Health Benefits Microsite and Professional Services

The Maryland Department of Budget and Management Office of Personnel Services and Benefits is seeking a contractor to develop and maintain a Health Benefits Microsite for state employees, issued as a Small Business Reserve (SBR) Invitation for Bids (IFB) under solicitation number F10B5600007. The procurement aims to continue the virtual benefits enrollment environment first implemented in 2020, providing a digital platform for employees and spouses to access comprehensive benefit and wellness information throughout the open enrollment period and plan year. Key deliverables include a fully implemented and accessible microsite due annually by October 1, with mandatory production and non-production environments, help desk services, and comprehensive data performance and help desk reporting. The contractor must maintain 99.9% system uptime, provide rapid issue response (less than 1 hour for high-priority issues), and ensure full WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for March 10, 2024, at 11:00am via Google Meet, with questions due by March 18, 2024, at 12:00PM, and final bids due March 24, 2024, at 4:00PM. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive bidder and will have an initial three-year term with two potential one-year renewal options.

The solicitation is specifically designated as a Small Business Reserve procurement, initially limited to certified small business vendors, though this designation may be removed if insufficient small business interest is demonstrated. While Minority Business Enterprises are encouraged to participate, no specific MBE or VSBE participation goals are established. The contractor must provide extensive insurance coverage, including $1M commercial general liability, $1M errors & omissions liability, $500K crime/employee theft insurance, and $5M cyber security/data breach insurance. Data centers must be located within the continental United States, and the contractor will be subject to a 10% payment retention until the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) approves the IT solution for production. The microsite will replace the previous sole-source contract used from 2020-2024 and will continue to support the state's hybrid work environment by providing a virtual platform for benefits information. Although specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the comprehensive technical requirements and service level agreements suggest a significant investment in maintaining a robust, secure, and accessible digital benefits enrollment system.