Third Party Administrator Service for Liability Claims

The City of New Haven and the New Haven Board of Education are issuing a Request for Proposals to procure third-party administrator (TPA) services for the comprehensive handling of liability claims, including General Liability, Automobile Liability, Law Enforcement Liability, Public Official Liability, School Board Legal Liability, and Employment Practices Liability. The selected vendor will be responsible for claim intake, investigation, evaluation, reserving, and resolution of all claims arising under policies effective from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, working in coordination with the City's Corporation Counsel regarding reserve setting, settlement authority, claim denials, and litigation coordination. Key deliverables and outcomes include acknowledgment of all claims within 24 hours, thorough investigations conducted in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes and the Fair Claims Practices Act, timely claim evaluations with appropriate reserve recommendations, and comprehensive settlement and litigation coordination. Required qualifications include a minimum of five years of experience in liability claims administration in municipal or educational settings, employment of certified claims adjusters holding either the Adjusters Insurance Certificate (AIC) or Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation, and comprehensive knowledge of Connecticut state laws. The evaluation will assess system requirements, product demonstrations, and proposed solutions across criteria including completeness, clarity, effectiveness, feasibility, innovation, risk management, and sustainability, with scoring utilizing a "reward low cost" methodology. The question submission deadline is May 11, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., with proposals due May 27, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., submitted through the City's eProcurement Portal; vendors must submit separate technical and pricing proposals.

Vendors must comply with the City of New Haven Living Wage Ordinance for contracts exceeding $25,000 and are subject to nondiscrimination requirements under Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act and Executive Orders 11246 and 11375, with affirmative action obligations to recruit and utilize minority contractors and women business enterprises for subcontracted work. The procurement does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though vendors must submit a Current Workforce Demographic Form and provide equal opportunity certifications. Required insurance coverage includes General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 combined aggregate, Excess/Umbrella Liability of $1,000,000, Professional Liability of $1,000,000, and Cyber Liability/Technology Error & Omissions of $5,000,000. The pricing proposal must include a detailed fee structure with annual management fees for new cases and continuation costs for at least five years, broken down by claim category and year, plus any one-time setup fees, custom report charges, and loss control costs; specific budget ranges or award values are not disclosed in the RFP documentation. The initial contract term is one year with two optional one-year extension periods subject to the Purchasing Agent's approval, and the City has implemented a No Purchase Order, No Payment Policy effective July 1, 2019, requiring all vendor submissions to include a notarized Disclosure & Certification Affidavit, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Certificate of Non-Arrearage, and Statement of Qualifications.