It is preferable that arrangements with materials and equipment suppliers be on an FIS (free into store) basis, including provision for supplier transportation to the electoral management body’s central and regional storage or packaging centres. This will generally be more cost-effective than transportation arranged by the electoral management body and will remove an extra administrative burden from election staff.
In higher security risk environments this may not be appropriate. In this case, it may be more prudent for the electoral management body to take responsibility for secure transport into their storage and packaging facilities.
For large quantities, staggered delivery may be more appropriate. Particularly when using supplier's transportation, it is essential that detailed checking of loads delivered into storage takes place before the transportation departs, and that transfer documents (supplier delivery dockets, electoral management body's supply control records) are annotated for any differences to the expected delivery and endorsed by election staff and the driver. This is an important component of the audit trail and accountability mechanisms for election supplies.
It is also prudent to ensure that the type of transportation to be used by the supplier will be appropriate and not compromised as a result of cost-cutting to ensure maximum financial returns for the supplier. Types of vehicles to be used (e.g., weather-protected and suitable for fast unloading at election storage facilities) should be specified.
