RFP_31786-00186_Amendment_Two.pdf

This is Amendment Two to Request for Proposals #31786-00186 issued by the State of Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Benefits Administration, for the procurement of short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD-N) insurance services. The amendment updates the RFP schedule of events with revised and new dates for the solicitation process. Key procedural dates include a pre-response conference on September 10, 2025, a written questions and comments deadline of September 17, 2025, a Round 2 written questions deadline limited to five questions per respondent on October 28, 2025, and a proposal response deadline of November 21, 2025. The State will complete technical response evaluations by January 6, 2026, open and score cost proposals on January 7, 2026, conduct negotiations January 12-14, 2026, and release the notice of intent to award on January 22, 2026. The protest period concludes January 29, 2026, with contractor signature required by February 6, 2026. The contract will provide fully-insured STD coverage (100% employee-paid premiums) and mandatory LTD-N coverage (100% employer-paid premiums) for eligible central state government and state higher education agency employees, with implementation from March 2026 and benefit delivery from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2031, representing a total contract term of 70 months.

The amendment provides no new pricing information, set-asides, or funding details beyond those in the original RFP. The contract covers approximately 10,000+ members and will automatically transfer all current plan members to the new contractor on January 1, 2027, with guaranteed issue coverage. The incumbent vendor is Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), whose current contract expires December 31, 2026. Contractor compensation will be structured as per-member monthly premiums for both STD and LTD coverage, with performance requirements tied to service level agreements and potential liquidated damages for failures in implementation milestones, plan design accuracy, and data security standards. The State will evaluate 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 and a current Tennessee Certificate of Authority for group disability benefits.