**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

  • The format of this RFP has been simplified.
  • Only the following pages require signatures:
  1. Exhibit A – Bid Response Packet, Bidder Information and Acceptancepage
  2. Must be signed by Bidder
  3. Exhibit A – Bid Response Packet, SLEB Partnering Information Sheet
  4. Must be signed by Bidder
  5. Must be signed by SLEB Partnerif subcontracting to a SLEB

Please read EXHIBIT A – Bid Response Packet carefully,INCOMPLETE BIDS WILL BE REJECTED. Alameda County will not accept submissions or documentation after the bid response due date.

COUNTY OF ALAMEDA

REQUEST FORPROPOSAL No. 901203

for

HEALTH AND WELFARE CONSULTING SERVICES

For complete information regarding this project, seeRFPposted ator contact the County representative listed below. Thank you for your interest!
Contact Person:Evelyn Benzon, Contracts Specialist II
Phone Number: (510) 208-9622
E-mail Address:

RESPONSE DUE

by

2:00 p.m.

on

March 12, 2014

at

Alameda County, GSA–Purchasing

1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 907

Oakland, CA 94612

Alameda County is committed to reducing environmental impacts across our entire supply chain.

If printing this document, please print only what you need, print double-sided, and use recycled-content paper.

COUNTY OF ALAMEDA

REQUEST FORPROPOSALNo. 901203

SPECIFICATIONS, TERMS & CONDITIONS

for

HEALTH AND WELFARE CONSULTING SERVICES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

I.STATEMENT OF WORK

A.INTENT

B.SCOPE

C.BACKGROUND

D.BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

E.SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS (“on-going” and “as needed”)

II.CALENDAR OF EVENTS

F.NETWORKING / BIDDERS CONFERENCES

III.COUNTY PROCEDURES, TERMS, AND CONDITIONS

G.EVALUATION CRITERIA / SELECTION COMMITTEE

H.CONTRACT EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

I.NOTICE OF RECOMMENDATION TO AWARD

J.TERM / TERMINATION / RENEWAL

K.QUANTITIES

L.PRICING

M.AWARD

N.METHOD OF ORDERING

O.INVOICING

P.ACCOUNT MANAGER / SUPPORT STAFF

IV.INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

Q.COUNTY CONTACTS

R.SUBMITTAL OF BIDS

S.RESPONSE FORMAT

ATTACHMENTS

EXHIBIT A -BID RESPONSE PACKET

EXHIBIT B - INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

EXHIBIT C - VENDOR BID LIST

EXHIBIT D – RFP QUESTIONNAIRE

EXHIBIT E – MINIMUM INVOICE FORMAT

Specifications, Terms & Conditions

for Health and Welfare Consulting Services

I.STATEMENT OF WORK

A.INTENT

It is the intent of these specifications, terms, and conditions todescribethe required qualifications for vendors’ interest in providing health and welfare consulting services to Alameda County’s Human Resource Services/Employee Benefits Center (HRS/EBC).

The County intends to award a three-year contract (with option to renew) to the bidder selected as the most responsible bidder whose response conforms to the RFP and meets the County’s requirements.

B.SCOPE

The County is committed to providing comprehensive, high quality, and cost-effective benefit plans and programs that provide optimum value to the County, its employees, and its retirees. The County is seeking to establish relationships with potential consulting firms to support a strategic approach to the development and negotiation of employee benefits including mutual development of performance standards that support the following strategic goals and objectives for the County while maintaining State or Federal regulatory requirements.

  1. Long-Term Strategy and Value to County

The County is committed to stabilizing and controlling plan costs in its health and welfare benefits program while obtaining optimal value (best price, quality care, and quality service) for plan participants. Meeting this commitment requires that the County engage a consultant(s) to assist it in holding the County’s providers accountable for delivering high quality cost-effective care with a strong emphasis on comprehensive preventative care.

  1. Proposals, Negotiations, Reporting, and Performance Measurement
  1. Reporting & Performance Measurement: Collection, reporting and analysis of plan data are critical in measuring and comparing plans and providers with industry standards, competitors, and best practices. The consultant shall provide an annual assessment of the County’s health and welfare plans using performance management tools to evaluate and report back as to whether long term objectives are being met.
  1. Negotiations: The consultant shall assist in the preparation of a variety of materials required for labor negotiations including, but not be limited to, cost estimates for new or upgraded benefit programs, rate calculations, and written material such as analyses, summaries, and graphs/spreadsheets.
  1. Proposals: Consultant shall assist staff in designing and submitting requests for proposals to viable health and welfare providers for current and new employee programs. The Consultant shall also provide technical assistance in the evaluation of the providers and their services and the negotiation of contracts.
  1. Legislative

The consultant shall provide the following services with regard to changes in State and Federal laws and regulations, including related tax law changes:

  1. A method (newsletters, memos, or briefs) for updating County staff on a regular basis of any and all related changes.
  1. An analysis of the effects of current proposed legislation and regulations on County benefit programs.
  1. Proposed modifications to County programs to comply with relevant laws and regulations.
  1. Recommendations regarding the County’s position on pending legislation and regulation.
  1. Attendance at Meetings and Presentations

Consultant shall be available to meet with County staff and attend meetings, presentations, negotiation sessions, etc. as specified by the County. The consultant may also be requested to conduct formal presentations to members of the Board of Supervisors (Board), CountyAdministrator’s Office (CAO), employee groups, and other groups as specified by the County.

  1. General Consulting Advice on Administrative Procedures and Benefit Plan Concepts

The consultant shall be available to assist County staff with technical issues affecting the administration and processing procedures of the benefit programs as they arise.

C.BACKGROUND

The County of Alameda is the sixth largest county in California, with approximately 9,426 employees. The County also has approximately 5,153 subgroup employees and approximately 4,800 benefit eligible retirees. The County contains a population of 1.5 million residents and is comprised of 738 square miles, with 14 cities including the metropolitan areas of Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, Livermore, and Pleasanton. The western two-thirds of the County are urban, while the eastern one-third is suburban and light industrial. The population is characterized by great diversity of race, ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic class.

Some of the County’s major departments include: General Services Agency, Sheriff/Coroner, Health Care Services Agency, Public Works, Social Services Agency, Probation, Library, Assessor, Auditor-Controller, Fire Department, and Special Districts. Subgroups are non-County employees. County’s largest subgroups are Alameda County Employees Retirement Association (ACERA) and the Alameda County Medical Center (ACMC). The eight (8) smaller sub-groups are the Alameda County Fair Association, County Fire, East Bay Foundation, Hayward Park & Recreation, Housing Authority, Livermore Area Recreation & Park, Associated Community Action Program, and Waste Management Authority. There are approximately 800 employees in the small sub-groups.

The County has approximately 9,426 active employees. Only about 8,700 active County employees are benefits eligible. The average age of County employees is 46, with 57% female and 43% male. The County has a heavily unionized workforce which makes up 84.44% of the total employee population. There are approximately 5,153 active subgroup employees. There are approximately 4,800 retirees. This retiree number includes 1,800 early retirees, which are blended into the County’s active experience.

The County’s EBC currently uses an online intranet website as a resource for employees to access benefit information. The EBC conducts its annual online open enrollment through PeopleSoft. Ongoing enrollment and changes are a paper process throughout the year.

The County maintains self-insured, fully insured,and voluntary insurance programs. The EBC of the HRS administers the following programs:

  1. Health Insurance –Four (4) fully insured Health Maintenance Organizations Plans (HMOs) and one (1) fully insured Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) for active employees. A Sr. Advantage HMO Plan and Early Retirees are currently blended with the active plans.
  1. Dental Insurance - Self-insured PPO, a fully insured prepaid dental.
  1. Life Insurance - Basic Life, Voluntary Supplemental Employee, Spouse and Dependent Life, Voluntary AD&D Employee and Family.
  1. Voluntary Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance.
  1. Cafeteria Plan (Section 79, 105, 125, 129, and 137):
  1. Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  2. Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)
  3. Adoption Assistance Program
  4. Premium Only Plans – Non Management
  5. Premium Conversion:

1)Medical Plans

2)Vision Plans

3)Supplemental Life Plans

4)Supplemental AD&D Plans

  1. 401(A) Retirement Plan
  1. Transit & Parking Pre-Tax Benefit Program, Section 132
  1. Wellness and Disease Management

D.BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS

1.BIDDER Minimum Qualifications

  1. Bidder and its consultants shall have been regularly and continuously engaged in the business of providing health and welfare benefits consulting services for at least five (5)years.
  1. Bidder shall possess all permits, licenses and professional credentials necessary to perform services as specified in this RFP.

E.SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS(“on-going” and “as needed”)

  1. The “on-going” responsibilities of the health and welfare benefits consultant shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
  1. Reviewing and making recommendations to the County’s HRS/EBC regarding value added benefit plans and programs, as well as modifications to the design, cost (rates), communications, and quality of current employee benefit plans, retirees medical plans, and other related programs;
  1. Providing legal information pertaining to County’s employee benefit plans and programs, Health Care Reform/Affordable Care Act, including interpretation and application of all relevant laws, statutes, and regulations. If Bidder plans to contract legal services to another firm or law practice, this must be indicated in the RFP response. Bidder shall identify the law firm or practice and provide a complete resume describing the experience and training of partners and associates that will be providing legal services to the County;
  1. Making recommendations for items of negotiation with benefit plan providers including, but not limited to, plan design, cost (rates), and quality of service, performance guarantees, and return on investment, where applicable;
  1. Reviewing benefit plan provider contracts and making recommendations;
  1. Regular and timely communication of changes and proposed changes in Federal statutes and regulations that may impact the County’s employee benefit plans and programs. Recommending procedures and/or policies the County should implement to comply with Federal and State statutes and regulations;
  1. Recommending appropriate premium rates and reserves to maintain the viability of the plans and to ensure that quality and cost-effective benefits are provided by the plans;
  1. Providing HRS/EBC with guidance and recommendations on items such as, but not limited to, trends in benefit plans, methods for improving cost containment, financial arrangements, and administration;
  1. Assisting with the presentation content for labor and management benefits meetings and/or Board meetings;
  1. Providing access to published survey information, especially if the survey has been conducted by the Consultant;
  1. Providing technical and legislative assistance as it relates to cafeteria plans governed under Section 125 of the IRS code and other benefit related sections of the IRS code;
  1. Providing and attending face-to-face meetings, at the County, to actively assist and/or educate management about County employee benefits plans and programs;
  1. Assisting with the development, negotiation and implementation of performance standards and guarantees for new County benefit plan providers;
  1. Consultant shall annually review and make written recommendations on all benefit plan provider contracts for compliance with current Federal and State laws and regulations and County contract requirements;
  1. At designated intervals to be determined by the County, Consultant shall evaluate and report on the performance of plan providers to HRS/EBC;
  1. Providing research and responses to technical questions posed by HRS/EBC staff;
  1. Providing a minimum of two annual on-site training programs regarding legislation updates and/or best practice seminars for HRS/EBC and associated staff;
  1. Providing communication support for the annual open enrollment period, which includes communication project management. Communications support shall include, but is not limited to, assisting with strategic communication planning, and the development, graphic design, and editing of written and web-based information that is distributed to County employees;
  1. Providing communications support similar to those stated above (see Item q) for new benefit offerings and/or changes to the existing benefit offerings;
  1. Providing communications support with confirming carrier plan designs in preparation for the annual open enrollment campaign;
  1. Maintaining timelines for any projects assigned and providing regular updates to the EBC Management Team;
  1. Being available to provide plan interpretation and problem resolution, including attendance at periodic meetings to facilitate and assist in the management of County’s health and welfare plans and programs;
  1. Sharing with EBC Management your internal processes as it relates to obtaining information and negotiating the annual benefits renewal process, or any other project that the County assigns or the consultant is involved in;
  1. Directing negotiations with health and welfare providers on various topics including, but not limited to, premium rates, benefit levels, performance standards and guarantees, contractual terms and conditions, quality assurance standards, utilization and performance reports, statistical and/or financial reports, and plan specific data such as medical conditions, prescription drugs, high cost procedures, in-patient data, etc.;
  1. Maintaining full and accurate records with respect to all matters and services provided on behalf of the County’s benefit plans and programs. Providing County staff or officials all spreadsheets, assumptions, and calculations upon completion of any project performed on behalf of County’s benefit plans and programs;
  1. Providing monthly periodicals containing a summary of the latest legislation and its impact on employers;
  1. Providing timely legal/regulatory updates as it relates to benefits, both direct and indirect;
  1. Recommending that EBC Management personnel attend particular consultant-sponsored seminars, well-known benefit events, and educational venues that the consultant believes would be beneficial to the County;
  1. Working collaboratively with other consultants, legal firms, and County’s in-house legal department (CountyCounsel);
  1. Providing consultants who have at least five (5) years of experience in health and welfare plans with public sector employers; and
  1. Providing, maintaining, and updating comparison reports of other cities, counties, and top ten private companies’ benefit plan offerings and costs to determine their competitiveness to the EBC programs on a semi-annual basis.
  1. The “as needed” responsibilities of the Health and Welfare Benefits Consultant shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
  1. Providing actuary services for the County’s current self-funded employee benefit plans or any future benefit plans proposed by consultant;
  1. Providing other services by HRS/EBC for which consultant has the technical capability and capacity;
  1. Providing supporting documentation and testimony to the Board of Supervisors, Board staff and other County Agencies/Departments;
  1. Developing and/or assisting in developing and evaluating employee needs and satisfaction surveys;
  1. Providing content for various presentations (i.e. labor and management benefits, HR Director, CAO and/or Board, etc.);
  1. Providing actuarial costing of legislative proposals for mandated benefit programs;
  1. Reviewing and preparing an analysis of all reports submitted by plan providers and third party administrators (TPA). Making recommendations regarding the format and content of the reports. Recommending additional reports;
  1. Legal department or outside counsel of consultant to review and assist HRS/EBC in preparation of benefit plan documents and benefit summary plan descriptions for fully insured and self-funded benefit plans;
  1. Assisting in the design, implementation, and administration of new and existing programs;
  1. Consulting on and possibly management of the RFP process to outsource the County’s Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and Flexible Spending Account administration to a TPA.
  1. Recommending appropriate premium rates, especially as it relates to self-funded plans, to maintain viable reserves of the plan;
  1. Providing financial and/or performance reviews of self-funded and fully insured plans and programs, as well as the County’s TPA;
  1. Assisting in the development and implementation of contracts with selected health and welfare and TPA providers in accordance with County timelines and requirements; and
  1. Providing technical assistance in the development of marketing RFP’s for review by HRS/EBC and/or approval by the Board. The consultant is also expected to provide technical assistance to the HRS staff in the execution of the following RFP-related duties:

(1)Managing RFP process and preparing a comprehensive report of proposals received in response to the RFP.

(2)Evaluating proposals and recommend proposals to be further analyzed and reviewed by HRS/EBC.

(3)Working with HRS/EBC to determine which proposal(s) to recommend to the HRS Director and the Board of Supervisors for contract award.

(4)Developing responses to any protests from the RFP process.

(5)Making presentations regarding RFP recommendations to HRS/EBC and County officials making certain to involve the EBC extensively in the entire process including sharing internal procedures, processes, and tools used.

II.CALENDAR OF EVENTS

EVENT / DATE/LOCATION
Request Issued / January 13, 2014
Written Questions Due / by 5:00 p.m. onFebruary 5, 2014
Networking/Bidders Conference #1 / February 4, 2014 @ 10:00 a.m. / at:General Services Agency
Room 1107, 11th Floor,
1401 Lakeside Drive,
Oakland, CA 94612
OR remotely @
Networking/Bidders Conference #2 / February 5, 2014@ 1:30 p.m. / at:Dublin Public Library
Program Room
200 Civic Plaza,
Dublin, CA 94568
Addendum Issued / February 24, 2014
Response Due / March 12, 2014by2:00 p.m.
Evaluation Period / March 12 - 21, 2014
Vendor Interviews / Week of March 31, 2014
Board Letter Recommending Award Issued / May 6, 2014
Board Consideration Award Date / May 20, 2014
Contract Start Date / June 15, 2014

Note:Award and start dates are approximate.