Employee Benefits Consulting Services

The Incorporated County of Los Alamos is requesting proposals for comprehensive Employee Benefits Consulting Services under RFP26-71, with proposals due October 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time and questions due October 8, 2026. The County offers multiple preference options under Los Alamos County Code Section 31-261(b) and New Mexico statute, including local business (Los Alamos County), resident business (New Mexico), Native American resident business with annual gross revenues up to six million dollars, and resident veteran business with the same revenue threshold.

Services encompass strategic guidance and objective analysis related to employee benefit plan design, financial and plan performance, compliance, administration, and vendor/carrier oversight for approximately 700 active employees. Deliverables include annual plan reviews, benefits design evaluation, claims analysis, carrier performance assessment, legislative monitoring, compliance support, procurement assistance, and regular reporting to the Health Insurance Committee. The selected consultant must be independent, sign a Business Associate Agreement complying with HIPAA Privacy and Security Standards, and maintain professional liability insurance of one million dollars and cyber insurance of three million dollars per claim or in aggregate.

The contract term is up to seven years, with an anticipated effective date of January 1, 2027. The estimated contract award date is December 9, 2026. Offerors must submit total costs for all potential contract years and may propose cost escalators; cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contracts are prohibited. Travel reimbursement, if proposed, must comply with County guidelines including economical commercial transportation and lodging not exceeding $250 per night.

Evaluation criteria by weight are qualifications and experience (20 points), proposed team identification and qualifications (20 points), previous client information (10 points), services and tools offered (5 points), performance guarantees (5 points), sample reports (5 points), sample technical bulletins (5 points), and cost proposal (30 points across years one through seven). Proposals must be submitted exclusively through the County's Euna Procurement portal at https://losalamosnm.bonfirehub.com. All proposals are presumed public records available for review following contract award. Offerors must submit campaign contribution disclosure forms, debarment certification, preference documentation if applicable, and a minimum of three client references from services provided within the last three to five years.