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September 11, 2020
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Supply Order 2.0 Update |
New Orders
As mentioned in earlier news updates, jurisdictions will be reimbursed up to $200 per precinct (including absent voter counting board precincts) for supplies that help conduct safe elections in light of COVID-19. Unlike the August supply order, Jurisdictions can order supplies on their own and seek reimbursement.
Purchases eligible for reimbursement include (but are not limited to) the following: PPE (masks, face shields, sneeze guards, gloves), hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning equipment, information signs and stickers, additional furniture, equipment, or space to allow for social distancing, any supplies or equipment associated with increased voting by mail (including additional envelopes, automatic letter openers, envelope folders, additional costs for pre-folded ballots, ballot drop boxes, and fees charged by vendors to mail applications or ballots).
Because of federal purchasing rules, jurisdictions that are spending and being reimbursed for $5,000 or more (25 or more precincts) will have to either use a competitive bidding process or use a vendor with a state contract to purchase supplies.
Below is a list of vendors with a contract with the state you can use to purchase supplies if you prefer to use a state approved vendor rather than competitive bidding process.
Pitney Bowes (PB)
Letter Openers – these are table-top letter openers. The DL200 may be purchased for $2,064.69 and the Omation 210 for $4,204.13. Both units would be installed by a PB technician and come with a full 1-year warranty. According to PB, the DL200 is a traditional blade (slicer) unit and the 210 uses milling technology for less risk of content damage and also soft cut edge. Based on current installations in many State agency offices, PB highly recommends the 210 for ballots. Also, if the end user is a larger entity, the 210 would be the application of choice.
If you have any questions, you may contact:
Andrew Shahin
Government Account Specialist
State of Michigan
Pitney Bowes
Sending Technology Solutions
T +1 248 935 2813
F +1 203 617 6572
Andrew.Shahin@pb.com
Home Depot
If you would like to order a drop box from Home Depot, you can contact:
David Khanuja
Pro Account Rep - Midwest Region
The Home Depot
248-826-8907 cell
877-959-8504 Fax
david_khanuja@homedepot.com
If you would like to order other supplies from Home Depot, please visit their website. If you have issues with ordering, David will help you contact the appropriate person.
Staples
Staples has provided this flyer which includes a list of election-type supplies and a link for you to eRegister your jurisdiction. Once you are registered, you can place an order on StaplesAdvantage.com.
Again, you do not need to purchase from a vendor with a state contract – you can purchase from any vendor – but if you are being reimbursed for $5,000 or more you will have to use a competitive bidding process. There are several local vendors selling election and PPE products. If you would like to order social distancing or ballot drop box signage, Continental Identification Products in Sparta, MI produces custom designed social distancing decals which may be helpful to Michigan clerks. We have heard that clerks have found options for sneeze guards from other vendors such as Factory Two in Flint, Display Pack in Cedar Springs, and Shaggy’s Ski Company in Boyne City.
Finally, keep in mind that you can still apply for grants on the Center for Tech and Civic Life’s COVID-19 Response Grant webpage. These grants may have more flexibility in spending requirements than the state reimbursement program – and remember, you can apply for both.
Returns
If you have returned an item from your original Staples order placed before the August election, please email Charamy at ClearyC@Michigan.gov with the item description and the number ordered (for example, 4 yellow and red stanchions). If there is something you would like to return, but haven’t yet, please email Charamy and we will facilitate the return. We will add the purchase amount for those items to the amount we will reimburse you for the Supply Order 2.0.
What this means is if you have 2 precincts and originally qualified for $400.00 in reimbursements and returned $50.00 in products from your original Staples order, you will then qualify for $450.00 in reimbursements.
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