SSD RFP - Benefits Broker and Consulting services.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Benefits Broker and Consulting Services

Request for Proposal No. 2024.006 Date of Issue: December 16, 2024

Proposal Closing Date: January 13, 2025, at 3:00 PM Proposal to be returned PRIOR TO date and time above.

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY TO:

Summit School District - (“SSD”) portal via:

Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System (“RMEPS”) portal at https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado

THIS IS NOT A COMPETITIVE BID. The request for proposal process allows SSD to select the supplier that best meets the needs of SSD, taking into consideration supplier qualifications, price, products, and service capabilities.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Summit School District

Summit School District (SSD) is requesting proposals from qualified consulting firms (Consultant) for Benefits Broker and Consulting Services to be a proactive partner with SSD in the management of its benefit programs for employees. The initial term of the contract will be from 2025 through 2028

Proposals are to be submitted to the Finance Department of SSD, in accordance with the Instructions to Suppliers and all other requirements as referenced in this document. Proposals will be received until the due date and time listed on the first page of this document, at which time the names of those suppliers submitting proposals will be made available through the SSD’s RMEPS portal. No other public disclosure will be made until after the award of contract.

SSD will use the following schedule for the selection process:

RFP published December 16, 2024

Deadline for submitting questions December 20, 2024 - 3:00 PM

SSD Response to questions January 6, 2024

Proposal submission deadline January 13, 2025 - 3:00 PM

Evaluation of proposals & supplier shortlist January 14-17, 2025

Interviews with selected suppliers (if applicable) January 20-24, 2025

Awarding of contract January 29, 2025

INSTRUCTIONS TO SUPPLIERS

1. Suppliers responding to this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) must submit their proposals in the format as outlined in this solicitation.

2. Each supplier proposal shall consist of one electronic copy in the format specified within proposal format. T he proposals are to be submitted no later than 3:00 P.M., via:

Summit School District’s Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing portal, which can be accessed via: https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado

3. Proposals must be dated and signed by a duly authorized partner or corporate officer, with that person’s name and title clearly identified. All of the proposal contents and fees must be guaranteed for ninety (90) days from the proposal date.

4. The content of all proposals must conform to the following:

● Suppliers must respond to the questions in the order presented (if applicable).

● Suppliers may provide additional supporting documentation pertinent to clarification of the proposal

5. SSD reserves the right to:

● Reflect any and all proposals received as a result of this RFP.

● Waive or decline to waive any informalities and any irregularities in any proposal or responses received.

● Adopt all or any portion of the supplier’s proposal.

● Negotiate changes in the scope of work or services to be provided.

● Withhold the award of contract

● Select the supplier(s) it deems to be most qualified to fulfill the needs of SSD. The supplier with the lowest proposal will not necessarily be the one most qualified, since a number of factors other than price are important in the determination of the most acceptable proposal as stated in Section 13 below.

6. The selected supplier will be required to assume responsibility for all goods and services offered in the proposal, whether or not the supplier produces them. Further, the selected supplier shall be the sole point of contact and responsibility with regard to all contractual matters, including payment of any and all charges resulting from the contract. The selected supplier shall not assign or transfer any interest in the contract without prior written consent of SSD.

7. SSD shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the supplier in the preparation and production of the proposal or for any work performed prior to the execution of a contract.

8. All proposals and other materials submitted shall become the property of SSD.

9. No reports, information, or data given to or prepared by the selected supplier shall be made available to any individual or organization by a respondent or the selected supplier without prior written approval of SSD.

10. All changes in the RFP documents shall be through written addendum and furnished to all suppliers via SSD’s bidnetdirect.com posting. Verbal information obtained otherwise shall not be considered in awarding of the proposal.

11. The selected supplier may be required to enter into a written contract with SSD on SSD’s approved form. All information contained in this RFP and acceptable provisions of the supplier’s response will be attached to and made part of the executed contract.

12. Suppliers who have questions concerning the submission of proposals or the RFP process, must post directly to SSD’s bidnetdirect.com.

13. The proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee. The committee may request additional information from suppliers or request personal interviews with one or more suppliers. Final evaluation and selection may be based on, but not limited to, any or all of the following:

● Information presented in the proposal.

● Ability of the supplier to provide quality and timely products and services.

● Qualifications and experience of the supplier.

● Reference checks.

● Personal interview.

● Total cost.

● Proposed timelines.

14. SSD is an equal-opportunity employer. Businesses owned and operated by minorities or women are encouraged to submit proposals. Suppliers to whom a contract is awarded shall not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or disability.

15. The successful Supplier will be required to complete, at their own expense, a Criminal record check on all employees working on or reasonably likely to work on school district property for this contract. Employees who have been convicted of, pled nolo contendere to, or received a deferred sentence or deferred prosecution for a felony, or a misdemeanor crime involving unlawful sexual behavior or unlawful behavior involving children, will not be allowed to work on District property for this contract.

The successful Supplier must complete a Verification of Background Check form indicating that they have done a background check on all of their employees working on school district property. The successful Supplier will be responsible to adhere to any Federal, State, and Local privacy and confidentiality requirements and other laws, regulations or policies governing employee background checks.

16. All suppliers are required to sign the CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT and SUSPENSION (included below) indicating the supplier’s business has not been debarred by any federal department or agency. The District will be using the System for Award Management (SAM) to verify that the supplier has not been debarred.

17. Other governmental agencies may be extended the opportunity to purchase off any Bid with the agreement of the successful supplier and the participating agencies. Due to all the variables in this type of Bid, the District will contact the successful Bidder and make it aware of the interest by another agency (if any). The successful Bidder and the interested agency will then be able to design the successful Bid around the parameters, (e.g., delivery locations and specialty products). Each agency will then establish its own contract, place its own orders, issue its own purchase orders, be invoiced there from and make its own payments. It is understood and agreed that SSD is not a legally binding party to any contractual agreement made between other governmental agencies and the Bidder as a result of this bid.

SPECIFICATIONS/SCOPE OF WORK

Background

District Profile: SSD is soliciting proposals from qualified suppliers to provide benefits broker and consulting services to the district in accordance with the scope of service specified. Qualified suppliers that meet all criteria will be considered. This RFP should not be misconstrued as a formal bid. There is absolutely no commitment to purchase or enter into a formal contract. Upon completion of our evaluation of your proposal, we may recommend that a formal contract be established.

Summit School District is a Colorado public school district that serves students in grades PK –

12. The district covers approximately 516 square miles in the central Colorado Rockies, and includes the towns and communities of Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Dillon Frisco, Keystone, Montezuma, Silverthorne and Summit Cove. Currently, the District operates six elementary schools, and three secondary schools (one middle school, one high school, and one alternative school). There are three additional buildings that house administration and support service functions; 3500 students and 600 staff members occupy these buildings year-round, in some cases.

Scope of Work:

SSD currently offers the following benefits to our employees:

Plan Year 24/25 VENDOR

Participation Based on 486 Elig EE's Total Cost

EE

Contributions SSD Cost

MEDICAL UMR/UHC 72.43%

5,691,180.00 $ 1,528,440.00 $ 4,162,740.00

DENTAL UMR/UHC 72.02% $ 299,856.00 $ 105,336.00 $ 194,520.00

VISION UMR/UHC 61.11% $ 38,270.76 $ 38,270.76 $ -

BASIC LIFE

AD&D UHC 100.00% $ 21,170.16 $ - $ 21,170.16

VOLUNTARY LIFE UHC 12.55% $ 7,713.96 $ 7,713.96 $ -

STD UHC 9.05% $ 23,643.96 $ 23,643.96 $ -

TELEHEALTH Cirrus MD 100.00% $ 12,312.00 $ - $ 12,312.00

ACCIDENT UHC 24.28% $ 22,162.08 $ 22,162.08 $ -

CRITICAL UHC 12.96% $ 12,803.52 $ 12,803.52 $ -

HOSPITAL UHC 9.47% $ 15,574.68 $ 15,574.68 $ -

SSD is seeking a Benefits Broker and Consultant to perform the following core services:

Strategy and Planning

● Analyze SSD’s benefits strategy, including a review of plan design, vendors, financing, and contributions. Provide benchmarking against similar school districts, general market, and offer options for potential program and/or plan changes.

● Conduct benefits strategy meetings to discuss and develop SSD’s multi-year benefit roadmap.

● Assist with the planning and development of the District’s Wellness Program

Reporting

● Collect quarterly enrollment, claims and utilization data from vendors.

● Synthesize data and provide monthly reports of claims and cost per employee according to account and/or structure. Analysis of large claims and cost drivers.

● Identify, research, and evaluate reporting and claims discrepancies or unusual claims activity.

● Initiate calls or meetings, as necessary, to discuss reporting results with SSD.

● Develop key performance indicators (KPI’s) to measure the performance of each vendor and report results at least annually.

● Provide additional ad hoc reporting as needed.

Actuarial and Financial Analysis

● Provide annual IBNR reserve calculation and recommendations on medical contingency/fund balance policy.

● Evaluate SSD’s medical, dental, vision, and pharmacy experience and provide benefit plan change recommendations to control SSD’s health care expenses based upon emerging plan costs and/or benefit practices in the marketplace.

● Develop preliminary budget recommendations and premium rates for SSD’s plans and conduct meetings to discuss the results.

● Provide stop loss analysis.

Renewal Negotiations

● Request, review and analyze renewal offers from vendors for the upcoming plan year as contracts warrant.

● Negotiate with vendors to ensure that SSD is in the most favorable financial position possible.

● Provide a fully transparent summary of all rates and renewal options for SSD’s review and approval.

● Review proposed performance guarantees and provide comments on the proposed standards to SSD. Negotiate performance guarantees with vendors as necessary and monitor that contracted targets are met. Establish a remediation plan as necessary when performance targets are not met.

Compliance

● Conduct initial compliance review of benefit plans.

● Provide support for ad hoc legal and compliance issues.

● Provide notification about pending or new legislation related to benefit plans and the impact to SSD and give information and advice on a continuous basis to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

● Provide financial and actuarial analysis to determine the cost impact of changes due to country, federal or state legislation.

● Provide access to Consultant’s standard compliance resources including websites and email distributions.

Ad Hoc Support

● Assist SSD with understanding industry trends, best practices, and legal updates.

● Provide policy strategy, consulting, and project management support as needed.

Consult with and coordinate information with SSD vendors as instructed.

● Assist in reviewing plan documents and policies for applicability and accuracy, and address plan design interpretation questions.

● Attend and present during applicable leadership and committee meetings.

● Communications projects, including development of open enrollment materials, education campaigns, benefits booklet, Total Rewards, etc.

Additional Services SSD may request that the following services be provided on a time and expense basis:

● Access to online data warehouse and utilization reporting tools.

● Access to secure online document repository.

● Implementation of legislative or compliance changes.

● Comprehensive vendor contract or SPD review or revisions.

● Eligibility audits and claims audits.

● Retirement Plan consulting and investment review.

● HR technology reviews and recommendations.

The successful proposer will complete all proposal requirements as outlined in the RFP, which is published within the district’s Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing system portal:

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado.

AWARD OF CONTRACT

Selection shall be made of one or more suppliers deemed to be fully qualified and best suited among those submitting proposals. Negotiations and interviews may be conducted with one or more qualified suppliers so selected. Price shall be considered, but need not be the sole determining factor. After negotiations have been conducted with each supplier so selected, SSD shall select the supplier which, in its opinion, has made the best proposal, and shall award the contract to that supplier.

SSD may cancel this RFP; reject proposals or any portion thereof at any time prior to an award.

Should SSD determine at its sole discretion that only one supplier is fully qualified, or that one Supplier is clearly more highly qualified than the others under consideration, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to that supplier.

The award shall be in the form of a firm fixed price contract. The award document shall be a contract incorporating by reference all the requirements, terms, and conditions in this solicitation and the supplier's proposal as negotiated.

PROPOSAL TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. All participating suppliers, by their signature, agree to comply with all of the conditions, requirements, and instructions of this RFP as stated or implied herein.

Should SSD omit anything from this document which is necessary to a clear understanding of the work, or should it appear that various instructions are in conflict, then the supplier shall secure written instructions from SSD at least 48 hours prior to the time and date of the scheduled due date of the proposals.

The supplier warrants that all equipment, materials, and work will conform within applicable drawings, specifications, samples, and/or other descriptions given to SSD, and that they will be free from defects. Without limitation of any rights that SSD may have at law or in equity, goods that are not as warranted and/or that are not in conformance with applicable drawings, specifications, samples, and/or other descriptions may be returned by SSD at the supplier’s expense within a reasonable time after delivery, for either credit or replacement, as SSD may direct.

3. The successful supplier shall indemnify, hold harmless and defend SSD, its parent company, subsidiaries and affiliates, and all their members, directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives, from and against any liability, claims, demands, penalties, fines, lawsuits, judgments, losses and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and court costs, arising in favor of any party (including, but not limited to, personnel furnished by the successful supplier) (i) on account of bodily injuries, deaths, or damage to property that results from the fault, negligent act or omission, or willful misconduct, in each case, in connection with the acts, of the successful supplier, or its employees, officers, directors, agents, subcontractors, or suppliers, or their respective directors, officers, agents, or employees, (ii) resulting in any way from the breach of this Agreement by the successful supplier or its subcontractors, (iii) arising out of or relating to disclosure of any information included in and (iii) resulting in any way from any allegation of infringement or misappropriation of any patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark or other intellectual property right by the services provided by the successful supplier pursuant to this Agreement.

4. The successful supplier shall maintain insurance for workers’ compensation as required by law, and shall additionally maintain general liability insurance with limits not less than $1,000,000.00 for bodily injury and $1,000,000.00 for property damage.

Comprehensive automobile liability insurance coverage is also required.

5. The successful supplier shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, administrative rulings, and codes, and shall secure all necessary licenses and permits in connection with this RFP and any goods or services to be provided hereunder.

6. By submission of the proposal, the supplier certifies that the proposal has been arrived at independently and submitted without collusion with any other supplier, and that the contents of the proposal have not been communicated by the supplier, or to the supplier’s best knowledge and belief, by any one of its employees or agents, to any person not an employee or agent of the supplier, and will not be communicated to any person prior to the official opening of the proposals.

7. All information included as part of this proposal shall be subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. Merely marking information as confidential is not necessarily sufficient to prevent disclosure. The following information concerning the proposal shall not be considered as confidential commercial information even if it is clearly marked as such:

prices, non-financial information concerning compliance with specifications, guarantees, and warranties.

8. Venue for any and all legal action regarding or arising out of or related to the RFP, response to RFP, or work performed thereunder shall be solely in SSD Court in and for Summit County, State of Colorado. The transactions covered herein shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado.

9. SSD is exempt from sales, use, and excise taxes. Certification of tax exemption will be issued upon request. Any appropriate taxes shall be shown as a separate item in the proposal.

10. SSD reserves the right to cancel without penalty, at any time, any awards occurring as a result of this RFP. Time is of the essence. When a date is set for the delivery of goods or the performance of work, the goods must be delivered, and/or the work must be performed, in accordance with the proposal specifications or description on or before that date, or the order to the delinquent supplier may be canceled and re-awarded.

11. SSD shall have the right to cancel this agreement if funds are not allotted for the next fiscal year to continue this service. SSD may effect such cancellation by giving the supplier written notice of its intention to cancel not less than thirty (30) days prior to the end of the then current fiscal period, stating its reasons for cancellation. Upon cancellation of this agreement as provided in this paragraph, SSD shall not be responsible for the payment of any services received which occur after the end of the current period.

12. Any Bidder that wishes to protest an award of any Bid, must do so in writing, and deliver to the Director of Strategic Sourcing and Contract Management within 48 hours after notification of Award.

PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORMAT

In order to maintain comparability and consistency in review and evaluation of responses, all proposals shall be organized as specified below. Avoid any elaborate promotional materials and provide only information that is required. All supporting materials should clearly reference the portion of the RFP to which they pertain. Each supplier proposal shall consist of one marked original copy in the format specified within this section. Proposals not meeting the requirements below may be determined to be non-responsive and will receive no further consideration.

A. Table of Contents: Please clearly outline and identify the material and responses by page number. Outline in sequential order the major areas of the proposal, including enclosures.

All pages must be consecutively numbered and correspond to the table of contents.

B. Cover Letter: Provide a cover letter indicating your firm’s understanding of the requirements/scope of services of this specific proposal. The letter must be a brief formal letter from the Supplier that provides information regarding the firm’s interest in and ability to perform the requirements of this RFP. A person who is authorized to commit the Supplier’s organization to perform the services included in the proposal must sign the letter. Please provide a list of all persons authorized to give presentations for the Supplier.

Please provide name, title, address, telephone numbers and email address.

C. Qualifications: Summarize the qualifications of the firm. Where the project team includes subcontractors or sub-consultants, qualifications of the proposed subcontractors or sub consultants shall also be provided. Past working relationships on similar projects should also be indicated.

Provide the credentials of the individual(s) from your firm that will administer the day-to-day operations of the SSD contract. Proposal must identify the person or persons to perform work with SSD and give the percent of the contract each person would be expected to perform. It is expected that the services provided will require a close, positive working relationship with SSD and that the personnel identified would not be changed without the prior written approval of SSD. SSD will reserve the right to terminate the contract if key personnel are changed or if working relationships are not satisfactory. The proposed personnel shall be available throughout the duration of the entire project.

Include an organization chart with identification of staff responsible for contract duties, and brief position descriptions.

List the service representatives available to this account. Qualifications of new people working under this contract will be submitted to SSD in writing for approval prior to them conducting any service under this contract. Submit a list of all employees that will be working under the current contract and any intention for additional personnel, and back-up personnel for each function.

It is expected that your response will include the resumes of your most qualified personnel to perform this project. As an alternative please include a resume and project history of your “second tier personnel”, your personnel evaluation will be based upon the least qualified personnel.

D. References: Please provide three (3) K-12 Education market references. Include name of customer, address, contact name, telephone numbers (including fax number), and email address. Please include only references within the current calendar year and previous two

(2) calendar years. SSD may contact these references during the evaluation process.

Each Supplier should include summary information for all contracts of similar size and scope performed by the firm, or team, within the past three (3) years. Information provided for each job shall include:

1. Contract/Project name

2. Agency/department/office for which performed

3. Dates of contract

4. Owner’s contract/project manager or other representative

5. Contact person

6. Dollar value of contract

SSD reserves the right to contact any and all references and to obtain, without limitation, information on the Supplier’s performance on the listed jobs.

E. Scope of Services: The Supplier must acknowledge agreement with the specific requirements of the specifications or provide an alternative for SSD to consider. Indicate any exceptions to the scope of services of the RFP. Summarize your approach and understanding of the services and any special considerations of which SSD should be aware.

F. Appendices: The content of this page is left to the Supplier’s discretion. However, the Supplier should limit materials included here to those that will be helpful to SSD in understanding the services provided for this specific contract.

CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION

The respondent to this RFP certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that it and its principals:

A. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency;

B. Have not within a three year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State or local) transaction or contract under a public transaction; violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;

C. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charges by a government entity (Federal, State or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (B) of this certification; and

D. Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/proposal had one or more public transactions (Federal, State or local) terminated for cause or default.

Where the respondent is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, he or she shall attach an explanation to this application.

Signature of Official: ____________________________

Name (typed): __________________________________

Title: _________________________________________

Firm: _________________________________________

Date: _________________________________________

Attachment A

( Sample Statement of Work, do not fill out )

STATEMENT OF WORK NO.: ___

1.0 INCORPORATION

1.1 This Statement of Work (“SOW”) is made as of [ ], 2025, (the “SOW Effective Date”).

1.2 ________________ (“Supplier”) hereby agrees to provide the Services set forth below subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in accordance with the provisions of the Master Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated [ ], 2025 by and between Summit School District RE-1 (“SSD”), and Supplier and according to the following terms:

1.3 Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Agreement.

2.0 DEFINITIONS

3.0 SOW TERM

4.0 SERVICES DESCRIPTION

5.0 SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

6.0 PROJECT SCHEDULE/DELIVERABLES/MILESTONES

7.0 ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

8.0 PARTY’S RESPONSIBILITIES

8.1 Supplier

8.2 SSD

9.0 SERVICES FEES

10.0 TERMS AND CONDITIONS

11.0 EXHIBITS AND SCHEDULES

The following Exhibits and Schedules are incorporated herein:

Original signatures transmitted and received via facsimile or other electronic transmission of a scanned document, (e.g., PDF or similar format) are true and valid signatures for all purposes hereunder and shall bind the parties to the same extent as that of an original signature. This SOW may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to constitute an original but all of which together shall constitute only one document.

Summit School District RE-1

By: By:

Name: Name:

Title: Title:

Date: Date: