RFP_31786-00186_Amendment_Six.pdf

This is Amendment Six to Request for Proposals #31786-00186 issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Finance & Administration for short-term disability and long-term disability insurance services. The amendment updates the schedule of events for the procurement, which seeks a single contractor to provide voluntary short-term disability coverage (100% employee-paid premiums) and mandatory long-term disability coverage (100% employer-paid premiums) for eligible central state government and state higher education agency employees. The contract will serve approximately 10,000+ members beginning January 1, 2027, with implementation activities occurring from March 2026 through December 2026. Key procurement dates include the pre-response conference scheduled for September 10, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. central time; the written questions deadline of September 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.; a second round of written questions deadline on October 29, 2025 limited to five questions per respondent; and the response deadline of November 21, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. Technical response evaluations will be completed by January 6, 2026, with cost proposals opening and scoring on January 7, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Negotiations are scheduled for January 12-14, 2026, followed by a notice of intent to award on January 22, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., a protest period ending January 29, 2026, and contractor signature deadline of February 6, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. The total contract term is 70 months, consisting of 10 months of implementation and 60 months of benefit delivery through December 31, 2031.

The amendment revises the schedule of events to update and confirm all RFP dates and also deletes and replaces the scoring box from RFP Section C and Release #3 with Release #4, with all revisions highlighted in the updated documentation. Respondents must demonstrate six years of disability insurance administration experience, including at least five employer accounts with one account maintaining 10,000+ members, and hold a current Tennessee Certificate of Authority for group disability benefits. The incumbent contractor is Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, whose current contract expires December 31, 2026. State evaluation criteria allocate 40 points for technical qualifications, 10 points for general qualifications and experience, and 50 points for cost proposals. Contractor compensation will be structured as per-member monthly premiums for both STD and LTD coverage, with performance requirements and at-risk payments tied to service level agreements. The contract includes potential liquidated damages for failures to meet implementation milestones, plan design accuracy, and data security standards.