Addendum_298-FY26-HR-RFP-EAP2026.pdf

Addendum No. 1 Issue Date: 10/15/2025

Project Name: Employee Assistance Program Provider Project Number: 298-FY26-HR-RFP-EAP2026 TO: Prospective Applicants

This addendum forms a part of the Request for Proposals and modifies the original Project Number 298-FY26-HR-RFP-EAP2026 only to the extent specifically noted below. Failure to acknowledge this addendum in the submittal may subject the submitter to being deemed non-responsive.

This Addendum is posted on the City procurement website at www.ashevillenc.gov/bids. This is the official source of this addendum. All addenda and attachments shall be published to the same location.

This Addendum consists of 3 pages in total.

This Addendum is to address Responses to Questions for 298-FY26-HR-RFP-EAP2026.

Answers to Questions

1. Question: What is their current utilization? Please provide their 2023 and 2024 utilization reports.

Response: View utilization via this link

2. Question: How many Disruptive Event Management (DEM)/Critical Incidents did they have in 2023 and 2024 that required an onsite presence by the EAP?

Response: None

3. Question: Confirm the total DEM/CISD onsite hours used in 2023 and 2024.

Response: None

4. Question: Are there any specific needs or improvements they are looking for that their current EAP vendor is not addressing?

Response: No

5. Question: In general, what is the reason that City of Asheville is requesting proposals?

Response: Current contract is expiring.

6. Question: What is their level of satisfaction with the current vendor?

Response: Extremely satisfied.

7. Question: What is the current rate City of Asheville is paying for EAP services?

http://www.ashevillenc.gov/bids https://drive.google.com/file/d/19-bWZib9MxZWeMSkpsQctdn1K4LDvGaM/view?usp=sharing

Response: $1.20 per full-time or part-time employee per month.

8. Question: Do you have the renewal? And if so, what is that rate?

Response: There is no renewal since the contract is expiring.

9. Question: Does the City currently have health care advocacy services? Can we show pricing for standalone EAP and EAP + Advocacy?

Response: No. This is not within the scope of the RFP, proposals may include information deemed appropriate for your response.

10. Question: Please provide a census to confirm the number of lives to be quoted.

Response: View current census here

11. Question: can you please confirm if these vendors need to be signed by 1/1 and that we need to maintain that percentage or do we need to show good faith efforts to reach up to that percentage by the RFP due date?

Response: Contract should be effective no later than 01/01/2026. Questions regarding the Asheville Business Inclusion Policy may be directed to the Asheville Business Inclusion Office by phone at (828) 259-8050 or by email abi@ashevillenc.gov.

12. Question: does the 6.39% need to be local to Asheville or can we expand our search to our national network?

Response: Questions regarding the Asheville Business Inclusion Policy may be directed to the Asheville Business Inclusion Office by phone at (828) 259-8050 or by email abi@ashevillenc.gov.

13. Question: Confirm # of employees and go live date

Response: Current number of employees is 1,290. Go live date no later than 01/01/2026.

14. Question: Who is incumbent and how long have you been with them

Response: MYgroup (McLaughlin Young). The City has used their services for approximately 6 years.

15. Question: Training and CISM utilization for 2024 and 2025

a) How many hours are provided today for critical incident events and training via incumbent?

Response: Three consecutive hours of on-site CISD per year.

16. Question: Can you advise what this means on page 3 of the RFP: Unlimited access to employee orientation and supervisor training available at mygroup.com

Response: Contractor will provide supervisor and employee orientations on the Contractor’s website.

17. Question: For health fair events, how many hours are needed per year?

Response: Contractor will need to determine if they will participate and if so, how many hours they will provide per year.

18. Question: Does City of Asheville want an Account Manager named in the RFP? We typically assign if chosen as a finalist.

Response: The proposal submitted will need to include information you determine is appropriate regarding the account manager.

19. Question: Confirm the approximate number of employees and dependents, if applicable, who would be eligible for EAP coverage under this contract?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TbszypOxxoTDRe57rMPSxnZhqIPfOpaakkBiGCQaLWM/edit?usp=sharing http://mygroup.com/

Response: 1,290 is the current number of employees. Fulltime and part-time employees and their dependents are eligible for EAP services.

20. Question: Are there renewal structure terms in the contract?

Response: Yes

21. Question: Will we be operating under the city’s contract or our own? Can we receive a copy of the standard contract template?

Response: View City of Asheville contract template via this link.

The selected vendor will be directly contracted with the City of Asheville.

22. Question: Could you please provide a copy of the current incumbent's contract or bid extract for reference?

Response: View contract via this link

23. Question: Who are the current vendors at each site?

Response: The City’s current vendor is MYgroup (McLaughlin Young).

24. Question: How many incumbent guards are currently deployed, and what percentage do you want to retain?

Response: Not applicable.

25. Question: If council approval is delayed in November, will the start date shift or will incumbents extend coverage?

Response: Go live date no later than 01/01/2026.

26. Question: Will there be a transition/orientation period before Dec 12, or is full service expected that day?

Response: Go live date no later than 01/01/2026. Orientation period to be determined.

27. Question: Who will be the city’s designated Contract Manager/point of contact for daily Operations?

Response: The Compensation and Benefits Manager for the City of Asheville.

28. Question: For posts requiring multiple officers, is there a required ratio of armed vs.

unarmed?

Response: Not applicable.

29. Question: Are supervisors required on-site at certain locations, or can supervisors be roving across multiple sites?

Response: Not applicable.

30. Question: What is the maximum allowable time to replace an officer who resigns or is Terminated?

Response: Not applicable.

31. Question: Are bilingual officers required at any community centers or facilities?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nif12ihvzzDHzaYKV3XSdcbGCtUnjMgg/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw

32. Question: Do youth-oriented community centers require specialized training or certifications for guards?

33. Question: Will officers be expected to perform arrests, or only detain until police arrive?

34. Question: Does the city have a preferred use-of-force policy or continuum that guards must follow?

Response: Not applicable.

35. Question: Will officers participate in city-run emergency drills (fire, active shooter, disaster response)?

36. Question: What background checks are required (state, FBI/FDLE, Level II)?

Response: Selected vendor will determine what is appropriate for their staff.

37. Question: Will pre-employment and random drug testing be required, and who will cover the associated costs?

Response: Selected vendor will determine what is appropriate for their staff; and the selected vendor will be responsible for these costs.

38. Question: Outside of state security licenses (PPSB), are additional certifications needed?

39. Question: For incumbent staff being retained, how will their training and certification records transfer?

Response: Not applicable.

40. Question: Who will be responsible for retained staff who submitted vacation time prior to the transition?

41. Question: On Page 12 (Alternate #3 patrol), how many days per week is the 4 p.m.–11 p.m.

shift?

Response: Not applicable.

42. Question: On Page 12 (Alternate #3 patrol), how many days per week is the 4 p.m.–11 p.m.

shift?

Response: Not applicable.

43. Question: Is the extra 30 minutes before/after included in scheduled hours, or billed separately?

44. Question: Are minimum staffing levels fixed, or can staffing be adjusted based on time of day/traffic?

Response: Not applicable.

45. Question: Will site-specific post orders be provided with exact coverage times per building, or must the vendor draft them?

Response: Not applicable.

46. Question: Are minimum guaranteed hours per week/site provided, or are assignments strictly “as needed”?

Response: Not applicable.

47. Question: For patrol vehicles, should they be billed as a monthly lease, by mileage, or another method?

Response: Not applicable.

48. Question: Should patrol vehicles be marked or unmarked? If marked, will decals be city-provided or vendor-supplied?

Response: Not applicable.

49. Question: Are fuel and maintenance costs reimbursed separately or included in lease rates?

Response: Not applicable.

50. Question: For community center uniforms, what exact attire is required (e.g., polos, khakis, soft uniforms)?

Response: Not applicable.

51. Question: For armed officers, are there any restrictions on firearms (caliber, barrel length, holster type)?

Response: Not applicable.

52. Question: Are radios or other communications devices provided by the city, or must the vendor supply them?

Response: Not applicable.

53. Question: How many metal detectors are required, and what type (handheld vs.

walkthrough)?

Response: Not applicable.

54. Question: Is a Jotform submission that pushes to an email to the City’s representative an acceptable reporting Process?

Response: Selected vendor will determine appropriate reporting method.

55.Question: What specific fields are required in daily activity and incident reports?

56.Question: Will the city review/approve post orders drafted by the vendor?

57.Question: What performance metrics or KPIs will the city use to evaluate contractor performance?

Response: Adherence to contract and providing of services therein.

58.Question: Are there penalties for missed shifts, late reports, or excessive turnover?

Response: Not applicable.

59.Question: What is the invoicing/payment schedule (Net 30, Net 45, other)?

Response: Net 30

60.Question:Should invoices break out labor, equipment, and overhead separately, or use a blended hourly rate?

Response: Not applicable.

61.Question: Are holiday hours billable at a premium rate, or the same as regular?

Response: Not applicable.

62.Question: Will overtime be reimbursed at time-and-a-half or another rate?

Response: Not applicable.

63.Question: Is travel time between roving patrol sites billable?

Response: Not applicable.

64.Question: Is training/orientation time billable, or considered vendor overhead?

Response: Not applicable.

65.Question:Will the city allow mid-year rate adjustments (inflation, wage increases, licensing changes)?

66.Question:What are the minimum insurance requirements (GL, auto, workers’ comp, professional liability)?

Response: Insurance Requirements as listed in the RFP:

The successful Proposer agrees to keep and maintain for the duration of a contract including but not limited to commercial general liability, professional liability, workers’ compensation, and employer’s liability coverage with at least the minimum limits shown below. The Proposer shall furnish the City with certificates of insurance for each type of insurance described herein, with the City listed as Certificate Holder and as an additional insured on the Proposer’s general liability policy. In the event of bodily injury, property damage, or financial loss caused by the Proposer’s negligent acts or omissions in connection with Proposer’s services performed under this Agreement, the Proposer’s Liability insurance shall be primary with respect to any other insurance which may be available to the City, regardless of how the “Other Insurance” provisions may read. In the event of cancellation, substantial changes or nonrenewal, the Contractor and Contractor’s insurance carrier shall give the City at least thirty (30) days prior written notice. No work shall be performed until the Contractor has furnished to the City the above referenced certificates of insurance and associated endorsements, in a form suitable to the City.

● Commercial General Liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence

● Professional Liability: $1,000,000 per claim-made / $3,000,000 aggregate

● Workers’ Compensation: Statutory

● Employer Liability: $500,000 each accident/total disease/employee disease

67.Question: How broad is the indemnity clause — will the contractor be liable even for incidents caused by possible city negligence?

Response: Indemnification as listed in the RFP: The successful proposer shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City and the City’s officers, employees and agents from and against any and all losses, damages, costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), obligations, and other liabilities (including settlement amounts) that arise directly or indirectly from:

● Any infringement of any copyright, trademark, or patent, any misappropriation of any trade secrets, or infringement or misappropriation of any other proprietary rights, in connection with any software, documentation, services, or other products supplied directly or indirectly by successful proposer in connection with this Agreement, or any allegation of any of the foregoing (collectively referred to as “Infringement Claims”);

● Any acts of negligence or willful misconduct by the successful proposer or any of its agents, employees, or subcontractors (or any allegations of any of the foregoing), including but not limited to any liability caused by an accident or other occurrence resulting in bodily injury, death, sickness, or disease to any person(s) or damage or destruction to any property, real or personal;

● Any acts or omissions of the successful proposer with respect to the services provided by the successful proposer under this Agreement (or any allegations of any of the foregoing);

● Any claims by any persons or entities supplying labor or material to the successful proposer in connection with the performance of the Company’s obligations under this Agreement.

If an Infringement Claim occurs, the successful proposer shall either: (i) procure for the City the right to continue using the affected product or service; or (ii) repair or replace the infringing product or service so that it becomes non-infringing, provided that any such replacement or modification will not affect the performance of any network or component thereof or affect the performance of any type of City system, product, item, or device or of any service that the City provides.

67.Question: In the event of a firearm discharge or use-of-force incident, is liability solely on the contractor, or shared with the city?

Response: Not applicable.

68.Question: Does the city require bonding in addition to insurance?

Response: Not applicable.

69.Question: At community centers with pools, will lifeguards always be present during operations?

Response: Not applicable.

70.Question: At the Arts Center, will event-specific security be required outside normal hours?

Response: Not applicable.

71.Question: For parks patrols, what exact locations and schedules should be assumed?

Response: Not applicable.

72.Question: For holidays, which facilities remain open and require guard coverage?

Response: Not applicable.

73.Question: Has the city had prior security incidents at these sites that should inform staffing (arrests, fights, violence)?

74.Question: Who is the current EAP vendor and how long have they been providing services to the City?

Response: MYgroup (McLaughlin Young) is the current provider. They have been the EAP provider for the City of Asheville for approximately 6 years.

75.Question: Please confirm that pricing should be based on 1,400 employees.

Response: Current number of employees is 1,290.

76.Question: Confirm the current EAP visit model is 5 sessions per issue.

Response: Correct.

77.Question:Please provide the current rate and a rate history throughout the contract term for the

EAP.

Response: View contract via this link

78.Question: How many hours of the following services are included within the current EAP contract per year?

● Onsite training/orientation/educational seminars

● Onsite health fair/event participation

● Onsite critical incident support events (# events/# hours)

● Webinar training

Response:

● Onsite training/orientation/educational seminars: View contract via this link

● Onsite health fair/event participation: View contract via this link

● Onsite critical incident support events (# events/# hours): View contract via this link

● Webinar training: Unknown - provided online at user’s convenience

79.Question:How many total hours of the following services were utilized in each of the last two (2) years?

● Onsite training/orientation/educational seminars

● Onsite health fair/event participation

● Onsite critical incident support events (# events/# hours)

● Webinar training

● Onsite training/orientation/educational seminars None

● Onsite health fair/event participation None

● Onsite critical incident support events (# events/# hours)None

● Webinar training Unknown - utilized online at employee’s convenience

80. Question: Please provide copies of 2023 and 2024 EAP utilization reports.

81. Question: If reports are not available, please provide the following for each of the last 2 years.

● Number of employees on which the report is based

● Total number of clinical cases

● Total number of work-life cases

● Total number of clinical sessions https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw

82. Question: What are the three components that are most important to the City in an EAP?

Response: All components are important.

83.Question: How many employees covered under the EAP fall under Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations?

Response: The City has 124 CDL drivers.

84. Question: Are DOT Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) evaluations included within the EAP contract? If yes, is there a cap on the number of evaluations included each year within the EAP rate or are evaluations provided on a fee-for-service basis?

Response: No

85.Question: How many Department of Transportation (DOT) Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) evaluations have been requested in each of the last three years?

Response: None

86.Question: How many Fitness-for-Duty Evaluations (FFDE) have been conducted in each of the last 2 years? What is the current rate for FFDE evaluations?

Response: Less than 5. View contract via this link

87.Question: Explain the, " up to 3 consecutive hours of onsite critical incident response to be provided per calendar year." Does the City receive 1, up to 3 hour CISD event per year included in the PEPM?

Response: View contract via this link

88.Question: On average, how many printed promotional materials have been requested each year?

Response: Approximately 200

89. Question: Can you the City provide a total employee count for the purposes of pricing the

RFP?

Response: 1,290

90. Question: Please provide info on the City’s current EAP provider, how long they have been serving you all?

Response: MYgroup (McLaughlin Young) is the current provider. They have been the EAP provider for the City of Asheville for approximately 6 years.

91. Question: Inova is a not for profit organization, and as such cannot comply with any MWE/MBE requirements.

Can the City please clarify if this solicitation is limited to small businesses? If not, can those non-MWE/MBE vendors fill out a waiver for this requirement?

Response: Questions regarding the Asheville Business Inclusion Policy may be directed to the Asheville Business Inclusion Office by phone at (828) 259-8050 or by email abi@ashevillenc.gov.

Applicants must acknowledge the addendum in their RFP response submittal

I understand that failure to acknowledge any addenda may cause this bid/proposal to be deemed non-responsive.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwARC-ArcqwqbGVlUUkwRHNnTl90LWo4MGc5ZlU5dFZHX2tj/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-3ssUL9K_fEr0kFyhFu-CTw

Authorized Signature Company Date

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