Group Dental Plan

The School Board of Polk County, Florida issued a Request for Proposal (RFP #048-PLA-0515) seeking a voluntary, fully insured Group Dental Plan for approximately 12,000 district employees, their dependents, retirees, and COBRA participants. The procurement sought three tiered dental PPO plan options (Low, Middle, and High Plans) with comprehensive coverage including diagnostic, preventive, basic, and major dental services. Qualified firms were required to demonstrate at least three years of experience servicing dental plans for groups with 3,000+ employees and maintain Florida licensure for a minimum of five years. Proposers needed to submit detailed documentation including provider network information, claims processing capabilities, and administrative service descriptions. Evaluation criteria included General and Administrative (75 points), Plan Design (125 points), Network (125 points), and Premium Proposal (175 points), with a maximum possible 500 points for written submissions and potential additional 100 points for oral presentations. The original RFP was issued on January 8, 2026, with written questions due by April 17, 2015, proposal submissions due by May 20, 2015 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, and anticipated board approval scheduled for July 28, 2015.

The procurement did not specify explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. Delta Dental Insurance Company was the incumbent vendor and ultimately recommended for award, having previously served the district since January 1, 2011. The contract term was initially set for three plan years beginning January 1, 2016, with options for additional renewal periods subject to mutual agreement. Proposers were required to submit premium rates on a four-tiered basis with mandatory two-year fixed rates for 2016-2017 and a fixed or capped rate for 2018. An administrative fee of $1.00 per subscriber per month was mandatory, to be paid to the district. Current monthly premiums ranged from $12.58 to $129.19 depending on coverage tier and family status. Bidders were required to provide proof of insurance coverage, including $1,000,000 in commercial general liability, $1,000,000 in professional liability, and workers' compensation at statutory limits, with the School Board named as additional insured. The total contract was contingent upon budget appropriation and successful negotiation of mutually acceptable terms.