Appendix_7.11_RFP%2031786-00186%20Written%20Questions%20and%20Comments%20template.docx

This is a Written Questions and Comments template document for RFP #31786-00186, issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration for fully-insured short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD-N) insurance services. The template is structured to facilitate bidder inquiries across three categories: General Questions, RFP Questions covering the Introduction through the Score Summary Matrix, and Contract Questions addressing the Scope of Work through the Minimum Benefit Schedule. The procurement seeks a single contractor to administer voluntary STD coverage (100% employee-paid) and mandatory LTD-N coverage (100% employer-paid) for central state government and state higher education agency employees, with implementation occurring from March 2026 through December 2026 and benefit delivery commencing January 1, 2027. Critical procurement milestones include a pre-response conference on September 10, 2025, a written questions deadline of September 17, 2025, a proposal response deadline of November 21, 2025, technical evaluations by January 6, 2026, cost proposal scoring on January 7, 2026, and contract negotiations scheduled for January 12-14, 2026. The contract term extends 70 months total, comprising 10 months of implementation and 60 months of benefit delivery through December 31, 2031.

The RFP evaluates responses based on technical qualifications (40 points), general qualifications and experience (10 points), and cost proposals (50 points), requiring respondents to demonstrate six years of disability insurance administration experience with at least five employer accounts, including one account with 10,000 or more members, and a current Tennessee Certificate of Authority for group disability benefits. The incumbent vendor is Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), whose current contract expires December 31, 2026. The contract will serve approximately 10,000 or more members across eligible employee populations, with contractor compensation structured as per-member monthly premiums. All current plan members will be automatically transferred to the new contractor on January 1, 2027, with guaranteed issue coverage and pre-existing condition limitation credits based on prior enrollment length. The contract includes performance requirements with at-risk payments tied to service level agreements and potential liquidated damages for failures to meet implementation milestones, plan design accuracy, and data security standards. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned.