Health Benefits Consultant

The Town of Berlin, Connecticut is soliciting proposals from qualified health benefits consultants to represent the Town and Berlin Board of Education in minimizing insurance rate increases and analyzing and recommending medical, dental, stop-loss, life, accident and disability, and long-term disability plans, with proposals due September 15, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. through the OpenGov procurement portal.

The consultant will serve approximately 1,200 total members across the Town and Board of Education. Scope includes insurance marketing, claims management, plan analysis, employee communications, advisory services during labor negotiations, and carrier management. Current carriers are Cigna (medical), Anthem (dental), and The Hartford (life and disability). Medical plan costs totaled $13.4 million in fiscal year 2026; stop-loss premiums have ranged from $853,159 to $1.3 million annually. The consultant must maintain professional liability insurance of at least $1 million, general liability of $1 million per occurrence, worker's compensation coverage, and umbrella liability of $1 million.

Compensation is fixed fee only; commission-based proposals are not accepted. The incumbent consultant is USI Insurance Services. The selected consultant assumes the consultant of record position effective July 1, 2027, with a five-year contract term spanning fiscal years 2027–2028 through 2031–2032. The Town reserves the right to terminate upon thirty days' notice.

Questions are due September 8, 2026. Proposals must include three references, a W-9 form, and a certificate of insurance. The Town is a municipal entity with a population of approximately 20,000, an operating budget of approximately $102 million, and a Grand List of approximately $3.2 billion.