Commission Approves Runbeck, Taylor Election Printing Contracts After Heated Procurement Debate

Commissioners approved contracts to print and mail sample ballots and mail ballots for Clark County elections, following a contentious discussion about whether the awards should have been competitively bid under Nevada law.

The approval covers purchase orders to Taylor Printing and Visual Impressions and a contract renewal with Runbeck Election Services LLC for mail-ballot services. The board voted to approve items 8, 9 and 12 on the agenda after hearing multiple commissioners raise legal and timing concerns.

The issue matters because county staff said a public request-for-proposals would take roughly four months and could jeopardize the county’s 2026 election timeline. Purchasing and elections officials told the commission that the county treats some of these services as professional or specialized, citing certification and technical requirements for high-volume ballot printing and mail sorting that not every vendor can meet.

At the outset of the discussion, Commissioner Becker said he opposed advancing the awards without competitive bids and said the contracts “come to over $30,000,000” in aggregate and therefore should be subject to public bidding requirements. Becker added, “I do not believe that this company fits the definition of professional services as defined in NRS 89” and urged adherence to the court’s purchasing guidance.

County counsel and procurement staff disputed that reading. A county procurement official explained that the county relied on the competitive-bidding exception for professional services and fiscal directive 6, and said those policies allow an exception when specialized expertise and certification are required for the work. The official told the commission the definition in the county’s fiscal directive is similar to the judicial purchasing guide cited by Becker.

Lorena Portillo, an elections department staff member, told the commission Runbeck and Taylor provide certified printing and mailing services that can meet Nevada-specific requirements and the scale needed for Clark County. Portillo said Runbeck can mail more than 1,500,000 items and provide the specialized envelopes and ink quality required by the county’s tabulation and postal-sortation systems. She said the timeline is tight: mock elections are scheduled for late June and printing and mailing windows are constrained by statutory mailing deadlines. “Without the help of Runbeck, we will not be able to proceed, with the timelines that I’m being presented today,” Portillo said.

Procurement staff said an expedited RFP would still take about four months to prepare, solicit and evaluate, creating a practical risk to the county’s election testing and mailing schedule. The board also heard that Runbeck has provided similar services nationwide since 1972 and that the firm and a local partner, Taylor, are certified for the county’s ballot format and postal requirements.

Commissioners pressed several procedural and policy points. One commissioner urged future briefing and education about fiscal directive 6 and county procurement thresholds for new commissioners. Commissioner Becker said the county should follow statutory and judicial guidance ensuring oversight for large contracts, repeating that he had “a huge problem” with moving forward without a competitive process. Other commissioners said the contracts reflected established practice and that changing course now could jeopardize the election.

After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve items 8, 9 and 12; the board cast its votes and the motion passed. The minutes record the motion as approved and the contracts as authorized.

County staff and commissioners indicated they will review procurement policy and consider bringing a discussion item on purchasing thresholds and the operation of fiscal directive 6 to a future agenda.

The contracts approved include: Taylor Printing and Visual Impressions for printing and mailing sample ballots and certain mail ballots, and Runbeck Election Services LLC for election mail services and support tied to mock-election testing and large-scale mailing operations. The contract term under discussion extends through contract renewal periods presented to the commission.

Follow-up: Commissioners requested additional briefings on procurement rules and the role of fiscal directive 6; staff said they would return with more information for the board.

Speakers quoted in this article are those who spoke on the record during the public agenda item on election printing and mailing contracts.