hampshire

Experience in the auditing of or audit responses for federal grant funds

Significant experience with federal grant funds

Excellent communication and writing skills

Provide resume, detailing educational and professional credentials.

Provide at least 2 references from clients where the work included services related to federal grant funds.

4.3 Staff Retention/Performance. The Secretary of State reserves the right to interview anyone proposed for

work on this Contract.

During the contract period, the selected ASV shall confirm that all

personnel assigned to the project shall be qualified to perform

responsibilities and services.

5 Response Format/Guidelines


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5.1 General Information Interested ASVs should respond to this RFP according to the format

specified below. All responses should be concise, well organized, and

provide sufficient detail, where appropriate, to allow the evaluators to

clearly determine the benefit of the organization’s/vendor’s offering.

The Secretary of State encourages free and open competition among

ASVs. Specifications, responses, and conditions are designed to

accomplish this objective, consistent with the Secretary’s needs and

guidelines.

5.2 Response Outline. Responding ASVs, when presenting their responses, are expected to use

the following outline:

Cover Page

Signature Page and any Addenda, if issued

Table of Contents

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations, as needed

Section I: ASV Profile

Section II: Sub-Contracted Vendor Profiles

Section III: Experience

Section IV: Personnel Resumes

Section V: Detailed Response

Section VI: Cost Proposal

Section VII: New Hampshire Certificate of Authority

5.3 Proposal Description.

Cover Page.

The first page of the ASV’s proposal should be a cover page

containing:

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Department of State

Elections Division

HAVA Office

RESPONSE TO SECRETARY OF STATE


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New Hampshire CARES Act

Request for Proposal – 2020 - 001

The cover page should include the ASV’s name, contact person,

contact telephone number, address, city, state, zip code, fax

number, and e-mail address. All subsequent pages must be

numbered.

Signature Page and Addenda

A responding ASV is expected to sign and return the Signature

Page; thereby acknowledging that the respondent has read the

Appendices and Exhibits with this RFP, understands them, and

agrees to the conditions set forth herein, stating any exceptions.

Printouts of complete Addenda (if any issued), in numerical sequence, filled out and signed by a person who is authorized to legally obligate the ASV company must be included as part of the ORIGINAL response.

Table of Contents

The ASV should provide a table of contents with corresponding

page numbers relating to their response.

Section I: ASV Profile

The ASV is expected to provide, at a minimum, the following

information:

General entity overview, background, number of

employees, work similar to this project done for other clients.

Information demonstrating its staff is of sufficient size and

experience to complete the ASV Requirements outlined in

this RFP.


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Section II: Sub-Contracted Vendor Profile (if applicable)

If the ASV will rely on subcontractors to complete this contract,

include the following information about them:

General entity overview, background, number of employees,

current project commitment, other (number, length of time,

resources committed).

Contractual relationship between companies. The selected

ASV is responsible for all deliverables and schedule deadlines

set forth herein.

Section III: Experience.

Distinguishing public and private sector work, describe experience

with similar project activity. Include the length of time for each,

dollar value of each, project description, scope, and state whether

or not the project was completed on time and within the contracted

dollar amount. Experience should cover standard costs,

compliance with 2 CFR 200 and other Federal laws and regulations,

and town and city operations and administration.

References (minimum of three)

Responding ASVs are expected to provide a minimum of three (3)

references, preferably for projects similar to the work described

herein:

For public sector, including State agencies and the federal or other

state government, and other references for projects of similar

scope, provide the following contact information:

Name Title Organization name Address Phone/fax numbers E-mail address Dates of project/contract


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Section IV: Personnel Resumes

Responding ASVs are expected to confirm that principle personnel

to be assigned to this project shall be qualified to perform such

services as set forth in this RFP. Resumes of principle personnel,

which include name, experience, education, and training, must be

included.

Section V: Detailed Response

Responding ASVs are expected to confirm that their proposed

solution will meet or exceed the requirements as outlined in the RFP

and must clearly describe how the ASV’s proposal will accomplish

this.

Responding ASVs are expected to provide a preliminary schedule

and plan to accomplish the services, activities, and tasks to produce

the deliverables required.

Project Approach and Technical Response

Please provide the information detailed above, including an

explanation of your approach to determining a statewide standard

cost rate for an additional absentee ballot, accounting for

reimbursements to be paid to municipalities and if included in the

contract, your approach to accounting for PPE.

Deliverables Time Frame

Responding ASVs are expected to provide the time frame for completion of the activities and deliverables.

Section VI: Cost Proposal

This section describes the requirements to be addressed by ASVs

in preparing the cost proposal. The State reserves the right to

review all aspects of the cost proposal and to request clarification.

Pricing must be detailed as set forth in Section 7 of this RFP.

Services- Activities/Deliverables/Milestones/Deliverables

Pricing. If the ASV seeks progress payments, the ASV must

identify in its cost proposal milestones for incremental progress


34

payments. For each milestone, specify the activities and tasks to

be completed and the amount of the incremental progress

payment.

Term of Rates. The ASV’s cost proposal must include hourly rates

for future audit defense work or other services beyond the

requirements in this RFP. Services must be available at the

specified rates until October 1, 2026.

Section VII: New Hampshire Certificate of Authority

Vendors must submit a valid certificate of authority to do business

in New Hampshire. Refer to Exhibit 1 for further information.

6 Evaluation Process, Criteria, and Selection The State will select a group to act as an evaluation team.

The Secretary of State is interested in receiving the best quality product or service.

Costs will be used as one component of the selection criteria. The Secretary of

State seeks to use federal funds in compliance with federal requirements. The

State is averse to audit risk, we seek a proposal that that substantially mitigates

identifiable audit risk.

6.1 Response Receipt and Review. Responses will be reviewed to initially determine if minimum submission

Requirements have been met. The review will verify that:

a. The response was received before the date and time specified in Section 1.11: Schedule of Events.

b. The response contained all required signatures.

Failure to meet minimum submission Requirements could result in

the response being rejected and not included in the evaluation

process.

Upon receipt, the response information will be disclosed to the evaluation

team members only. The response will not be publicly opened. The

possible need for clarifications necessitates the need for privacy.

The Secretary of State may determine, if it is in the best interest of the

State, to seek additional responses from ASVs submitting acceptable


35

and/or potentially acceptable responses. These additional responses

would provide an ASV the opportunity to amend or change their original

response to make it more acceptable to the Secretary of State. The

Secretary of State reserves the right whether or not to exercise this option.

6.2 Response Evaluation. Scoring will be based on information including, but not limited to, the ASV’s

response documents, references, and interviews, if the Secretary

determines any interview is necessary. The evaluation team shall be

under no obligation to contact ASVs for clarification of responses, but it

shall reserve the right to do so at any time prior to contract signature.

Qualified responses will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria below and

the ability of the respondent to satisfy the Requirements and Deliverables

of this request in a cost-effective manner. Specific criteria are:

Evaluation Criteria Maximum

points

6.2.1 Project understanding and approach to efficiently fulfilling

all state and federal requirements for and accounting of

use of these federal funds.

35

6.2.2 Company management, capacity and project management

ability

10

6.2.3 Personnel resumes, reflecting experience with accounting

of the use of federal funds, establishing standard costs,

town/city operations and accounting practices in

communities of all different sizes, and auditing or defending

audits of federal funds.

30

6.2.4 Cost (low cost proposal gets 25 points, higher cost

proposals receive proportionally reduced points.)

25

TOTAL: 100


36

6.3 Response Rejection.

The Secretary of State reserves the right to reject any and all responses.

6.4 Selection, Notification, and Contract Discussions with responding ASVs will usually be limited to all acceptable

responses, but may also be extended to the potentially acceptable

responses. ASVs shall be prepared to provide qualified personnel to

discuss technical and legal aspects of the response.

The standard State contract language on Form P-37 shall be used.

Example at https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/business/documents/p37.pdf

The Contract Exhibit A: Statement of Work, and Contract Exhibit B:

Payment Schedule with the Secretary of State shall incorporate in its

provisions this RFP, the successful ASV’s response, and any other

pertinent documents. Contract execution with the ASV will serve as a

notice to proceed and begin work activity.

Public announcements or news releases pertaining to any contract signed

in connection with this RFP shall not be made without the written

permission of the Secretary of State.

7 Price, Payment Schedule, and Contract Term

7.1 Deliverables/Schedules/Payments

7.1.1 Project Deliverables and Pricing:

The schedule below includes the cost of determining the statewide

standard cost of an additional absentee ballot, accounting for the use of

CARES Act funds for reimbursing municipalities for additional absentee

ballots and a full report to the Secretary of State.

Project deliverables may, at the option of the State, include accounting for

PPE.

DELIVERABLES ANTICIPATED PROPOSED

PAYMENT

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/business/documents/p37.pdf


37

DUE DATE

Proposal and opinion issued to EAC setting

statewide standard cost for each additional

absentee ballot.

6/12/2020

Preliminary report detailing methodology

and analysis used to determine the

statewide standard cost rate provided to

Secretary.

6/26/2020

Notice of the sub-grant opportunity and sub-

grant requirements sent to municipalities

7/1/2020

Signed sub-grant agreements and

certifications required by the EAC received

from municipalities

8/5/2020

ASV provides Secretary of state with copies

of all signed sub-grant agreements and

certifications

8/14/2020

Obtain the number of additional absentee

ballots cast in September 8, 2020 primary

9/11/2020

ASV provides the Secretary with a report on

the number of additional absentee ballots

cast for each municipality with the amount

to be paid to each municipality.

9/18/2020

Draft of the report due to the EAC on

9/28/2020 on CARES Act spending on the

primary

9/18/2020

Obtain the number of additional absentee

ballots cast in the November 3, 3030

general election

11/6/2020

ASV provides the Secretary with a report on

the number of additional absentee ballots

cast for each municipality with the amount

to be paid to each municipality.

11/13/2020


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Draft of the report due to the EAC on

11/23/2020 on CARES Act spending on the

general election.

11/13/2020

Draft Federal Financial Report (FFR-425)

(text portion) for CARES Act and if used,

separately for the Security grant to the

Secretary

1/15/2021

ASV submits final project report and any

documentation not previously provided to

the Secretary.

1/25/2021

Accounting Support - Personal

Protective Equipment (PPE) (Vendors

must supply responses. The State may

elect to contract for these services.)

Notice of the PPE opportunity and

requirements sent to municipalities

7/1/2020

PPE packing slip or alternative

documentation of PPE received by

municipalities received by ASV

8/14/2020

ASV submits a report to the Secretary

matching PPE vendor invoice to the

Secretary with packing slip or alternative

documentation of PPE received by

municipalities, detailing amount to pay PPE

vendor

8/21/2020

ASV includes final report on PPE project in

final report on reimbursement for additional

absentee ballots.

1/25/2021

Total accounting support for Personal

Protective Equipment


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ASVs should complete this chart with respect to the deliverables in 7.1.1

above.

Staff Position Hours Rate Cost

Total

7.2 Other Pricing

Provide the hourly rate to be charged for audit defense or other work within

the scope of this project, through contract expiry in 2026. Proposals may

include differing rates for different years through 2026.

Position Hourly Rate

7.2.1 Invoicing

Selected ASV shall maintain well-organized documentation for all invoices

between the State and the selected ASV and between the State and the

sub-grantees under the CARES Act or the 2020 Election Security payment.

The books, records, and documents of an ASV, insofar as they relate to


40

work performed or money received in connection with this contract, shall

be maintained for a period of five (5) full years from the date of the final

payment and shall be subject to audit at any reasonable time and upon

reasonable notice by the State or any town or city or their duly appointed

representatives. The records shall be maintained in accordance with

Yellow Book standards.

Contract Term The Contract will become effective and commence upon signature by the

Secretary of State and the Selected ASV. The contract will obligate the

ASV to produce the final deliverable in January of 2021, but this contract

will obligate the ASV to be available to defend its work in any audit

conducted before October 1, 2026.


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EXHIBIT 1: NEW HAMPSHIRE CERTIFICATE OF

AUTHORITY

or CERTIFICATE OF GOOD STANDING

(ASVs NEED TO SUBMIT)

As a condition of any contract signed in connection with this RFP, the ASV must furnish a Certificate of Authority/Good Standing dated after April 1, 2020, from the Office of the Secretary of State of New Hampshire. If your entity is not registered, an application form may be obtained from:

Secretary of State State House Annex

25 Capitol Street Concord, New Hampshire 03301

603-271-3244

If your entity is registered, a certification thereof may be obtained from the

Secretary of State.

Domestic: RSA 293-A:3.01, “

(a) Every corporation incorporated under this chapter has the purpose of

engaging in any lawful business unless a more limited purpose is set forth in the

articles of incorporation.

(b) A corporation engaging in a business that is subject to regulation

under another statute of this state may incorporate under this chapter only if

permitted by, and subject to all limitations of, the other statute.”

Foreign: RSA 293-A:15.01(a), “A foreign corporation may not transact business

in this state until it obtains a certificate of authority from the secretary of state.”

Limited Liability Company: RSA 304-C

Domestic: RSA 304-C:21, I, “A limited liability company may be organized under

this act for any lawful purpose except carrying on the business of banking, the

construction and maintenance of railroads, the business of making contracts for

the payment of money at a fixed date or upon the happening of some

contingency, or the business of a trust, surety, indemnity, or safe deposit

company.”


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Foreign: RSA 304-C:175, “Before doing business in New Hampshire, a foreign

limited liability company shall register with the secretary of state. In order to

register, a foreign limited liability company shall pay the fee required by RSA

304-C:191, II(h) and shall file an application for registration as a foreign limited

liability company, setting forth:

I. The name of the foreign limited liability company and, if different, the name

under which it proposes to register and do business in New Hampshire;

II. The state, territory, possession, or other jurisdiction or country where

formed, and the date of its formation;

III. The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted in

New Hampshire;

IV. The address of the registered office and name and address of the

registered agent for service of process required to be maintained under RSA

304-C:177, IV; and

V. The name and address of any manager or member signing the application.”

.

End