Dental Insurance Q and A Tracker.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 29 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Dental Insurance
- Solicitation number
- 2031JW24R00002
About this file
This document is a Questions and Answers Tracker related to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Dental Insurance services. The solicitation is issued by the Department of the Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a full and open competition for dental insurance plans, including a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) option. Key details include:
The contract period is for 10 years, with a 3-month transition period from April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, and the base period running from July 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, with 9 one-year option periods. The solicitation requests pricing for the full 10-year period. The dental insurance is voluntary for OCC/OFR employees, with the OCC paying 100% of the cost for active employees and disabled retirees. The RFP includes detailed plan design information, enrollment data, and claims experience, with updates provided through September 2024. Offerors must propose their own R&C levels for the PPO plan, and the OCC will not provide current rate information or transfer any existing Participating Surplus Reserve (PSR) balances.
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Sheet1
| # | RFQ SECTION | QUESTION | RESPONSE | CHANGE | |
| TO RFP? | DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE | ||||
| 1 | SOW Pg 19, 1.11.F – Data Protection | What constitutes “adequate separation” for storing data on a shared system? Please provide examples. | Adequate separation could include the following: |
Physical Separation:
1. Dedicated Workspaces: Use separate rooms or designated areas for handling PII and CUI. For example, one room for processing PII and another for CUI.
2. Physical Barriers: Implement physical barriers such as locked cabinets or safes to store sensitive information separately.
3. Access Control: Restrict access to areas where PII and CUI are stored or processed. Use keycard access systems or biometric scanners to ensure only authorized personnel can enter.
Logical Separation:
1. Network Segmentation: Use firewalls and VLANs to create separate network segments for systems handling PII and CUI. This ensures that data traffic is isolated and protected.
2. User Access Controls: Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure that only authorized users can access PII and CUI. Different user groups should have different access levels.
3. Data Encryption: Encrypt PII and CUI both in transit and at rest. Use different encryption keys for PII and CUI to ensure logical separation.
4. Database Segmentation: Use separate databases or schemas for storing PII and CUI. Ensure that queries and transactions are isolated between the two datasets.
5. Application Layer Controls: Implement application-level controls to ensure that PII and CUI are processed separately. For example, use different application instances or modules for handling each type of data. No N/A
| 2 | General | Does OCC anticipate that there will be employees assigned to and residing in overseas locations (e.g., London) in the future? | No overseas locations are contemplated by the OCC to be part of this requirement. | No | N/A |
| 3 | SOW Pg 3, 1.2: "… Additionally there will be a transition period (date of award through June 30, 2025) …" |
SOW Pg 12, 1.7: "…There shall be a three-month transition period (date of award April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025) included in the base period..."
| RFP Pg 28, F.2: "... The base period of this contract is from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.....If exercised, the first option period/year will extend the contract period of performance from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027..." | Please clarify the transition and base period timeframes. There are three sections that state something slightly different. | Date of award is estimated to be April 1, 2025 to allow for a 3-month transition period to June 30, 2025 as current contract coverage will be in place until June 30, 2025. Insurance coverage services shall commence on July 1, 2025 as this will be the first day after the end of current contract coverage. The 3-month transition period is part of the base year, which will begin on April 1, 2025 and run through March 31, 2026. Subsequent option years are slated to run accordingly thereafter as shown in clause "F.2 (OCC) 1052.242-8002 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (SEP 2012)". | No | N/A |
| 4 | SOW Pg 19, 1.11.D, Security Configuration Settings. | Please clarify the following sentence, “The contractor shall establish and enforce security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the ISSO.” | The sentence referenced and included in the original solicitation is incorrect and should instead read as follows: |
“The contractor shall establish and enforce security configuration settings for information technology products employed in the identified ITS secure configuration baseline. See Attachment 9 for further information.”
| The SF 30 continuation pages include the corrected sentence and Attachment 9 is added to the solicitation to provide further information. | Yes | Updated SF 30 continuation pages Section 1.11. Added ITS01 Manage Secure Configuration Baselines Document as Attachment 9 to the solicitation | ||
| 5 | Att 8 | Can you please provide an Excel census with dates of birth, genders, home zip codes, plan elections, tier elections and which classification (active, disabled retiree, non-disabled retiree, etc) they fall into? | No | |
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | No | N/A | ||
| 6 | Att 2, Att 3 |
| 1.4.8 | In regards to the current rates listed, the PPO for active & disabled retirees have 2 tier rates, the non-disabled retirees have 3 tier rates, and the DHMO active and disabled retirees have 2 tier rates. However, in the scenarios listed (1, 2, 3 & 4) they have requested variations on these (composite rates, 2-tier rates, 3-tier rates) Can we confirm the current rate structure listed here correct? Can they provide the composite rates currently in place (meaning, the same rate for a plan whether it is for an employee only or an employee with dependents)? | Yes, we confirm the current rate structure is correct and necessary for calculating imputed income for domestic partners. Current composite rates cannot be provided. | ||
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | No | N/A | ||
| 7 | 1.4.9, 1.6, 1.7 | Please provide the plan design and rate history for the experience timeframe provided | The plan design was included as Attachments 2 and 3. Rate information related to the current contract cannot be provided (see reponse to question 6). | |
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | No | N/A | ||
| 8 | 1.4.8, Att 2, Att 3 | The PPO plan is paid on a R&C basis out-of-network. What is the R&C level ( 80th, 85th or 90th% for example)? | We're expecting offerors to propose their R&Cs. | |
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | No | N/A | ||
| 9 | Att 4 | The experience goes through 12/2023. Can you provide premium and claims experience for 2024? | Attachment 4 has been updated through September 2024. | |
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | ||
| 10 | 1.4.2 | Is it possible for a specific carrier to quote the PPO option only | No, section 1.4.2 states "Employees are offered a choice between a dental Nationwide PPO option or a DHMO option." |
Additionally, Section 1.1 states "The Contractor shall underwrite and administer insurance for two different dental plans, Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO)."
| Please note, as per Section L.1.1 of the RFP: "The OCC will only consider offers directly from insurance companies which will not include broker commissions or consultant fees that will apply to the award in the form of add-ons to the premium or in any other form. The OCC will not consider offers from third-party vendors." | No | N/A | ||||
| 11 | SF 30 Cont. Amend. | Why is OCC out to bid on the Dental Plan? | This is a dental benefit specific to OCC and OFR only and has nothing to do with the Federal Government-wide plan (e.g., FEDVIP or OPMs plan) | No | N/A | |
| 12 | SF 30 Cont. Amend. | Are these plans offered on a voluntary basis or does OCC contribute to the cost? If yes, what %? | The dental insurance is voluntary. Employees are not required to enroll in the dental insurance program. The OCC pays 100 percent of the cost for OCC/OFR active employees and OCC disabled retirees and their eligible family members. | No | N/A | |
| 13 | 01A |
Att 1
| Are price adjustments permitted if increased benefit changes are made or only if changes exceed 20% of the fixed and/or capped price rates during the associated year(S) of coverage? | No, price adjustments may be negotiated for any increased benefits to beneficiaries, provided the price change does not exceed 20% of the fixed and/or capped contemporaneous price rates for the associated year(s) of coverage. In other words, an upward price adjustment may be negotiated for added benefits; however, the added benefit price increase must not exceed 20% of the fixed and/or capped contemporaneous price rates for the period of coverage. | No | N/A | |
| 14 | 01A | |||
| Att 1 | The Price Proposal Spreadsheet indicates a 10-year contract – Base 12-month period (4/2025-3/2026) and 9 one-year option periods (04/2026-03/2034) with price caps. Is the contractor required to submit a proposal for all 10 years or may a shorter guarantee period be proposed? | Prospective Contractors are required to submit a proposal for all 10 years only. | No | N/A |
| 15 | 01A | |||
| Att 1 | Please provide clarification on the CLIN Estimated Employees/Retirees in the Price Proposal Spreadsheet. The PPO Composite Rate numbers do not equal the enrollment in the 2-tier and 3 tier rate sections. The DHMO 2-tier rate section lists PPO (assume a typo?) in the description and the Composite Rate enrollment does not equal the 2-tier rate enrollment. | The Attachment 1 Price Proposal Spreadsheet has been updated. | Yes | Upddated Attachment 1 |
| 16 | 01B/01C | |||
| Att 2/3 | What, if any, benefit plan changes have been made and when during the past 4 years? | This is a matter of privety between the current dental contractor and the OCC. The OCC sees this question as irrelevant to the current requirement. | No | N/A |
| 17 | 01D | |||
| Att 4 | Please provide a claims exhibit to include enrolled | The OCC does not understand the question. It seems incomplete. | No | N/A |
| 18 | 01D | |||
| Att 4 | Are all PPO enrollees (OCC and OFR Active, OCC Disabled and OCC Retirees) on the same single PPO plan, but different tier structures? | All PPO enrollees (OCC and OFR Active, OCC Disabled Retirees and OCC Retirees) are on the same PPO plan. The OCC retirees pay the full cost to participate in the retiree dental; therefore, the tier structure (retiree only, retiree and one dependent, and retiree and two or more dependents) is identified for this group. | No | N/A |
| 19 | 01D | |||
| Att 4 | Can updated claims, premium and enrollment experience be provided for 2024 for both the PPO and DHMO plans | Attachment 4 has been updated through September 2024. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 |
| 20 | 01E | |||
| Att 5 | Fully insured Participating contracts require Finance Leadership exception approval. If we are unable to quote as requested, is OCC interested in a non-participating Fully Insured or ASO quote? | No | No | N/A |
| 21 | 01E | |||
| Att 5 | Is the Participating Fund Arrangement currently in place with the OCC dental plan? | This is a matter of privety between the current dental contractor and the OCC. The OCC sees this question as irrelevant to the current requirement. | No | N/A |
| 22 | 01E | |||
| Att 5 | Is OCC willing to share the most recent reconciliation? | No, see response to question 21. | No | N/A |
| 23 | 01E | |||
| Att 5 | Does the Participating Funding Arrangement apply to the membership enrolled under the DHMO plan? | Yes. The funding arrangement is the same for both plans – PPO and DHMO. | No | N/A |
| 24 | 01E |
Att 5
| Is there currently a positive PSR balance? If so, what is the current balance, and will that transfer with OCC to new contractor? | The OCC is not disclosing the PSR balance, and it will not transfer to a new contractor. | No | N/A | |||
| 25 | 01H | |||||
| Att 8 | Please provide a full census including gender, date of birth, zip codes and elections | The OCC will not provide this information due to PII concerns. | No | N/A | ||
| 26 | L.1.8.1.1, page 62 & M.2.1, page 66 | The original SF33 (SF1449) for this RFP has been removed from SAM.gov. The referenced sections of the RFP require signed copies of the SF33 and SF30 Amendments be included with our proposal. Can either the SF 33 form be supplied or clarification issued that it does not have to be returned with our proposal? | The original solicitation is still available in sam.gov and the SF 33 can be pulled from it for signature. See the "History" section at the bottom of the posting and select the "original post". For convenience, we will add the SF33 to this amendment. | Yes | SF 33 added back into the solicitation posting in sam.gov | |
| 27 | 1.4.7, page 10 | What is the PSR balance as of the end of Contract Option Period 8 (12/31/2023)? | This is a matter of privety between the current dental contractor and the OCC. The OCC sees this question as irrelevant to the current requirement. | No | N/A | |
| 28 | 1.4.7, page 10 | Will the PSR balance be transferred after settlement of the Option Period 9 financial accounting if there is a new carrier award? If so, what is the expected time frame to transfer any PSR funds remaining to the new carrier? | No. The OCC will not transfer any funds to establish the PSR account to a new carrier. The new PSR agreement shall begin at $0. | No | N/A | |
| 29 | 1.4.7, page 10 & Attachment 5 | Is the DHMO financial experience under the participating financial & PSR arrangement? | Yes. The DHMO financial experience is under the participating financial & PSR arrangement. | No | N/A | |
| 30 | 1.4.7, page 10 | Are there specific “flexible payment options” for non-disabled retirees premium required? | No, but the Contractor shall provide flexible payment options for non-disabled retirees. The Contractor must identify the type of flexible payment options available to meet this requirement. More flexible payment options may result in a more favorable evaluation of your proposal. | No | N/A | |
| 31 | 1.4.9, page 11 | Will OCC provide an initial 2024 enrollment and 2025 eligibility file electronically for open season? | The OCC will provide the most updated enrollment data as of a specified date. There will not be a separate file for open season changes. If the contract is awarded to a new carrier, any other data file exchanges will be discussed as part of the transition plan. OCC's open season is in the Fall of each year and the award of this contract will not impact the date of open season. | No | N/A | |
| 32 | 1.4.4, page 7 | During open season are participant prior benefit option elections carried over automatically into the next Option Period? | All enrollments as of 12/31 carry over to the next option period. This includes any open season elections/changes made during the open season enrollment period. | No | N/A | |
| 33 | 1.7, page 12; F.2, page 27 & Price Proposal Attachment 1 | Can you confirm that transition in is from April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025, that insured coverage of OCC participants starts July 1, 2025 and all the preceding timeline is part of the initial 12 month Base Period of the Contract? If confirmed, can cell F8 in Attachment 1 be modified from “12 months” to “9 months” for the avoidance of doubt? | Confirm base-year period of performance as stated. Attachment 1 is revised for clarity (re-attached attachment 1 to this amendment). | No | N/A | |
| 34 | Attachment 8 | Can the census be updated to include fields for PPO or DHMO enrollment and active or retiree status as well as tier election for non-disabled retirees if available? | Attachment 4 provides the enrollment type breakdown for all categories and is updated to include the latest 2024 data. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | |
| 35 | Attachment 4 | Can the file be updated with 2024 data that is available? | Yes. Attachment 4 is updated and includes data through September 2024. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | |
| 36 | Attachment 4 | Can the latest PPO in and out of network claim and claim count percentages be provided? | Yes. Attachment 4 is updated and includes data through September 2024. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | |
| 37 | Attachment 4 | Can non-disabled claim and claim counts be provided? | Yes. Attachment 4 is updated and includes data through September 2024. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | |
| 38 | Attachments 2 & 3 | Can current carrier plan certificates by provided for both PPO and DHMO? | No, the SOW and the plan design (Attachments 2 and 3) includes the benefits summary, procedure codes, limitations, and exclusions for the PPO and DHMO plans. | No | N/A | |
| 39 | Attachments 2 & 3 | Can the current R&C level be provided for out-of-network PPO claims? | No, we're expecting offerors to propose their R&Cs. | No | N/A | |
| 40 | Attachments 2 & 3 | Can the current 2024 child orthodontia age limit be provided and, for the prospective 2025 plan design, is the child orthodontia age limit intended to be age 26? | There is no age limit on orthodontia as it applies to children and adults. | No | N/A | |
| 41 | Section A; page 1. | Please confirm there is no Section A as the RFP begins with Section B after the initial addendum document. | SF33 and SF30s combined are Section A. | No | N/A | |
| 42 | Section L, page 62, paragraph 1.8.1 item 1 | Please provide a copy of Standard Form 33 as it appears to have been omitted from the RFP | The original solicitation is still available in sam.gov and the SF 33 can be pulled from it for signature. See the "History" section at the bottom of the posting and select the "original post". For convenience, we will add the SF33 to this amendment. | Yes | SF 33 added back into the solicitation posting in sam.gov | |
| 43 | Section G, page 29, paragraph 1 | Please confirm that a non-officer individual with the authority to bind a contract is sufficient to sign all applicable signature documents required for this RFP submission. | In accordance with Section L.1.7.1, items #5 and #6, the person signing on behalf of the company must be a signatory with documented authority [to sign for the company]. There is no requirement that the person be in, for example, a C-suite position. As long as the person can bind the company to a contract in regard to your offer, the signature is acceptable. | No | N/A | |
| 44 | Section J, page 46, attachment 4 | Please provide updated claims data if possible as current claims are only to December 2023. | Attachment 4 has been updated through September 2024. | Yes | Updated Attachment 4 | |
| 45 | Section J, page 46, attachment 8 | Please provide a census file with gender, DOB, plan selection and tier selection | No, the OCC will not provide this information due to PII concerns. | No | N/A | |
| 46 | Section J, page 46, attachment 1 | Please provide current rate information. | This is a matter of privety between the current dental contractor and the OCC. The OCC sees this question as irrelevant to the current requirement. | No | N/A | |
| 47 | Section L, page 63, paragraph L.2 52.252-1 | Please outline which provisions include blocks that must be completed by the Offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. | The completion of many of these provisions are based on the status of your company with regard to the subject matter of the provision. OCC does not know your company's status in regard to the provisions. Each offeror is responsible for reading the provisions and determining which will require them to fill-in information and what to fill-in, if anything. As the RFP states, the provisions can be found at acquisition.gov. | No | N/A | |
| 48 | Section C, page 15, paragraph 1.11 SECURITY AND PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS | In order to respond to certain information on our Security and IT functions and processes we will need the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to sign an NDA which has been attached with these questions. Please sign and return to Aetna. | No, we will not sign any NDA. 41 U.S.C Section 423(a) already prohibits anyone in the Federal Government receiving your information as part of this acquisition from disclosing it, under civil and criminal penalties. | No | N/A |
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