Employee Vision Benefits

Los Alamos County is soliciting proposals for fully-insured vision insurance benefit coverage for county employees under RFP26-68, with proposals due August 13, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time and questions due July 21, 2026. The County contemplates a multi-term contract for up to seven years with an effective date of January 1, 2027.

New Mexico local-vendor preference, resident-business preference, and resident-veteran preference are available to qualifying offerors under Los Alamos County Code Section 31-261(b) and NMSA 1978 Section 13-1-21, with submission of valid preference certificates and, for local preference, a current Los Alamos County Business License and verification of principal office location within the county.

The scope encompasses vision coverage including eye exams, lenses, contacts, and frames through a network covering Los Alamos, Espanola, Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The County covers approximately 700 eligible active employees with approximately 1,384 enrolled employees and dependents. Vendors must maintain or enhance existing plan benefits on a no-loss/no-gain basis, hold New Mexico licensure or commit to obtaining it, comply with HIPAA privacy and security standards, provide quarterly claims reporting, maintain a designated customer service representative, and produce Summary Plan Descriptions within 30 days of the effective date. Rates must be guaranteed for a minimum of two years with identical rates for Years 1 and 2; three or more years of guaranteed rates are preferred. Renewal rates are due 120 days prior to renewal. The County requires no more than 30-day contract termination notice with no penalties. Cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contracts are prohibited; rates must be quoted net of commissions and premium taxes (Los Alamos County is exempt under New Mexico state statute).

Evaluation allocates 1,000 total points across minimum requirements (175 points), general questionnaire responses (150 points), technical questions (125 points), network accessibility (275 points), and cost proposal (275 points). County Council approval is required for contracts exceeding $300,000. Offerors must submit signed Letter of Transmittal by July 18, 2026 to access census and claims data. The estimated contract award date is October 28, 2026. All proposals are public records; the County declines to sign non-disclosure agreements.