2122-027 RFP Insurance Broker SH.pdf

SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

NO. 21/22-027

FOR

INSURANCE BROKER SERVICES

Table of Contents

Section Title Page 1 Introduction 2 2 Proposed Schedule 2 3 Instructions to Proposers 3-4 4 Key Points 4-6 5 Scope of Work 6 6 Response Form 7 Attachment A 8-9

Suwannee River Water Management District

9225 CR 49

Live Oak, FL 32060 386.362.1001

386.362.1056 (Fax)

800.226.1066 (Florida only) www.MySuwanneeRiver.com

SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION

The Suwannee River Water Management District (District) is requesting proposals for Insurance Broker Services to procure the following insurances for the District: health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, group term life insurance, and long term disability insurance.

The District seeks a broker to collaborate with the Office of Human Resources to procure insurance services at or above the current level of service at a reasonable and fair price.

The insurances procured are benefits offered to and or provided to District employees for a minimum rate.

SECTION 2 - PROPOSED SCHEDULE

August 17, 2022 Release of Request for Proposal.

August 23, 2022 Written questions due by 4:00 p.m.

August 25, 2022 Answers posted on the District Website by 5:00 p.m.

September 8, 2022* Proposals due by 3:00 p.m. & opened September 13, 2022* Selection Committee meeting

* Denotes a public meeting. All times denote Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Delivery of Proposal: Proposals may be submitted in one of two ways.

1. Electronically through DemandStar.

https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement

2. Hard Copy submittals in sealed envelopes delivered to the District Office.

Proposers are encouraged to submit proposals electronically through DemandStar. If submitting hard copy proposers are required to complete and submit one (1) digital copy (USB pdf format preferred, Microsoft Office 2013 or newer and confirm documents are not encrypted), one (1) original, and one (1) copy of the Response Form included in Section 6. Response forms shall be sent in one envelope to:

Suwannee River Water Management District Attn: Kelly Wooley

9225 County Road 49 Live Oak, FL 32060

Proposal packages being submitted via hard copy are due at the above address by 3 p.m.

September 8, 2022. Proposals received after this time, for any reason, will be rejected.

All proposals shall be submitted electronically or hard copy in sealed envelopes with the following clearly marked in large, bold and/or colored lettering.

Request for Proposal 21/22-027 Bid Opening September 8, 2022

3:00 p.m.

https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement https://www.demandstar.com/app/agencies/florida/suwannee-river-water-management-district/procurement

Proposal packages delivered in an envelope not properly marked with the Proposal number, opening date and time that are inadvertently opened by District personnel will not be considered. The package shall be submitted electronically, hand-delivered or mailed. Proposers should be aware that no common carrier guarantees next day delivery to District headquarters.

Proposals submitted through Demandstar are to be uploaded to the platform no later than 3:00 p.m. September 8, 2022.

SECTION 3 - INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS

Questions: To provide equal opportunity and ensure the same information is provided to all proposers, any questions should be submitted by email to Sharon.Hingson@SRWMD.org before 4 p.m. on August 23, 2022. The questions with answers will be posted on the District website www.mysuwanneeriver.com, on August 25, 2022 on or before 5:00 PM. Questions cannot be answered via telephone or other verbal communication.

Proposal Document: Any interested licensed insurance broker or agent in the State of Florida with at least five years of experience in providing such services as described in this RFP shall submit a proposal of services which includes the items below.

• Written Evaluation: A written evaluation of the District's health insurance plans, the District's health insurance strategy, and identifying opportunities to better manage health insurance costs while maintaining or increasing employee benefits and choice.

• Statement: A statement of the Proposer's experience. Please provide detailed experience, if any, with State of Florida local government entities and small businesses with under 150 covered lives.

• Description of Services: A description of the services the Proposer will provide under the contract. The Proposer should confirm that it can meet the expectations of the Scope of Work.

• Location: The location of the office from which services will be provided, must be within the State of Florida.

• Individual: Name of the individual agent or broker responsible for servicing the District account and a resume or biography detailing professional experience, including contact information (email, telephone and mailing address).

• Qualifications: Copies of the appropriate State Licenses, Insurance Certificates, and Company Charter or Certificate of Incorporation.

• References: At least three (3) references of existing clients.

Delivery of Proposal:

All proposals submitted in electronic/digital format must include a certification by the Vendor that the electronic submission and all supporting documents are accessible according to 282.603 Florida Statutes and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to the creation and use of electronic documents. This requirement applies to editable formats, such as Microsoft Word, as well as portable document formats (PDF).

mailto:Sharon.Hingson@SRWMD.org http://www.mysuwanneeriver.com/

It is the obligation of the proposer to ensure that it has reviewed all amendments, addenda, and all questions and answers to this RFP as posted on the District website to ensure that the proposal responds to the most current information available for the RFP.

SECTION 4 – KEY POINTS

Challenge of Solicitation Process: If a potential respondent protests any provisions of this RFP, a notice of intent to protest shall be filed with the District in writing within 72 hours after the posting of the request for proposal on the District’s website. “Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3) Florida Statutes shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes.”

Challenge of District’s Intent to Award Contract: If a respondent intends to protest District’s intent to award contract, the notice of intent to protest must be filed in writing within 72 hours after posting of a notice of intent to award contract and the respondent shall file a formal written protest within ten (10) days after filing of notice of intent to protest. Any respondent who files a formal written protest pursuant to Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code, and Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes shall post with the District at the time of filing the formal written protest, a bond pursuant to Section 287.042(2)(c), Florida Statutes (2020) Failure to file a notice of intent to protest or failure to file a formal written protest within the time prescribed in Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code and Section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, or failure to post the bond or other security required by law within the time allowed for filing a bond shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes. More specifically, “Failure to file a protest within the time prescribed in Section 120.57(3) Florida Statutes shall constitute a waiver of proceedings under Chapter 120 of Florida Statutes.”

Americans With Disabilities Act: The District does not discriminate upon the basis of any individual’s disability status. This nondiscrimination policy involves every aspect of the District’s functions including one’s access to, participation, employment, or treatment in its programs or activities. Anyone requiring reasonable accommodation as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact Sharon Hingson, Records, Contracts and Procurement Manager at 386.362.1001 or 800.226.1066 (Florida only). The District’s fax number is 386.362.1056.

Minority Business Enterprises: The District recognizes fair and open competition as a basic tenet of public procurement. Respondents doing business with the District are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, handicap, age, or sex. The District encourages participation by minority business enterprises. Whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally, a minority business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process.

Veteran’s Preference: In the absence of minority business enterprise, whenever two or more service providers are ranked equally by the Selection Committee, a veteran-owned business enterprise shall be given preference in the award process.

ADA Compliance: For all electronic deliverables due under the contract resulting from this Contract, Vendor must ensure that those deliverables and all supporting documents are accessible according to 282.603 Florida Statutes and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to the creation and use of electronic documents. This requirement applies to editable formats, such as Microsoft Word, as well as portable document formats (PDF).

Drug Free Workplace Act: The selected PROPOSER shall certify that it has established a drug free workplace.

Public Entity Crime: Section 287.133(2)(a), Florida Statutes, states “A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity, may not submit a bid on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work, may not submit bids on leases of real property to a public entity, may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity, and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s.287.017 for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months from the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.”

Scrutinized Company: Section 287.135, Florida Statutes, states “A company is ineligible to, and may not, bid on, submit a proposal for, or enter into or renew a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of:

(a) Any amount if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company is on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, created pursuant to s. 215.4725, or is engaged in a boycott of Israel; or

(b) One million dollars or more if, at the time of bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing such contract, the company:

1. Is on the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in Sudan List or the Scrutinized Companies with Activities in the Iran Petroleum Energy Sector List, created pursuant to

s. 215.473; or

2. Is engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria.”

Insurance Requirements: If awarded, PROPOSER shall represent and guarantee that all employees, agents, servants or representatives of the respondent, and all employees, agents, servants, or representatives of subcontractors are covered by workers' compensation insurance.

Prior to entering into contract with the District, respondent agrees to furnish the District certificates of insurance on all insurance, naming District as additional insured for items 2 and 3 below, providing evidence that respondent has in full force and effect the following minimum insurance with insurers authorized to do business in the State of Florida:

1) Workers' compensation insurance as required above;

2) Motor vehicular liability insurance with limits of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit which insurance shall be applicable to any and all vehicles utilized by respondent to provide the services requested by District;

3) General liability insurance for all services rendered by respondent for the requested services with a minimum of $1,000,000 personal and advertising injury and $1,000,000 general aggregate.

The certificate of insurance shall also provide that District shall be notified in writing by the carrier at least 30 days prior to any cancellation of said insurance.

Rejection of Responses: The District reserves the right to reject any and all bids or other proposals submitted in response to District invitation. District also reserves the right to waive any minor deviations in an otherwise valid proposal.

Respondents to this solicitation or persons acting on their behalf may not contact, between the release of the solicitation and the end of the 72-business hour period following the agency posting the notice of intended award, any employee or officer of the http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0215/Sections/0215.4725.html http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0200-0299/0215/Sections/0215.473.html

District concerning any aspect of this solicitation, except in writing as indicated above.

Violation of this provision may be grounds for rejecting a response.

SECTION 5 - SCOPE OF WORK

The insurance broker serves as a consultant for the District and provides expert advice to District management on the structure of the District's insurance offerings and in the evaluation and selection of specific plans. See Attachment A for current insurance offerings.

The District seeks an insurance broker who will prepare competitive procurements and administer them on behalf of the District in compliance with Section 112.08, Florida Statutes, for health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, long-term disability insurance, group term life insurance, and any other insurance offering determined by District management.

The insurance broker shall administer the plans on behalf of the District and shall aid District employees with questions and concerns related to benefits and claims for services. The administration of plans will include conducting an online open-enrollment.

For qualified broker, contract is expected to be a three-year agreement with the option of two, one-year renewals.

EVALUATION

Vendors will be reviewed based on their proposals, knowledge of the District and ranked.

ACCESSIBILITY

For all electronic/digital deliverables due under this contract the vendor must ensure that those deliverables and all supporting documents are accessible according to 282.603 Florida Statutes and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to the creation and use of electronic documents. This requirement applies to editable formats, such as Microsoft Word, as well as portable document formats (PDF).

SECTION 6 - RESPONSE FORM

Proposers are required to complete and submit this form. One (1) original and one (1) digital copy shall be delivered in one envelope as discussed in Section 3. Proposal shall include a written evaluation detailing the proposer’s ability to perform the scope of work as shown in Section 5 and shall include a list of no less than three references from existing clients.

Total proposal $__________

Company Name: ___________________________

Address: ___________________________

City: ___________________________

State: __________ Zip: _______________

Phone Number: ___________________________

Email Address: ___________________________

Broker license # ___________________________

Project Manager: ___________________________

Any material submitted in response to this RFP (except trade secrets as defined in s. 812.081, FS) will become a public document pursuant to Section 119.07, F.S. This includes material which the responding proposer might consider to be confidential. Any claim of confidentiality is waived upon submission, effective after opening pursuant to Section 119.07. It is the responsibility of the proposer to specifically identify any trade secret information contained in the proposal by clearly marking each page and section which contains trade secrets as defined by Florida Statute 812.081. Contractor’s refusal to comply with this provision shall constitute sufficient cause for termination of the contract resulting from this RFP.

This procurement is conducted under the rules, policies, and procedures of the Suwannee River Water Management District and the District’s Governing Board. This procurement is not conducted pursuant to Ch. 287, Florida Statutes, except where explicitly provided by law. The District’s rules, policies, and procedures are available by contacting the procurement officer.

Attachment A

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Subject to any changes and additions as may be mutually agreed by the parties in writing, availability and delivery of data from the insurance carrier and other third-party vendors, Broker will provide the following Services to Client on an "as needed" basis:

RENEWAL ANALYSIS:

• Review and evaluate carrier projections

• Coordinate carrier negotiations

• Create employee contribution modeling reports

• Review identified benchmarks of projected plan costs

• Develop "working" rates for Client analysis and approval

• Assist with budget projections

• Provide renewal alternatives with cost impact of benefit plan changes

PERIODIC PLAN FINANCIAL REPORTS: (frequency to be mutually agreed upon)

• Summary of plan costs

• Analysis of actual vs. budget

• Employee contributions

• Identification of costs for specific line of coverage

• Plan trends

ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORTS (END OF YEAR ACCOUNTING):

• Comparison of current costs to renewal costs

• Future plan costs projections

• Dollars saved by contract negotiation

CARRIER MARKETING AND NEGOTIATIONS, AS DIRECTED BY CLIENT:

• Manage the renewal process with the current carrier to control costs

• Implement carrier renewal strategies with Client

• Develop timeline covering every aspect from RFP preparation to the delivery of employee communications

• Provide analysis of employee disruption report and preparation of geo-access report

• Provide analysis of discounts offered by various carriers.

• Manage RFP development that tailors the RFP to the desires, needs and financial directions provided by Client

• Explore alternative funding solutions

• Evaluate vendor responses to track variations in coverage and costs as they are identified

• Conduct finalist interviews to investigate and document intangibles such as personalities, service orientation and responsiveness

• Draft renewal analysis report, based on renewal negotiation, covers program and claims cost projections as well as complete information on benefit designs

• Facilitate decision process by coordinating close collaboration and discussions among the Broker and Client

LEGISLATIVE AND CORPORATE COMPLIANCE SUPPORT:

• Provide legislative updates, including Technical Bulletins and Directions newsletters

• Evaluate plan design to assist with compliance with state and federal regulations

• Review benefit plan documents, including summary plan descriptions, contracts, employee summaries, and policies/procedures

• Conduct periodic seminars on regulatory issues

• Assist with the review and evaluation of COBRA and HIPAA compliance procedures

• Provide general information and guidance to assist with compliance with ERISA, FMLA, USERRA, Medicare Part D and other Federal legislation that directly affects the administration of plan benefits

• Provide template or sample compliance notices, certificates of creditable coverage and enrollment forms as reasonably requested by Client

DAY TO DAY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE

EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PROGRAMS:

• Facilitate focus groups

• Monthly benefit communication directed to employees

• Educational meetings on coverage and trends

COMMUNICATION MATERIALS:

• Assist with the drafting and distribution of participant Satisfaction Surveys

• Assist with the drafting and distribution of Open Enrollment-New Member Orientation summary information and any other communications pertaining to the health and welfare program

• Provide annual open enrollment guidance and employee meeting materials

• Assist with marketing and oversight of Customized Enrollment Materials (if elected)

• Assist with participant wellness initiatives, as directed by Client

BENEFIT ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT:

• Periodic evaluation of internal plan enrollment and benefit termination processes

• Review, coordinate and implement Client agreed upon plan "best practices" to help limit plan liability and increase participant satisfaction

• Help identify opportunities for streamlining and improving administration procedures

MARKET BENCHMARKING STUDIES:

• Local Area Surveys

• Industry Surveys

BENEFIT PLAN DESIGN (OR REDESIGN):

• Help Client identify business and HR objectives that impact benefits

• Review with Client possible benefit strategies to meet their objectives

• Help Client evaluate/review current scope of benefits package - e.g., types & levels of coverage

• Work with Client to develop funding and contribution strategies

• Assist with budget projections for design alternatives