Request for Proposal Benefits Consultant For Tri-County Health Department Physical Address (mailing address): Tri-County Health Department 6162 South Willow Drive, Suite 100 Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111 Purchasing Agent: E-Mail: Scott Jakich sjakich@tchd.org SEALED BIDS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: Monday, October 27, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. at the location noted above. SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES: TIMELINE RFP Published Wednesday, October 08, 2014, 10:00 AM Deadline for Questions Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 3:00 PM Answers published on www.tchd.org Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 5:00 PM Proposal Submission Deadline Monday, October 27, 2014, 2:00 PM Offoror Presentation Wednesday, November 12, 2014, 3:00 PM Final Decision Thursday, November 20, 2014, 1:00 PM
Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) invites written proposals from benefits consultants (Consultant or Offerors) to act as a Broker of Record for the purpose of assisting TCHD with strategically planning, designing, negotiating and implementing the best coverage and cost for TCHD s various employee benefits, as more fully described herein. TCHD will make its selection of a benefits consultant based on the firm s or consultant s qualifications, experience, and references. TCHD is the District Public Health Agency for the Counties of Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas, Colorado, which serves approximately 1,400,000 residents. TCHD is governed by a nine-member Board of Health, and is administrated by an Executive Director who oversees seven functional divisions: (1) Administration and Finance, (2) Emergency Preparedness and Response, (3) Environmental Health, (4) Human Resources, (5) Nursing, (6) Nutrition, and (7) Epidemiology, Planning and Communication. The TCHD Annual Report provides a background of TCHD s services and is available at: www.tchd.org. TCHD provides all administrative and accounting systems with no outside services provided by its member county governments. TCHD is a governmental agency, but is exempt from the TABOR Amendment. TCHD has approximately 350 employees who work in 11 separate locations. TCHD is a member of the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association, Municipal Division. TCHD must meet the coming challenges related to the Affordable Care Act regulations and requirements in addition to contain costs of providing benefits in a changing marketplace, including innovative ways to offset risk to obtain the best coverage at the lowest cost possible. Our leadership is looking to ensure we have financially competitive and affordable benefit programs to offer our employees. Contract Period: Any contract resulting from this proposal shall be effective beginning December 31, 2014. TCHD will hold the option to continue services under the terms and conditions stated in the contract, subject to the termination provisions contained in said contract, for one (1) additional one-year extension, with the further option to extend the contract for an additional eight (8) one-year extensions, subject to the written approval of TCHD and contractor, for a maximum term of ten (10) years, should it be in the best interest of TCHD and its employees to retain said services. Respondent Qualifications: TCHD requires qualified respondents to this RFP to be Licensed Brokers in the State of Colorado that are Independent and not affiliated with any insurance company, third party administrative agency or provider network. The brokerage firm must have not less than five (5) year s experience in providing brokerage services to employers with at least. 50 employees. Experience In the provision of brokerage services to public sector employers is required. SECTION I STATEMENT OF WORK The successful Offeror will provide benefits consulting services and placement of coverages necessary to cover TCHD s employee benefits. Note: Worker s Compensation insurance is not included in this RFP. A) Current Health and Wellness Plans: Fully-Insured Plans: Health Plans (Medical & Dental) Renewal 06-01-2015 RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 2 of 10
HEALTH A POS EE EC ES FM Point of Service 21 1 0 0 HEALTH B - HMO EE EC ES FM 164 29 22 56 B) Consultant Expectations: The benefits consultant will assist TCHD in evaluating strategies that can minimize cost increases with a three to five year pro-action plan for benefits while maintaining TCHD s directives. This includes continual review of the Agency needs and objectives for the benefit plan design, assisting in plan management, plan funding, plan implementation and ongoing administration, research and technical services, renewals and marketing, and assistance with plan compliance. More detailed information is listed below. 1) Health Plans (Medical & Dental): a. Statistical Analysis: (1) Provide quarterly reports which include an analysis of expenses for the prior quarter within 30 days of the quarter closing. (2) Provide annual reports which include an analysis of income and expense for the prior year and a projection for the forthcoming year including, if necessary, projected adequate reserve levels for plan. (3) Advise about annual premium rates and rate trends. (4) Advise on required reserves for medical and dental plans, if necessary. b. Policy Analysis: (1) Provide general guidance on trends in benefits and eligibility requirements regionally and nationally. Recommend plan changes based on these trends and TCHD provided guidance. (2) Advise and consult on methods for improving cost containment and claims administration. (3) For above, where applicable, provide cost analysis of possible impact on plan. 2) Administrative / Other Support: a. Assist in developing long-term benefit objectives and goals. b. Assist in the modification and pricing of any current, or newly considered, benefit programs. Coordinate the receipt and review of plan documents and summary plan descriptions, including amendments and restatements, for accuracy. Serve as liaison with providers in making necessary needed changes. c. Coordinate the receipt and review of contracts with vendors to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness of coverage. Provide guidance in contract interpretation, as needed. d. Advise and consult on trends in benefit plans that are offered locally and nationally, including information on plans that are not currently offered. e. Assist in problem resolution with vendors. f. Assist with development of Requests for Proposals (RFP s) for various vendors in compliance with TCHD s purchasing requirements. This may include developing criteria and evaluating/summarizing proposal information. RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 3 of 10
3) Renewal and Contract Negotiations: Annual review and negotiation of renewal rates for health plans (medical, dental, vision), life insurance, COBRA, and other plans, as necessary. Advise when competitive quotes should be solicited from other carriers. 4) Legal Support: a. Assist in the preparation of governmental filings. b. Provide notification and updates on changing laws, regulations, and administrative or judicial ruling that relate to benefits programs in general and TCHD programs specifically. Recommend changes based on these changes or legal requirements. Review plan documents to ensure compliance with appropriate laws and regulations and notify of any necessary plan document amendments. 5) General Guidance: a. Provide answers or guidance to general or technical benefits questions. b. If requested, review communication materials for content, appearance, and compliance with laws and regulations. c. The Consultant will be working on a frequent basis with the Office of Human Resources. The consultant will be expected to assist TCHD on a regular basis and in a timely manner to provide guidance to technical problems that may arise. The Consultant is expected to attend open enrollment meetings with employees. In addition, the Consultant may occasionally be expected to attend special meetings to provide expert guidance and discussion of the plans. 6) Additional Requests for Other Services: TCHD reserves the right under the terms of this RFP to request duties unrelated to this defined set of consulting services. The scope of these services and related cost will be agreed to prior to the consultant performing any work. SECTION II ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION/ ADDENDA A) Response to inquiries: TCHD will issue responses to inquiries and any other corrections or amendments it deems necessary in written addenda issued prior to the due date. Submitting firms should not rely on any representations, statements or explanations other than those made In this RFP or in any addendum to this RFP. Where there appears to be a conflict between the RFP and any addenda issued, the last addendum issued will prevail, Offerors must acknowledge any issued addenda by including Attachment Addenda Acknowledgement with the submittal. Proposals which fail to acknowledge the Offeror's receipt of any addendum will result in the rejection of the offer if the addendum contains information which substantively changes the TCHD requirements B) Modification or Withdrawal of Proposals: Proposals may be modified or withdrawn by the Offeror prior to the established due date and time. C) Rejection of Proposals: TCHD may reject any and all proposals and reserves the right to waive any irregularities or informalities in any proposal or in the submittal procedure. Submittals received after said time or at any place other than the time and place as stated in the notice will not be considered. D) Mimimum RFP Acceptance Period: Proposals shall be valid and may not be withdrawn for a period of 60 days from the date specified for receipt of proposals. RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 4 of 10
E) Minor Informalities: Minor informalities are matters of form rather than substance evident from the response or insignificant mistakes that can be waived or corrected without prejudice to other vendors; that is, the effect on price, quantity, quality, delivery, or contractual conditions is negligible. The Purchasing Agent may waive such informalities or allow the vendor to correct them depending on which is in the best interest of TCHD. F) Responsibility Determination: The TCHD Procurement Rules state a Purchasing Agent shall make purchases from, and award Contracts to, Responsible vendors only. G) Confidential/Proprietary Information: TCHD neither requests nor encourages the submission of confidential/proprietary information in response to this Request for Proposal. Information submitted will be open for public inspection pursuant to the provisions of the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. 24-72-201 et. seq. ( CORA ). Neither a proposal in its entirety, nor proposal price information will be considered confidential/proprietary. Questions regarding the application of this procedure must be directed to the Purchasing Agent listed in this RFP. H) RFP Response/Material Ownership: All material submitted regarding this RFP becomes the property of TCHD, unless otherwise noted in the RFP. I) Incurring Costs: TCHD is not liable for any cost incurred prior to issuance of a legally executed contract and/or a purchase order in a form acceptable to TCHD. No property interest, of any nature shall occur until a contract is awarded and signed by all concerned parties. J) Non-Discrimination: The Offeror shall comply with all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations involving nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or sex. K) News Releases: Neither TCHD, nor the Offeror, shall make news releases pertaining to this RFP prior to execution of a legally binding contract without prior written approval of both parties. L) Taxes: TCHD, is exempt from all federal excise taxes under 26 USC 4221(a) (4) of the Internal Revenue Code and from all Colorado State and local government sales and use taxes (see C.R.S. 39-26-704). M) Assignment and Delegation: Neither party to any resulting contract may assign or delegate any portion of the agreement without the prior written consent of the other party. N) Standard of Conduct: RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 5 of 10
The successful firm shall be responsible for maintaining satisfactory standards of employees' competency, conduct, courtesy, appearance, honesty, and integrity, and shall be responsible for taking such disciplinary action with respect to any employee, as may be necessary. TCHD may request the successful firm to immediately remove from this assignment any employee found unfit to perform duties due to one or more of the following reasons: 1) Neglect of duty. 2) Disorderly conduct, use of abusive or offensive language, quarreling, intimidation by words or actions or fighting. 3) Theft, vandalism, immoral conduct or any other criminal action. 4) Selling, consuming, possessing, or being under the influence of intoxicants, including alcohol, or illegal substances while on assignment for TCHD. O) Other Statutes: The signatory hereto avers that he/she is familiar with Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-8-301, et seq. (Bribery and Corrupt Influence) and 18-8-401, et seq. (Abuse of Public Office) as amended, and that no violation of such provisions is present. The signatory hereto avers that to his/her knowledge, no TCHD employee has any personal or beneficial interest whatsoever in the service or property described herein. See C.R.S 24-18-201 and C.R.S 24-50- 507. SECTION III GENERAL PROCUREMENT INSTRUCTIONS Proposal: A) Submittals, five (5) copies (one copy shall be marked original ), bearing the title RFP-Benefits Consultant will be received no later than 2:00 p.m. local time prevailing, on Monday, October, 27, 2014, 2014, to the: Tri-County Health Department ATTN: Scott Jakich, Purchasing 6162 S. Willow Drive, Suite 100 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 B) Time is of the essence and any bid or addenda pertaining thereto received after the announced time and date for submittal, whether by mail or otherwise, will be rejected. It is the sole responsibility of the Offeror for ensuring that their bids are time stamped by the Administration Finance Division. Proposers are cautioned that receipt of a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier does not constitute receipt of a proposal by TCHD for purposes of this procurement. All proposals and/or any addenda pertaining thereto that are received after the closing date will not be reviewed and will be returned, unopened to the proposer. No exceptions will be allowed. However, nothing in this RFP precludes TCHD from requesting additional information at any time during the procurement process. C) Bids will not be accepted via fax machine or Internet email. D) To ensure confidentiality of the document, all proposals must be packaged, sealed and show the following information on the outside of the package: -- Proposer's name and address RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 6 of 10
-- Request for proposal # RFP 2014-10-08 Benefits Consultant -- Proposal due date October 27, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. mountain time. E) Proposals will be evaluated according to completeness, content, experience with similar projects, accessibility and ability of the broker staff. The award of a contract to one broker does not mean that the other proposals lacked merit, but that, all factors considered, the selected proposal was deemed to provide the best value to TCHD. F) Brokers are cautioned that this is a request for offers, not a request to contract and TCHD reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all offers when such rejection is deemed to be in the best interest of TCHD. G) Elaborate proposals in the form of brochures or other presentations beyond that necessary to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired Submission Format: H) Cover Letter. Include a cover letter with a summary of the firm's experience and capability in the area of providing consulting services relative to the statement of work in this RFP. Include the founding data of your organization, parent/subsidiary/affiliation relationship with other firms, types of services provided and the number of years your firm has been in business. Confirm that you are a licensed broker in the State of Colorado and provide documentation. Confirm that you serve as a broker, Independently, and are not employed by any Insurance company, third party administrative agency or provider network, Detail any exceptions to this RFP (please note that significant exceptions may make your proposal nonresponsive). E) Offeror's Experience and Qualifications 1) General Offeror Information: Provide principal contact information for this RFP, including address, telephone number, fax number, email, and website, (if applicable). Provide a thorough biography on the Principal Account Representative, as well as all back-up consultants and other personnel responsible for and assigned the responsibility of providing services to this account. 2) Special Expertise: What is the principal consultant s experience with self funded benefit plans (specifically, medical and dental) and Fully Insured Medical Plans? a. List other self funded governmental plans for which the firm has served, the capacity in which it served, and whether it is an active account. Provide name of client, contact name, address, telephone number and number of employees. b. What actuarial resources do you have available as a firm? Is access to these personnel included in your core services? c. Describe analytic capabilities/tools your firm offers to assist with plan management d. What is your experience in developing, evaluating, and maintaining Section 125 plans? e. What is your experience in bid proposals and negotiating for services of third party administrators, stop loss, Carriers, and other insurances? 3) Relationships: Describe your contractual relationships, if any, with organizations or entities necessary to your proposal s implementation (i.e., actuarial services, data information services, etc.). RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 7 of 10
4) List of Services Offered: For an account similar to TCHD s and the approach marketing and servicing such accounts. Realizing that services may be customized based on the needs of a particular customer; TCHD is interested in knowing what your firm sees as critical service features. 5) Philosophy: Explain your firm s philosophy in the approach to benefits consulting. a. Briefly describe the level of service and support provided to TCHD by your broker(s) on a day-to-day basis. b. How does your firm provide continuing education to ensure that each broker is educated on current market trends and legislative developments? How is this information communicated to your clients? c. Describe how you build an understanding to the direction and priorities of TCHD employee benefit program and how you would utilize this information to recommend changes and project future trends. d. Detail how your organization assists clients in developing a strategic benefit plan. e. Provide details to illustrate best in class customer services qualities. f. Please describe HIPAA and COBRA administrative services. g. Please address Broker Value Added Services. 6) Vendor Relationships: Please provide a list of the vendors you have relationships with in regard to health disability, life, supplemental health, and dental insurance plans. 7) Reports: Submit a sample of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports you provide similar clients. 8) Legal support: Describe your firm s legal support capabilities. a. How do you keep your clients informed of new or changing regulations? b. Describe any pending litigation against your firm. The Offeror shall provide a detailed description of any investigation, litigation, and/or regulatory actions in which your firm is currently involved as regards client and insurance-related issues c. Do you have in-house legal advisors who provide counsel to your clients? Please describe their qualifications 9) Design and administration of our benefits plans: Please describe how you would assist the TCHD in reviewing the design and administration of our benefits plans. 10) Employee communications: Describe your firm s capabilities with regards to employee communications. What services will you provide to assist our Agency during the open enrollment process? 11) Wellness: Describe your firm s in-house expertise and ability to provide support related to wellness. 12) Compensation: What is your protocol for disclosure of compensation (i.e. transparency - including any form of supplemental, contingent or override compensation from insurers relative to the placement of our programs)? a. What is your proposed annual fee including multi-year guarantees? b. What would you charge for requested consulting services? Please provide your best offer. While we reserve the right to, it is not our intention to negotiate on consulting fees. c. Please provide a detailed illustration clearly disclosing and explaining all forms of remuneration or compensation from any sources you would or may receive as a result of performing services for or placing business on behalf of TCHD, such as administrator RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 8 of 10
fees/allowances from vendors, bonus(es), overrides, compensation from PBM s or any other form of compensation not otherwise characterized and fully disclosed to TCHD as commissions? 13) References: Please provide information from at least three (3) similar customers as TCHD. Include, at a minimum, the following information: a. company name, b. contact name, c. phone number, d. fax number, and e. email address References may be contacted at any time during this RFP process to determine an Offeror s ability to perform the consultant duties. I) Mandatory Requirements: By submitting a proposal, you certify that your company meets all of the following mandatory requirements: 1) Offeror must possess all licenses and certificates required to provide these services in Colorado. 2) Offeror must have at least five years of experience with at least one public agency providing similar services as requested in this RFP. 3) Offeror must have working knowledge of Colorado Statues, Including but not limited to, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. 4) Offeror must have access to specialize technical expertise to assist in the identification and evaluation of commonly found in governmental expertise. SECTION IV EVALUATION & AWARD A) BID OPENING: On October 27, 2014 in the Arapahoe Conference Room of TCHD located at 6162 S. Willow Drive, Suite 100, Greenwood Village, Colorado at 2:30 o clock p.m., the benefits committee will open and record the bid amounts. B) PRESENTATIONS: Only Offerors selected will be required to make in-person presentations to TCHD s insurance committee the afternoon of Wednesday, November 12, 2014, at 3:00 o clock p.m. Selected Offerors will be notified Thursday, November 6, 2014, of their presentation time. The benefits committee will present its recommendation to the Executive Director at its a meeting scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2014, at 2:00 o clock p.m.. C) SELECTION PROCEDURE: Selection may be made of one or more Offerors deemed to be fully qualified and best suited among those submitting bids, on the basis of the factors involved in the RFP. Negotiations may then be conducted with the Offerors so selected. After negotiations have been conducted with the Offerors so selected, TCHD shall select and award a contract to the Offeror which, in its opinion, has made the best bid most advantageous to TCHD. D) BASIS FOR AWARD: Information and/or factors gathered during interviews, negotiations and any reference checks, in addition to the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP, if any, and any other information or factors deemed relevant by TCHD, shall be utilized in the final award. Including but not limited to, the following: 1) Your Firm s indicated ability to provide a level of services sufficient to meet TCHD s needs, RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 9 of 10
as stated in your response. 2) Extent and success of previous work your firm has provided to organizations similar in nature and size to TCHD, as determined by TCHD s contact with listed references. 3) The proposal itself as an example of your firm s work product. 4) Qualifications/experience of key personnel to be assigned to the project. 5) Adherence to RFP requirements, including: completion of all required forms; provision of all requested information; adequacy of responses, and return of the RFP by the stated deadline. E) AWARD OF BID: By Thursday, Novebmer 20, 2014, 1:00 o clock p.m., if not sooner, TCHD will award the bid. F) NOTICE OF AWARD: Offerors will be notified via phone and also be notified by email. G) CONTRACT APPROVAL: TCHD must approve the contract resulting from this solicitation. This process typically takes four (4) weeks from the date the successful Contractor is identified. TCHD will prepare a formal contract specific to this solicitation for execution by the successful Contractor. The award of this bid is contingent upon TCHD and the Offeror entering into a mutually agreeable contract. H) PROPOSAL EVALUATION: TCHD is not required to select the lowest price offer, but may look at all factors concerning an offer, including, but not limited to, whether or not an Offeror has: 1) available the appropriate financial, material, equipment, facility, and personnel resources and expertise, or the ability to obtain these as necessary to indicate the capability to meet all contractual requirements; 2) a satisfactory record of performance; 3) a satisfactory record of integrity; 4) the legal authority to contract with TCHD; and 5) supplied all necessary information in connection with the inquiry concerning responsibility. I) NON-BINDING: This Request for Proposal shall not be binding on TCHD until such time as a formal written contract and related documents, have been approved by TCHD and fully executed by the parties. TCHD shall have no obligation with respect to any proposal contained herein, or otherwise, including any duty to negotiate to reach an agreement. J) GOVERNED BY: This Request for Proposal, and any resulting contract, shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado. RFP # 2014-10-08 Page 10 of 10