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R C Edition OCEAN PINES • WEST OCEAN CITY • BERLIN MD SPECIAL ISSUE
April 28, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Submitted by ACE Printing and Mailing for publication
Formal Objection to Deviation from Published RFP Requirements – Election Services 2025 Dear Ocean Pines Board of Directors and Election Committee, ACE Printing & Mailing appreciates the opportunity to have submitted a comprehensive and responsive proposal to your RFP for the 2025 election services. We have conducted ourselves with full transparency, professionalism, and respect for the procurement process as outlined by the Ocean Pines Association (OPA). After reviewing the video and transcript of your recent Board meeting discussion, we must express serious concerns regarding the evolving nature of the selection process and the apparent deviation from the requirements set forth in the original RFP. It is clear that multiple requests and conditions now being placed upon ACE Printing were not included in the original RFP issued on March 1, 2025. Specifically: • Providing client references for prior HOA elections was not required or requested. • Demonstrating a functioning online voting portal prior to a contract award was not required. •O wnership of ballot scanning equipment was not specified as mandatory in the RFP, although we already own such equipment. •E xpanded service expectations beyond those specifically outlined — such as unrequested guarantees about the internal development status of custom voting systems and undisclosed third-party partnerships — were not part of the original solicitation. •P ublic questioning of ACE’s business model and service offerings by the election Chairman beyond the RFP scope was neither appropriate nor relevant to the evaluation criteria defined in the RFP. •A cceptance of an unsolicited, late bid by the election Chairman from another vendor after the official RFP deadline fundamentally undermined the fairness and integrity of the sealed bid process and disadvantaged compliant bidders such as ACE Printing. • V iolation of confidentiality requirements: Despite the RFP’s clear provision that all proposals were to remain confidential to protect proprietary information, the Ocean Pines Progress newspaper published details of the submitted RFP responses prior to any official award decision. This breach of confidentiality further erodes trust in the fairness and security of this process. It is deeply troubling that the same Board now demands ACE Printing provide confidential client references, when the Association has already demonstrated it cannot guarantee the protection of sensitive information. ACE Printing has a duty to protect the privacy of its clients and will not subject them to unnecessary risk by providing such information under these circumstances.