AmeriCorp member insurance coverage

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued a notice of intended single source procurement for group health insurance coverage for 65 AmeriCorps members in the Florida Conservation Corps (FLCC) program. This procurement is specifically for a specialized health insurance policy tailored to AmeriCorps members serving 1700-hour full-time terms focused on habitat restoration, trail accessibility improvements, environmental education, volunteer recruitment, and disaster relief. The contract will have an 11-month term starting August 22, 2025, with a response deadline of September 15, 2025. The intended vendor is Special Markets Insurance Consultants, Inc. (SMIC), which is the only company authorized by The Corps Network to offer medical coverage meeting AmeriCorps provisions. The insurance policy will provide comprehensive coverage including physician services, hospital care, emergency room care, prescription drugs, and mental health services, and will be underwritten by Cigna Healthcare. The procurement is unique in that AmeriCorps members are not eligible for state employee insurance, necessitating this specialized health insurance program that complies with the Affordable Care Act and provides Minimum Essential Coverage.

The procurement is a single source procurement, which implies significant restrictions on potential respondents. Only SMIC is authorized to provide this specific insurance coverage for AmeriCorps members, effectively limiting competition. The estimated contract value is $254,000, representing the cost of providing health insurance for the 65 AmeriCorps members for the 11-month contract period. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned in the documentation. The insurance must meet specific AmeriCorps requirements and provide 364 days of coverage, indicating a highly specialized and structured insurance product. The procurement is geographically focused on Leon County, Florida, and is part of the Florida Conservation Corps program's operational support. No incumbent vendors other than SMIC are identified, and the procurement appears to be a continuation of an existing specialized insurance arrangement specifically designed for AmeriCorps member health coverage.