European Commission
United Nations Development Programme
Procurement Aspects of Introducing
ICT Solutions in Electoral Processes:
The Specific Case of Voter Registration
Anne-Sofie Holm Gerhard
& Mette Bakken
Tbilisi, 9 September 2010
Objective
 Introduction of the Operational Paper,
rationale & scope
 Unfold the complexity of introducing
ICTs in Voter Registration processes, and
its impact on procurement activities
 Highlight some key challenges &
lessons learned in operational &
procurement planning, and budgeting for
the Biometric Voter Registration
processes
Scope and Structure of the Paper
 Introduces Electoral Procurement processes and planning, guiding
principles, and challenges
 Focuses on Costs of VR Processes, well-established budgets and risk
assessments
 Examines the increasingly Central Role of ICTs in elections
 Studies ICTs in VR as one of the most crucial, expensive and
expanding part of the electoral process
 Addresses Specific Procurement Issues related to Biometric VR
 Linkages between Civil and Voter Registration
Audits &
evaluations
Staffing
Upgrades, updates,
training (i.e. BRIDGE) sust.
development
Any procurement relating to
the tabulation &
communication of official
results or to complaints and
appeals?
Verification
of Results
Polling station kits, Ballot boxes,
voting screens, ink, lanterns,
Voting
uniforms, polling station
Operations
furniture
and Election
Day
Security
PostElection
Equipment
Uniforms
Office lease/maintenance
utilities
Hiring legal
experts
consumables
Legal
Framework
Printing
IT equipment/ software/ website
Training
The
Electoral
Cycle vs the
operational
&
procurement
cycle
Running Costs
of EMB
Travel
Conferences
Security Costs
Warehousing
Printing of manuals
Training
and
Education
ToT, venues, transport,
equipment
Training of election officials
Polling Forms
Embassy voting & out-of-country voting
Counting Centres
Electoral
Campaign
Party liaison/Media
monitoring
Voter
Registration
Training of civic & voter
educators
Materials/announcements
(TV, radio, press)
VR materials and services
Call Centre/Website
Ballot lottery, design, production, Data Entry Centre, hardware,
logistics
software
Observers & accreditation
Complaints mechanism
Data processing, VR list & ID cards
Operational Planning starts with
Policy and the Legal Framework…




Policy decisions
Approved Legal Framework
Division of roles and responsibilities
Interaction with development partners/international community
 Quality of original data, exploration of sustainable solutions (possible
synergies)
 Choice of technology and standards
 Ad hoc VR to permanent system
 Procurement of technological systems, e.g. digital registration kits, data
processing centers (central/regional level)
 Decision on Eligibility
 Methodology: staggered registration etc?
 Absentee voting & IDPs?




Create operational plan
Create operational timeline
Create budget
Create procedures
What’s needed in a biometric voter
registration process?
1. The Digital Mobile Registration Kit, possibly with the following components:
Specifications
can take months to
1.
Embedded computer with monitor,
Keyboard, and–mouse
draft and then agree on
2.
Digital Camera (webcam)
3.
Biometric extension with Finger print scanner and Signature pad
4.
Colour printer
5.
Registration software, pre-loaded
6.
Kit case incl. all components of the kit, and consumables (printer cartridges)
7.
Power source, generators/Solar Power kit
8.
Technical and operational manuals and guidelines involving hardware and
software
9.
On-going technical support
2. Trained registration staff (cascade training..?)
3. In country or out of country duplicate analysis (AFIS?)
4. Production of Preliminary Voter Lists – Display
5. Production of voter cards
6. Voter education material & campaign
7. Observers & Candidate agents
How long to
progress
from here..?
INDICATIVE Timeline for Procurement
of Biometric Kits – 5 ½ months
Tasks
Working
Days
Technical Specifications and Services finalised and validated
by all partners
01/12/2009
Technical specifications & services approved for the
procurement process, alongside with launch of Expression of
Interest/pre-qualification
10 days
01/12/2009
11/12/2009
Tendering period
30 days
14/12/2009
22/01/2010
Analysis and Technical Evaluation
6 days
25/01/2010
01/02/2010
Analysis and Financial Evaluation
2 days
01/02/2010
02/02/2010
Notification to suppliers, travelling
6 days
03/02/2010
10/02/2010
Validation testing
6 days
11/02/2010
18/02/2010
CAP/ACP committees
8 days
19/02/2010
02/03/2010
Negotiations and signing of contract
5 days
03/03/2010
09/03/2010
Indicative production of first batch , and development of
simple software package, delivery of e.g.120 kits for training 30 days
10/03/2010
18/04/2010
Estimated prodcution and delivery of e.g. 3000 kits
10/03/2010
18/05/2010
50 days
VR Procurement – Risks and
Challenges
Structural Arrangements in place
•
Independent EMB ?
•
Permanent EMB?
•
Human Resources
•
Procurement Structures
Supply Market Distortion
• Political lobbying lead to prejudicial outcome of the tender process.
• Some commodities are very simple but limited specialized suppliers.
Inflexible deadlines
• Often used by critical stakeholders as a pressure tool exerted on procurement means
• Cause serious value for money predicaments e.g. need to airfreight, single source
situation etc
• Cause severe pressure on logistics and distribution
VR Procurement – Risks and
Challenges
Incomplete or Late Technical Specs/ToR/Request for Assistance
• Creates margin for error - remedy action limited
• Creates ambiguity, a situation suppliers can manipulate
• Limited qualified technical experts to develop solid specs
• Standards are not applied
• Testing is not applied
National Ownership, Capacity and Infrastructure
• EMB not be fully in place or lack capacity, high staff turnover
• Technical Solution or Technical Transfer
• Checks and balances in place
• Political, logistical, geographical, security challenges etc.
Reputational Risk
• EMB and donor community (perception vs. reality)
VR Procurement – Risks and
Challenges
Unrealistic Expectations
• By stakeholders on the Procurement Rules & Regulations to deliver
• Ill-informed of the market response time
Cost of high-tech Solutions and Sustainability
• Tremendous focus on highly advanced technology w/o infrastructure to support it
• One time event with little synergies or thought into a wider institutional plan?
• Total Costs of Ownership of biometric VR are extremely high
• Disaster Recovery?
Insufficient Budgets
• Lead to sub-optimal goods and services being purchased
• Several ad hoc procurement exercises as patch work solution
Operational Planning Challenges





Inadequate time
Inadequate assessment of appropriate technology and needs
Inadequate and isolated budgets
Inadequate technical specifications and lack of standards
Lack of ability to integrate cross-cutting operational plans




Insufficient study of sustainability and operational costs
Insufficient national ownership
Lack of focus on transfer of knowledge
Lack of focus on synergies
 Ensure all above issues are available with opposite
connotation…
Further Recommendations…
Seek advice early
•
•
•
Technical Advisory is available
Observe Standards developed in relevant domain
Examine the full implications of costs, operations and maintenance - focus on
sustainability and informed decisions
Integrate Pilot projects/ validation testing
•
Integrate procurement into project formulation
•
•
Include procurement input into project formulation (Strategy/Operations)
Create an independent role for a Procurement Expert & Technical Expert in the team
Procurement tools
•
•
•
Establish detailed procurement plans and realistic timelines
Establish conditions for efficient procurement, accelerated delivery, build
economy of scale, ensure quality assurance (pre-qualifications)
Examine options for local vs. international procurement
Timely introduction of new technologies…
Thank you
anne-sofie.holm@undp.org