Broker and Consulting Services for a Consolidated Health and Welfare Benefits Program

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing, conducting on behalf of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), is requesting statements of qualifications for broker and consulting services to design, procure, implement, and provide ongoing support for a consolidated employee health and welfare benefits program, with qualifications due August 7, 2026. This is a Part 15 professional services procurement under Utah Code 63G-6a; pricing must not be included in submissions, and the highest-ranked vendor will be selected to negotiate compensation determined to be fair and reasonable. If negotiations fail with the top-ranked firm, the state may proceed with the next highest-ranked vendor.

The consolidated program covers all sixteen USHE member institutions, encompassing approximately 76,000 medically covered lives and an estimated $600 million in annual health and welfare benefit spend as of 2025. The scope includes medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability benefits, plus potential wellness and employee assistance programs. The selected firm will serve as the Board's broker and consultant of record with a target implementation effective date of July 1, 2027. The program currently operates under thirty-nine plan designs across multiple carriers and third-party administrators; consolidation is expected to reduce administrative fragmentation and potentially generate 2.5 to 7.0 percent cost savings per a Milliman feasibility study included in the solicitation file.

The initial contract term is anticipated to be three years with possible renewal options at the Board's sole discretion. No fixed budget has been established; fees will be negotiated following qualifications evaluation. The Board targets vendor selection by August 31, 2026. Evaluation is weighted across seven criteria: demonstrated comparable experience and references (20 percent), strategic design approach (20 percent), downstream procurement and implementation approach (20 percent), key personnel and team composition (15 percent), compensation transparency and conflicts of interest (10 percent), troubleshooting and coordination (10 percent), and data management and work product (5 percent). Vendors must disclose all current and recent business relationships with USHE member institutions and downstream vendors, confirm willingness to execute Business Associate Agreements and Data Use Agreements, and certify compliance with background check, economic boycott, forced labor, and restricted foreign entity technology restrictions. All work product, models, dashboards, and reports become the property of USHE and must be delivered in machine-readable form.