Group Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Plan

The New York State Unified Court System (UCS), Office of Court Administration (OCA) is soliciting sealed bids for a group life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance coverage plan to serve 2,330 active employees and 2,026 retirees at no cost to enrollees. Active employees will receive both group life insurance and AD&D coverage with benefit amounts ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 depending on age group (0-64, 65-69, and 70 and up), while retired enrollees will receive group life insurance only in the amount of $15,000 regardless of age. The Plan, which has been in continuous effect since January 1, 1998, requires bidders to submit monthly premium rates per $1,000 of insurance coverage on the prescribed Exhibit A Pricing Sheet, with rates remaining fixed throughout the initial three-year contract term. Bidders must be New York State-licensed insurance providers with at least five years of experience in group life and AD&D insurance and ratings from A.M. Best or comparable nationally recognized rating organizations, and must meet mandatory operational requirements including claims processing within 30 business days, nationwide toll-free customer service availability between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday, quarterly performance reporting, SOC 2 Type II or ISO 27001 certification compliance, data storage within the continental United States, secure online access for eligibility and claims review, and assignment of a dedicated account manager. The key deadlines are March 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST for initial questions, April 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST for final questions, and May 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST for sealed bid submission, with an estimated contract start date of January 1, 2027. The OCA will award a single contract to the lowest dollar cost, responsible bidder for an initial three-year term with the option to renew for two additional one-year periods, and bidders must provide proof of workers' compensation insurance, commercial general liability coverage with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate, and auto liability coverage of $1 million combined single limits.

There are no specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular types of organizations based on disadvantaged enterprise status identified in this solicitation. Emblem Health is the incumbent provider, having held an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years. Interested bidders requiring detailed census information for active and retired enrollees and five-year claims history from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2025 must contact the designated RFB contact, Jillian Halse, Court Analyst (jhalse@nycourts.gov), and execute a non-disclosure agreement subject to negotiation with UCS; salary information will not be provided. All pricing must be all-inclusive with no commissions to be paid to the awarded contractor and no additional charges to UCS. Sealed bids must be submitted by hand delivery or mail to the Division of Grants, Contracts and Procurement at 2500 Pond View, Suite 104, Castleton-on-Hudson, New York 12033, Attention: Jillian Halse, with one original and one hard copy required. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the procurement documents; however, any awarded contract exceeding $50,000 is subject to New York State Comptroller approval and must comply with prevailing wage requirements, recycled product procurement policies, and data security breach notification laws.