HR-26-753_Addendum 1 Q A.pdf

Department of Financial Management 411 West Ocean Boulevard, 6th Floor

Long Beach, CA 90802

(562) 570-6425

September 21, 2026

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

ADDENDUM NO. 1: Q & A

No. RFP HR-26-753

Surgery Benefit for Health PPO Plan

This addendum changes and supersedes the language in the original RFP.

Please acknowledge receipt of this addendum by signing and submitting with your proposals. Any proposer who fails to submit this addendum may be disqualified.

The City would like to remind Proposers that pursuant to Section 5.2.27 of the RFP, the City will not be responsible for or bound by any oral communication or any other information or contact that occurs outside the official communication process specified herein, unless confirmed in writing by the City Contact.

The questions and answers are as follows:

1. Q: Once our team registers on the link below, and have downloaded the

RFP….will it house all the key information to support a proposal? For example, the # of enrolled employees on the PPO plan? Is this the only plan offered to City of Long Beach employees? Allowed Medical spend for this

PPO plan, and census data file for Employees, etc?

A: The average 2026 enrollment for eligible participants in PPO members plans is as follows:

• Employees: 3,850

• Members: 9,081

• Contract size: 2.4

• Average Age: 35.6

The HR-26-753 QA Census for eligible PPO active employees as of September

2026 will be provided upon request. Requests must be made via email to rfppurchasing@longbeach.gov. In the email, please provide the email address for each person you would like to have access to these documents.

Purchasing will verify registered proposer status.

mailto:rfppurchasing@longbeach.gov

2. Q: In accordance with FOIA, would the City like us to submit confidential and redacted copies at the time of submission? Or do you have an alternative process you would like to use?

A: Per section 5.2.21, proposers should indicate which portion of the Bid is considered confidential and/or proprietary. The proposer also has the option to submit a copy of the Bid redacted with appropriate labeling for the City to have on file via Long Beach Buys through the formal submission process.

3. Q: Are references required in the RFP submission? Or are we able to provide references at the finalist stage out of respect for our clients? We prefer to share more detail with them regarding the timing of reference calls and who from the City may be calling before releasing their contact information?

A: References are required at the time of submission and may be contacted during the finalist stage.

4. Q: Are you able to provide an editable or fillable format of Attachment A

Authorization/Certification form in either Word or PDF?

A: The fillable version of Attachment A - Authorization Certification form is now attached in Long Beach Buys.

5. Does the City anticipate any other changes to your benefits strategy, ecosystem vendors, etc. for the coming plan year?

A: At this time, the City does not anticipate any material changes to its benefit strategy or ecosystem vendors for the upcoming plan year. Preliminary decisions for the 2027 plan year have been completed and remain subject to

City Council approval; no material changes are currently anticipated. Any changes approved during the procurement process will be communicated through an official RFP addendum.

6. Q: Can you please clarify what website you are looking for in regards to question 13: “Provide a link to a public website designed and developed for your firm that demonstrates the described manner of accessibility compliance.”? Are you looking for a link to our public-facing website for review, or something else?

A: The City is looking to understand that the proposer’s website is designed in compliance with the Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Version 2.1, Level AA. The request for a website would be for any public-facing website the proposer currently has available.

7. Q: What is the enrolled employee and member count?

A: Reference response to Question 1.

8. Q: Can a census, minimally zip codes, be provided to generate a geo access?

A: Reference response to Question 1.

9. Q: Current utilization, outcomes, and current savings for the current Carrum program?

A: The current program is offered on a voluntary basis. Engagement and utilization information is provided below. Savings information is proprietary to the incumbent and is not available for release.

The average program engagement rate is 1%.

• 2023 Plan Year o Completed Surgeries: 1, Bariatric o Cancer Engagement: Not applicable.

• 2024 Plan Year o Completed Surgeries: 0 o Cancer Engagement: 1

• 2025 Plan Year o Completed Surgeries: 2, Knee and Bariatric o Cancer Engagement: 0

• 2026 Plan Year o Completed Surgeries: 1, Bariatric o In-process Surgeries: 1, Spine o Cancer Engagement: 0

10. Q: Is there any required use in the current Carrum program

A: The current Carrum program is offered on a voluntary basis. However, bariatric surgery is covered exclusively through the Carrum program under the current plan design, subject to the applicable plan terms and conditions.

11. Q: Is there any interest in required use?

A: The City is interested in understanding proposers’ capabilities under both voluntary and mandatory utilization models. Preliminary recommendations for the 2027 plan year, subject to City Council approval, maintain program’s current voluntary status. Any future change or utilization requirement would be subject to plan design, collective bargaining, applicable law, and City approval.

12. Q: Who is the TPA?

A: The current third-party administrator is Anthem Blue Cross. The selected proposal will be expected to coordinate with Anthem and other applicable vendors as necessary to support eligibility, claims, reporting, implementation, and member administration.

13. Q: Is there current cost share for the member under the Carrum program?

A: The City offers one PPO plan. Under the current Carrum program, eligible services are provided without member cost sharing; members are not responsible for a deductible, copayment, or coinsurance for covered services received through the program. Travel expenses paid by the plan sponsor may be reported as taxable income to the members, as applicable. Members remain responsible for any expenses that are not covered under the program or the applicable plan terms.

14. The Quiet Room, Barbara Dell Robinson is a certified Small Business with the

City of Long Beach (SBE #CERT0000001576). Our interest in the bid is administrative, in that we are publishing the Long Beach California and

Surrounding Cities "2027 Integrated Cancer Care Provider Directory". This tool is used to assist cancer patients and their families with access to appropriate care providers. We also provide physician advisory services to surgical specialist in Long Beach, Orange County and South Bay Cities.

Through these relationships, we are capable of developing a network of high quality orthopedic, general and surgical oncology specialist for the City of

Long Beach.

Please advise if we should move forward with the grant proposal.

A: The current RFP is specifically for a single primary contractor to provide and administer elective surgery carve-out benefits for eligible City employees, early retirees, and dependents enrolled in the City’s Anthem Blue

Cross PPO plan. The required services include, among other requirements, access to a broad network of vetted Centers of Excellence, provider quality oversight, eligibility and data integration, end-to-end member concierge support, customer service and communications, reporting, audit access, and compliance with applicable privacy and benefit-program requirements.

The RFP also establishes mandatory minimum qualifications, including at least five years of consecutive, verifiable experience managing specialized

Center of Excellence networks and bundled-payment models for large government entities, municipalities, or other public-sector clients.

The services described in Q14, development of a cancer-care provider directory, physician advisory services, and assistance with developing relationships with surgical specialists, do not, standing alone, constitute the services solicited under the current PPO Surgery Benefit RFP. The City therefore cannot accept those services as an alternative to, or substitute for, the required scope of work.

The City cannot advise a particular firm whether it should submit a proposal.

Any firm that elects to respond must submit a complete proposal addressing all requirements of the RFP. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the solicitation, and a proposal that does not satisfy the mandatory requirements or the scope of work may be deemed nonresponsive.

The question-and-answer process does not amend or expand the scope of the RFP. If the City determines that it has a future need for integrated cancer-care navigation, provider-directory development, physician advisory services, or related services, those services would need to be separately defined and competitively solicited in accordance with the City’s procurement requirements. Any future solicitation would be open to all qualified vendors offering comparable services.

PREPARED BY:

Janet Kariuki, Procurement Analyst I

ACKNOWLEDGED BY:

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