252669PB_Project_Documents.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (“RFP”) – PART I

RFP Template Revised 10/11/23 Page 1 of 5

RFP #: 252669PB RFP TITLE: HEALTH AND BENEFITS CONSULTANT

1.0 PURPOSE

Sarasota County (“County”), a political subdivision of the State of Florida, will receive proposals on the date indicated in OpenGov Procurement (OpenGov), the County’s electronic procurement portal, for the purpose of selecting a qualified proposer to provide Health and Benefits Consulting services. Proposers are required to comply with Part II, Scope of Services.

OpenGov is located at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/scgov

2.0 PROPOSER

2.1 For the purpose of this RFP, the term “Proposer” is defined as the legal entity submitting a proposal.

2.2 Proposers intending to submit a bid as a joint venture with another company must provide documentation attesting to the formation of that joint venture with their submittal. For purposes of this solicitation, all vendors who make up the joint venture will be considered together as the Proposer.

3.0 QUALIFICATIONS

3.1 Minimum Qualifications

3.1.1. The Proposer must demonstrate experience providing health and benefits consulting services for public sector clients within the last five years.

3.2 Required Licenses and Certifications

3.2.1. Proposer holds the following active licenses:

1. Florida Department of Financial Services Resident Health & Life Insurance (Including Annuities & Variable Contracts)

2. Insurance Agency License per Section 626.172 (2a), Florida Statutes.

3.3 Preferred Qualifications

3.3.1. Proposer’s Lead Consultant has a minimum of 5 years’ experience providing health and benefits consulting services for public sector clients with 1,000 or more employees.

3.3.2. Proposer has demonstrated public sector client experience in the State of Florida.

4.0 MEETINGS & SCHEDULE

An anticipated schedule is provided in the Timeline posted in OpenGov. All meetings will take place at the time, date, and location specified in the solicitation Timeline.

Short-listed Proposers should be prepared to attend presentations and/or interviews either in Sarasota, Florida or virtually, at the County’s discretion.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/scgov

RFP Template Revised 10/11/23 Page 2 of 5

5.0 SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Refer to Submittal Instructions section in OpenGov for instructions on how to submit a proposal. Proposers are advised to review the General Terms and Conditions of Solicitations which are available in OpenGov.

6.0 VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE

6.1 All proposers must complete the required forms and information included in the Vendor Questionnaire section of OpenGov. Completed forms and other requested documents must be uploaded with proposer’s submittal in OpenGov. Proposers who fail to complete and upload required forms and documents or fail to provide responses to questions in the Vendor Questionnaire section of OpenGov may be found non-responsive.

7.0 WRITTEN PROPOSALS

The information requested in each section below will be used by the evaluation committee to evaluate and score written proposals. All proposal documents must be submitted in the Vendor Questionnaire section in OpenGov in the format requested.

7.1 Qualifications

7.1.1. Single page Letter of Interest summarizing Proposer’s

qualifications.

7.1.2. Required and preferred Licenses and Certifications.

7.1.3. Resumes of key personnel, including subcontractors, demonstrating individual qualifications and experience

7.2 Experience

7.2.1. Narrative – Provide a narrative that describes the Proposer’s experience, including, but not limited to the number of years in business, pertinent capabilities, and evidence of experience and resources necessary to successfully provide the requested services.

7.2.2. Customer List - Provide a list of customers who have been provided services similar to the services described in this RFP in the last 5 years. Customer list should include contact information for a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 10 customers. At a minimum, include customer name, a brief description of services provided, contract start and end dates, and the name, email, and telephone number of a contact person who can verify information. When possible, include the dollar value of the contract. If unable to provide detailed information regarding private sector customers due to confidentiality concerns, provide as much information as possible for those customers.

7.3 Approach

7.3.1. Project Approach - Provide a detailed project approach, including the proposed strategy for providing the requested services.

RFP Template Revised 10/11/23 Page 3 of 5

Anticipated resources, including, but not limited to, staffing levels, technology and equipment should be provided.

7.3.2. Schedule/Timeline – Provide a graphical representation of the proposed schedule/timeline indicating major milestones and deliverables.

7.3.3. Organization – Provide an organizational chart identifying all key personnel and their role in the providing the requested services.

7.4 Compensation

Provide a description of the total costs associated with this scope of work.

Compensation methods shall include hourly rates and detail all direct expense costs for all anticipated services.

8.0 SELECTION PROCESS

8.1 Written Proposals

8.1.1. All timely responses meeting the criteria set forth in this RFP shall be considered by the County.

8.1.2. Written proposals will be evaluated and scored using the evaluation criteria in the Evaluation Criteria section of OpenGov.

8.1.3. Only proposers who submit required documentation will be eligible to receive Local and American Preference points.

8.1.4. When evaluating written proposals, the evaluation committee will use the scale below to score each criterion. Only whole numbers are to be used when scoring. Scores will be given weight as indicated in the evaluation criteria in OpenGov.

Score Description

5 Excellent

4 Very Good

3 Good

2 Satisfactory

1 Unsatisfactory

0 N/A

8.2 Presentations

8.2.1. If any member of the evaluation committee requests presentations, presentations shall be scheduled.

8.2.2. If presentations are requested or required, the evaluation committee shall determine the number of Proposers to be short-

RFP Template Revised 10/11/23 Page 4 of 5 listed for presentations prior to scoring. The format of presentation will be determined by the County and may consist of presentations, interviews, or a combination of presentations and interviews.

Presentations will be required from no fewer than the three highest scoring Proposers (or all responsive and responsible Proposers if there are 3 or fewer) under the following circumstances.

1. The estimated costs of services are in excess of $350,000 (either annually or for the total project); or

2. Scoring results in 5 points or less between the highest scoring proposer and the 2nd highest scoring proposer; or

3. The solicitation documents specify that presentations or interviews will be required.

4. The Procurement Official has determined that presentations are required for this solicitation.

If this box is checked, the Procurement Official has determined that presentations are required for this solicitation

8.3 Ranking

Following presentations, the evaluation committee will rank the short-listed proposers. The ranking shall be based on the written proposals, clarifications (if any), and information presented during presentations.

8.4 Evaluation Committee Recommendation of Award

8.4.1. If presentations are not requested or required, the evaluation committee will recommend the highest scoring Proposer for award.

8.4.2. If presentations are requested or required, following presentations the evaluation committee will rank the short-listed Proposers, and recommend the first ranked Proposer for award.

9.0 AWARD

9.1 It is the intent of the County to award a contract to the Proposer who, in the sole opinion of the evaluation committee is most qualified to provide the scope of services required and will provide the best value to the County.

9.2 The County reserves the right to contract for a term less than or greater than the duration indicated in OpenGov.

9.3 The successful Proposer shall be required to submit proof of licenses or certifications as required by the County.

9.4 In the event of a tie, the RFP tie-breaking procedures identified in the Sarasota County Procurement Manual will apply. To be considered, tied Proposers will be required to provide documentation certifying they have implemented a drug-free workplace program meeting the requirements stipulated in Section 287.087, Florida Statutes. Documentation must be provided within the time specified by the County at the time of request.

RFP Template Revised 10/11/23 Page 5 of 5

9.5 Preferences

Proposers wishing to be considered for Local Business Preference or American Business Preference must complete and submit a Local & American Business Certification Form with their submittal. The Local & American Business Certification Form can be found in the Vendor Questionnaire section of OpenGov.

In awarding this RFP, preference shall be given to local businesses and American businesses in accordance with Section 2-215 of the Sarasota County Procurement Code.

Local and American business preferences do not apply to the award of this RFP, due to Grant funding requirements

9.6 Contract

A draft of the contract that the successful Proposer(s) will be expected to sign (a Consultant Agreement) is posted on the Procurement website, shown below. The County may, in its sole discretion, select a different contract type or make revisions to the one referenced above following the recommended award of this solicitation.

https://www.scgov.net/government/procurement/contract-templates

10.0 CHANGES IN KEY PERSONNEL

10.1 A change in the key personnel of a short-listed firm after the submission of the response to this RFP could result in reconsideration of the scoring of applicable evaluation criteria, at the sole discretion of the County.

10.2 Any changes in the key personnel of a short-listed firm should be brought to the attention of the County as soon as possible after the change is made.

The changes, the reasons for the changes, and resumes for the individuals being substituted for an individual identified in the response, must be submitted, prior to oral presentations, to the Procurement Analyst identified on the Solicitation Summary.

10.3 Decreases in scoring may result from the reconsideration of changes in the key personnel of a short-listed firm. No increases in scoring will result from the reconsideration of changes in the key personnel of a short-listed firm.

10.4 After award of a contract, the successful Proposer shall not be allowed to substitute key personnel named in this response, including subcontractors, without the prior written permission of the County. Substitution may, in the sole opinion of the County, be grounds for cancellation of selection, or termination of contract.

https://www.scgov.net/government/procurement/contract-templates

PART II

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Prepared by Human Resources Part II - Page 1 of 4

1. OVERVIEW

Sarasota County Government is seeking proposals from qualified health and benefits consultants to design, evaluate, negotiate, and administer comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable benefit programs for employees, retirees, and their families. These programs are crucial to the County’s efforts to attract and retain a skilled and high-performing workforce.

The benefits are offered to the employees of the Board of County Commissioners to include three Bargaining Units (ATU, Teamsters, & IAFF), Clerk of Circuit Court, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector. In total benefits are offered to approximately 2,600 employees and 300 retirees.

The County offers three self-insured medical plans, one self-insured dental plan, one fully-insured dental DMO plan, a pharmacy plan, short-term and long-term disability, long-term care, life insurance, an employee assistance program, and voluntary plans including vision, critical illness/cancer, hospital indemnity, accident, long-term care, identify theft, and legal assistance plans.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The Consultant shall be a key strategic and valuable partner in managing and optimizing the organization’s benefit programs. Services provided by the Consultant shall include, but not be limited to:

A. Standard ongoing consulting services for health and benefits

i. Design and maintain a robust analytics platform.

ii. Provide data analysis and interpretation to identify patterns and changes in spending, track progress on health and wellness initiatives, and enable data driven decision making.

iii. Support with strategic benefits planning, cost management, wellness program development.

iv. Ongoing compliance, benchmarking, and claims data analysis and recommendations for reducing costs based on trends and future landscape.

v. Ongoing legislative and regulatory updates and guidance.

vi. Ongoing services in selection, implementation, and evaluation of employee benefit programs, including voluntary and supplemental benefits.

vii. Consultant shall facilitate and attend Plan Review Meetings with County vendors and provide expertise and guidance to the County. Expected contribution may include but is not limited to: interpretation of analytics, comparison of data, analysis of plan performance, and provision of any other information to support the County during plan review.

i. Annual plan design evaluation, benchmarking trends, and state of the national and Florida- based marketplace, including but not limited to, a comparison of Florida's public sector.

ii. Renewal evaluations and contract negotiations for benefit offerings to include, but not limited to Medical, Pharmacy, Dental, Vision, Prepared by Human Resources Part II - Page 2 of 4

Employee Assistance Program, Flexible Spending Accounts, and stop-loss insurance.

iii. Provide assistance with administrative issues with vendors.

iv. Hold briefings with key stakeholders, from County Benefits and Wellness management team to County senior management groups including Appointed Authorities and Board of County Commissioners

(BCC).

v. Determine the availability of services from licensed clinical specialists engaged by the Consultant, including but not limited to medical doctors, pharmacists, nurse case managers, etc.

vi. Determine the availability of services from licensed actuaries and legal/compliance industry experts.

vii. Assist with the procurement of policies for Fire-related Florida Statues such as cancer and accident insurance policies.

viii. Support for branding, marketing, and communications development such as annual employee guides and educational resources:

a. Support for annual Benefit expos and facilitation of vendors.

b. Assistance with and review of Summary Plan Description and Summary of Benefits and Coverage documents.

c. Support for open enrollment marketing collateral.

ix. Provide educational opportunities for departmental Benefit Professionals through annual courses, trainings, and webinars.

B. Consultant shall be responsible for providing the following Financial/Actuarial services:

i. Annual preparation of financial experience reports and plan year projections, including the incurred but not reported (IBNR) analysis.

ii. Provide necessary filings to ensure compliance, including Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) Florida Statute 112.08 reporting.

iii. Actuarial Evaluation of Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) Liability

a. Consultant shall assist County staff with data collection in preparation for OPEB evaluation.

b. Perform analysis as necessary in support of County preparation for OPEB evaluation.

iv. Actuarial impacts to plan design changes and annual premium rate setting.

v. Actuarial recommendations for plan funding and cost sharing.

vi. Annual medical and pharmacy claims audit.

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vii. Annual Pharmacy Market check (during non-renewal years)

viii. Dental claims audit (every three years).

ix. Verification of annual non-discrimination testing.

x. Ensure timely completion and submissions of all regulatory and compliance requirements and attestations, including assistance in responding to Auditor requests.

xi. Medicare D Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Administrative Services

a. Advise County of RDS activities and application requirements, documentation, and filing.

b. Complete necessary documents and applications for County review and submission.

• Conduct actuarial attestation.

• Work in collaboration with the County and pharmacy plan vendor to gather all necessary and required data.

• Assist in responding to RDS inquiries, denials, or other communication, as needed.

• Other activities, as needed or required to meet requirements and filing.

3. REQUIRED LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS

A. Consultant shall employ at least one agent who holds Agent’s license by the Florida Department of Financial Services, in accordance with Florida Statute

626.0428 (2), at all times during the duration of the contract.

4. SOLICITATION ASSISTANCE

A. Consultant shall assist County staff with solicitation design, including but not limited to development of Scope of Services for self-funded medical, dental and pharmacy plans benefits management as well as vision, life insurance, COBRA, short-term and long-term disability, stop loss, legal, accident, and other group insurances or voluntary programs.

B. Market analysis of networks, discounts, claims and other considerations through formal solicitation process for Medical, Rx, Dental, and other potential offerings.

C. Claims experience and enrollment data will come from medical, dental, and pharmacy and all relevant sources from providers of the County benefits.

D. Review and evaluate responses, prepare written analysis including a detailed discount analysis for County major service providers and recommendations for County’s consideration.

E. Assist, if requested, in contract negotiations and development/or review of any vendor performance guarantees.

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F. Evaluate vendor’s implemented technology capabilities (e.g. claims payment systems, call centers, care coordination, etc.) for adherence to industry standards or norm. Advise on any proposed system changes or “upgrades” that may affect the County’s health plan.

G. Provide assistance with implementation and/or issues that may arise.

(END OF PART II)

PART III – INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Insurance Template Adopted 04/19/19 Page 1 of 2

CONTRACTOR’S INSURANCE

Contractor shall, on a primary basis and at its sole expense, maintain in full force and effect, at all times during the life of this Contract, insurance coverage (including endorsements) and limits as described herein. These requirements, as well as the County’s review or acceptance of insurance maintained by Contractor, are not intended to and shall not in any manner limit or qualify the liabilities or obligations assumed by Contractor under this Contract.

Insurance requirements itemized in this Contract and required of the Contractor shall extend to all subcontractors to cover their operations performed under this Contract.

The Contractor shall be responsible for any modifications, deviations, or omissions in these insurance requirements as they apply to subcontractors.

Insurance carriers providing coverage required herein must be licensed to conduct business in the State of Florida and must possess a current A.M. Best’s Financial Strength Rating of A- Class VII or better.

Each insurance policy required by this Contract shall apply separately to each insured against whom claim is made and suit is brought, except with respect to limits of the insurer’s liability.

The Contractor shall be solely responsible for payment of all premiums for insurance contributing to the satisfaction of this Contract and shall be solely responsible for the payment of all deductibles and retentions to which such policies are subject.

Contractor shall furnish Certificates of Insurance to the County Administrative Agent evidencing the types and amounts of coverage, including endorsements, required by this Contract prior to commencement of work and prior to expiration of the insurance contract, when applicable. Such Certificate(s) of Insurance shall, to the extent allowable by the insurer, include a minimum thirty (30) day notice of cancellation (10 days for non-payment of premium) or non-renewal of coverage. Notwithstanding these notification requirements, the Contractor will be required to provide County with 5-day prior written notice of any policy cancellation or non-renewal.

The County reserves the right to review, modify, reject, or accept any required policies of insurance, including limits, coverage, or endorsements, herein from time to time throughout the term of this Contract. County reserves the right, but not the obligation, to review and reject any insurer providing coverage due to its poor financial condition or failure to operate legally.

A. COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY: Contractor shall maintain Commercial General Liability per ISO form CG0001 or its equivalent, including but not limited to coverage for premises and operations, personal injury, products & completed operations, liability assumed under an insured contract, and independent contractors with limits of not less than $1,000,000.00 each occurrence, $2,000,000.00 aggregate covering all work performed under this Contract.

Contractor agrees to endorse Sarasota County Government as an additional insured on the Commercial General Liability coverage.

PART III – INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Insurance Template Adopted 04/19/19 Page 2 of 2

B. WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: Contractor agrees to maintain Workers’

Compensation insurance on in accordance with Florida Statutes, Chapter 440.

Employers Liability to be included with a minimum limit of $500,000 per accident/per disease/per employee. If work is to be performed over or adjacent to navigable water and involves maritime exposure, applicable LHWCA, Jones Act, or other maritime law coverage shall be included.

In the event the Contractor has “leased” employees, the Contractor or the employee leasing company must provide evidence of a Workers’ Compensation policy for all personnel on the worksite.

Contractors who are exempt from Florida’s Workers’ Compensation law must provide proof of such exemption issued by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

SPECIALIZED REQUIREMENTS (LIABILITY EXPOSURES)

C. PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY: Consultant shall maintain Professional Liability insurance, or equivalent Errors & Omissions Liability insurance, with limits not less than $1,000,000 per claim/occurrence and in the aggregate for professional services rendered under this Contract. If coverage is written on a claims-made basis: a. Any retroactive date shall precede the effective date of this Contract;

b. Consultant shall provide certificates of insurance evidencing the required coverage for a period of two years after final payment under this Contract is made, or provide evidence showing Consultant has obtained a two year extended reporting period endorsement.