Workers Compensation Claims Administration Services

Sarasota County is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) #242646FB for Workers Compensation Claims Administration Services, seeking a third-party administrator to manage workers' compensation claims for all county departments and elected official offices (excluding the Sheriff's Office). The procurement aims to secure a contractor capable of handling new and existing claims, providing comprehensive claims management, and supporting the county's "sports medicine" model focused on criteria-based medical outcomes and a Stay at Work program. Key deliverables include administrative services, first notice of injury reporting, claims handling, network access, medical bill review, and pharmacy benefit management. Vendor qualifications emphasize experience administering workers' compensation programs for Florida public entities, with preferred expertise in public sector claims handling and complex claims management. The county will evaluate vendors through annual performance standard reviews, with a compliance benchmark of 95 points and potential 6% financial penalties for underperformance. The solicitation will be released on OpenGov Procurement, with vendors required to register and subscribe to the Sarasota County Procurement Portal to receive notifications. While the specific due date shows as January 7, 2025, the anticipated contract term is three years, with potential for renewal.

The RFP does not explicitly outline set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. The current incumbent vendor is Johns Eastern Company, Inc., who has been administering the county's workers' compensation claims administration services through a contract that commenced on July 24, 2021, with a monthly fee of $35,292.00. The county has self-insured its workers' compensation program for over 30 years and maintains excess workers' compensation insurance with a $500,000 per occurrence retention. The vendor must maintain specific insurance coverages, including commercial general liability (minimum $1,000,000), professional liability (minimum $1,000,000), workers' compensation, and cyber liability. The total contract value for the previous three-year term was $1,270,512.00, which provides a potential benchmark for the upcoming solicitation. Sarasota County's workers' compensation claims data indicates 17,538 total claims historically, with approximately $80,139,246.71 in total paid medical expenses, suggesting the complexity and financial significance of this procurement.