Request for Information

RFI AABA 2026*0029

Benefits Administration System

1. Request for Information

1.1. Market Research Only

This is a Request for Information (RFI) and is intended only for market research purposes. In accordance with §24-103-201.5, C.R.S and the associated Colorado Procurement Rules, no award will result from any response to any vendor responding to this RFI. This RFI is considered formal market research for the purposes of §24-37-302(1) (a.5), C.R.S., if applicable.

1.2. Confidentiality

All responses to this RFI shall be considered confidential until after an award based on a subsequent solicitation has been made or until the procurement official from the issuing agency determines that the state will not pursue a solicitation based on this RFI. After such time, the responses to this RFI shall be open to public inspection in accordance with the provisions of the

Colorado Open Records Act. Reference §24-103-201.5(4), C.R.S.

The State reserves the right to have information submitted in response to this RFI be reviewed by other entities within the State for purposes of compiling and analyzing possible options.

1.3. Introduction

The Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA) Employee Benefits Unit, Division of

Human Resources is researching the marketplace for a robust benefits administration system/vendor (i.e., a benefits administration platform and administrative support) that supports benefits enrollment and management for 42,000 (35,000 enrolled in medical) employees.

Through this RFI, DPA seeks to determine the general availability of benefits administration platforms with a focus on functionality and user experience, and their estimated costs.

1.4. Background, Overviews and Goals

Eligible Employees and Dependents Section 24-50-601 through Section 24-50-617, C.R.S.

govern State employee benefits programs. Both employee and dependent are defined in these statutes (Section 24-50-603 C.R.S.). There are approximately 42,000 state employees eligible for state employee benefits. State benefits are offered to all full-time and permanent part-time

(regardless of hours) benefits eligible employees, as well as judicial, legislative, some higher education, and other state employees and their dependents. Temporary employees, retirees, and non-classified staff at institutions of higher education are not eligible for state benefits.

Current Benefit Programs The state offers a wide range of benefits programs through multiple vendors. Benefits programs are both fully insured and self-funded and as follows:

● Basic life insurance - Securian

● Optional employee, spouse and child life insurance - Securian

● Short-Term Disability - Unum

● Long-Term Disability - Unum

● Medical - Cigna, statewide, 3 tier options

● Medical - Kaiser, limited service area, 3 tier options

● Dental - Delta Dental, 2 options

● Vision - Eyemed, 2 options

● HSA - Wex

● FSA - Wex, health, limited purpose, dependent care

Details on current programs can be found here.

Payroll Vendors.

● State agencies use CGI for payroll. The State has two payroll cycles (biweekly and monthly), with which the benefits administration system is integrated.

● Institutes of Higher Education use Banner, Workday and UKG but only three schools have connections (Banner and Workday) with our current system. Others may consider connecting in the future.

Administration Service Model The State’s Employee Benefits Unit (EBU) is responsible for the effective operation of the Benefits Administration System including checking the import and export files, auditing system processes for errors, conducting testing, and monitoring system maintenance and changes.

Approximately 61 agencies and institutions are responsible for communicating, enrolling, training, and validating documentation. Benefits Administrators are state employees who only have access to their agency’s employees, and provide direct support for benefits. There are approximately 127 Benefits Administrators at the 61 different agencies and educational institutions.

Eligibility and insurance coverage information that determines the monthly premium due is provided by the benefits administration vendor. The benefits administration system is the State’s official benefit eligibility record keeping system.

Operations and Enrollment The State’s budget is on a fiscal year basis that runs from July 1 through June 30. Open enrollment for employee benefit plans is typically mid-April through mid-

May of each year.

Required Services and Functionality The vendor will be expected to provide a vendor-hosted, cloud-based environment. DPA is seeking pricing for software and services such as:

https://dhr.colorado.gov/state-employees/state-of-colorado-employee-benefits

Required:

1. Web-based and mobile-accessible enrollment, eligibility, and life event changes (e.g.

qualifying life events) for Medical/Dental/Vision plans

a. Multiple browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc) and mobile browser capabilities

b. Decision support tools (guided enrollment, comparison, cost-estimation)

2. FSA/HSA/Long Term Disability/Life Insurance

3. Cobra/Self-Pay administration

4. Billing generation and reconciliation

5. System updates and support

6. Employer reporting and payroll deductions

7. Invoicing and payments

8. Customer service support, including end user technician system support

9. Communications/instructional materials that explain how to use the system

10. ACA tracking and reporting

Optional services - price as an option:

● Enrollment and eligibility determination

● Dependent/life event verification

1.5. Schedule of Activities

This Schedule of Activities is for information and planning purposes only. Schedules for

Activities listed as “Estimated” may be subject to change depending on the needs of the State.

All times are stated in Mountain Time (MT), as appropriately adjusted for daylight savings.

1.6. Posting and Due Dates

This RFI was posted on Colorado VSS on January 12, 2026. Responses to this RFI are due on

February 25, 2026, 3:00PM MST, and must be submitted in the method described below in

Section 3.

1.7. Procurement Point of Contact

The State’s sole point of contact for this RFI is Phil Rollins, Purchasing Agent, who may be reached via email at phil.rollins@state.co.us

2. Requested Information

2.1. Scope of Response

Respondents may respond to as few or as many RFI questions or parts of questions as they would like, with as little or as much information as they are able to provide.

2.2. Questionnaire

We are seeking details specifically on the services and functionality outlined below. Please include any additional information that you believe is relevant to our request.

2.3 Company Background and Experience

1. Please provide a brief overview of your company.

2. How many years of experience do you have in providing benefits administration systems and services to large, complex, and/or public organizations?

2.4 System Capabilities

Please outline the system capabilities and administrative services you provide for each of the following functional areas:

1. Web-based and mobile-accessible enrollment, eligibility, and life event changes (e.g.

qualifying life events) for Medical/Dental/Vision plans

a. Multiple browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc) and mobile browser capabilities

b. Decision support tools (guided enrollment, comparison, cost-estimation)

2. FSA/HSA/Long Term Disability/Life Insurance

3. Cobra/Self-Pay administration

4. Billing generation and reconciliation

5. System updates and support

6. Employer reporting and payroll deductions

7. Invoicing and payments

8. Customer service support, including end user technician system support

9. Communications/instructional materials that explain how to use the system

10. ACA tracking and reporting

As previously noted, a benefits administration system must connect to CGI (payroll),Workday

(HRIS/Payroll), and Banner (HRIS).

1. How will you integrate with existing payroll systems?

2. Please confirm whether your solution supports bidirectional and multiple integrations with these and any other payroll or HRIS systems in our environment.

2.5 User Experience

1. What is the user interface experience like for both administrators and employees?

a. What decision support tools are built into the system? (ex. guided enrollment, plan comparison, cost estimation)

b. Does your system support role based security at an agency or unit level?

c. Does your system allow administrators to make updates outside of open enrollment, and/or implement mid-year plan changes?

2. How do you ensure the system is fully compliant with the State’s accessibility requirements applicable to all users (link to policy HERE)?

3. Describe how your system maintains compliance with applicable federal and state regulatory requirements, as well as all relevant State of Colorado Office of Information

Technology (OIT) security and technology standards.

4. Explain the safeguards you employ to protect sensitive employee information.

5. Do you offer mobile access to the system? If so, what features are available on the mobile platform?

6. Please provide any specific security frameworks, certifications, monitoring practices, and data protection measures that support ongoing compliance and risk mitigation.

2.6 Implementation and Support

1. Describe your service model: is your solution all within your company, or do you partner with other entities for implementation, maintenance, and ongoing support?

2. What is the typical timeline for implementing your system? Please provide a high-level project plan demonstrating the typical timeline.

3. What level of support would you expect from the State during implementation, and what areas of expertise would be required?

4. How and when do clients get involved in testing?

5. What is your typical project team structure?

6. What training and support do you provide during and after implementation?

7. How do you handle system updates and maintenance?

8. How do you handle data migration from the legacy system to your solution?

2.7 Customization and Scalability

1. Can your system scale to accommodate changes in our organization (e.g., growth, new benefits offerings)?

2. What is your process for handling custom requests or modifications?

2.8 Reporting and Analytics

1. What reporting and analytics capabilities does your system offer?

2. Can users create custom reports?

2.9 Future Roadmap

1. How frequently is your system upgraded to support new features?

2. What is your typical release schedule and how is that communicated and coordinated with your clients?

https://oit.colorado.gov/accessibility-law

2.10 Cost and Pricing

1. Provide a breakdown of your pricing structure.

2. Are there any additional costs we should be aware of (e.g., for implementation, training, support)?

3. Response Submission Information

3.1.

Submission Method

Respondents are asked to submit responses via email to the procurement point of contact identified above. The response submission email should include the subject line: “Response submission from (insert respondent name) for RFI AABA 2026*0029, Benefits Administration

System.

3.2.

File Types

Responses should be included as one or more attachments of commonly accessible file types.

3.3.

Desired Response Format and Content

i. To submit a response to this RFI, Respondents should respond to the questions listed in Section 2. Respondents may respond to as few or as many RFI questions or parts of questions as they would like, with as little or as much information as they are able to provide. All Respondents submitting a response should provide a response to RFI Question A in order to provide background information on their organization.

ii. Responses should be detailed, clear, and concise. Clearly label each response with the number corresponding to the RFI Question to which it relates. There is no page limit; however, the Department does not desire marketing materials or graphics that do not add meaningful information to vendors’ responses.

4. General Administrative Information

4.1.

Colorado Vendor Self Service

This RFI is being published on Colorado Vendor Self Service (Colorado VSS), so that Offerors who have an interest may submit a proposal in accordance with the terms of this RFI. Vendors can self-register for this system free of charge, or may click on “Public Access” on the website to view RFI documents and modifications without registering. Vendors are encouraged but not required to register prior to or at the time they submit their response. The State also recommends that interested vendors check Colorado VSS on a regular basis throughout this

RFI process.

4.2.

News Releases and Announcements

Respondents shall not issue any news releases, communications or announcements of any kind pertaining to this RFI, without prior written approval by the State.

4.3.

Response Material Ownership

All material submitted in response to this RFI becomes the property of the State.

4.4.

Submission of Pricing information

In order to assist the state in gathering information, this RFI may request that Respondents submit pricing information. Submission of pricing information is not mandatory and such information may be voluntarily included in a response.

4.5.

Submission of Confidential or Proprietary Information

As per §24-103-201.5, C.R.S, all responses to requests for information are confidential until after an award based on a subsequent solicitation has been made or until the procurement official determines that the state will not pursue a solicitation based on the RFI. After such time, the responses to a RFI shall be open to public inspection in accordance with the provisions of the “Colorado Open Records Act”, part 2 of the article 72 of this title 24.

A Respondent may submit, as a part of its Response, a written request for classification of certain portions of the response as a trade secret or other confidential or proprietary information.

Material for which the Respondent is requesting confidentiality shall be readily identifiable and separated from other portions of the response to facilitate public inspection of the non-confidential portion of the response. Commingling of confidential and non-confidential information is not acceptable. Neither price information nor any information that will be included in a resulting Contract or purchase order will be considered confidential.

The Respondent must include the rationale for any request to classify portions as a trade secret or confidential or proprietary, including references to the authority that allows for such treatment.

A complete redacted response should also be included along with an unredacted Response and confidentiality justification.

Except as provided in Section 1.2 above, in no event shall an entire response be classified as confidential. The Procurement Official or his or her designee shall determine if the information identified in the Respondent’s request is exempt from disclosure in accordance with §24-72-

204, C.R.S., and shall inform the Respondent in writing of his or her determination. If the

Respondent does not agree with the determination, the Respondent may protest the determination in accordance with article 109 of the Colorado Procurement Code and the terms of this RFI. Reference Procurement Rule R-24-101-401-03.

4.6.

Vendor Assistance

Any vendors needing support responding to this RFI or other solicitations may contact the

Colorado Supplier Diversity Navigator at the Statewide Equity Office of Supplier Diversity.

Services provided include assistance with responding to solicitations, interpretation of solicitation documents, technical assistance referrals, availability of resources, construction and bond assistance through the Construction Statewide Bond Assistance Program, and free business directory listings and verifications through the Colorado Supplier Diversity Directory.

Statewide Bond Assistance Program. The office can be reached during normal business hours by calling 303-866-5765 or emailing DPA_SupplierDiversityHelp@state.co.us.

DPA_SupplierDiversityHelp@state.co.us.

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