Benefits Program Broker Services

The vendor is required to provide from qualified brokerage company or companies to provide the highest quality benefits to employees at a reasonable cost.
- The city is open to engaging a single, full-service broker of record for the city’s group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance (add), group short term disability and long term disability (std/ltd), voluntary life and add, vision, and dental or engaging several brokers who specialize in these specific benefit programs depending on which option most closely achieves the city’s objectives.
- The management services department consists of several sections including employment services, general liability, employee services, labor relations, workers’ compensation, and environmental health and safety.
- Research, identify, develop and present benefit programs, plan/rate designs, insurers, or providers in the local marketplace, specifically including the following:
• Group life and add insurance coverage that meets or exceeds the city’s current benefit levels and is more cost effective.
• The city will provide initial portability notification; the carrier should administer post-employment coverage thereafter.
• Group std and ltd insurance coverage that exceeds the city’s current benefit levels and is more cost effective.
• Voluntary life and add insurance coverage that meets or exceeds the city’s current benefit levels and is more cost effective.
• Vision coverage that meets or exceeds the city’s current benefit levels and is more cost effective.
• Dental coverage that exceeds the city’s current benefit levels and is more cost effective.
• Analyze carriers and providers in terms of premium rates, policy provisions, plan designs, administrative services and fees, financial strength, claims handling, customer service, flexibility, and stability of performance.
• Make recommendations for maximizing benefits within cost constraints.
• Upon request from the city, and potentially upon short notice, produce probable cost of actual or hypothetical changes in the benefit programs.
• Develop, evaluate, present, and assist in the implementation of alternative, creative, or “out of the box” options for plan design, funding options, and service provision.
• Represent the city in negotiations with providers on all issues related to benefits including premiums, benefit levels, plan design, claims resolution, and special terms and conditions, monitor and report on group experience, provide renewal projections, market benefit programs annually, or as requested, and assist with the benefit program renewals.
• Assist with implementation of selected benefit programs.
• Assist the city with technology platforms that support employee awareness about their benefits which includes an option for an employee portal or interactive tool(s).
• Ongoing administrative support for city staff for items related to legislative updates, templates and forms, notices, census management, employer-initiated campaigns, open enrollment support, employer communications, and applicable testing such as discrimination testing.
• Access to broker or call center staff for ongoing communication related to employee concerns and/or troubleshooting in a timely manner.
• Ongoing financial analytics support which could include actuaries, projections, price comparisons, benchmarking, regional and industry trends, etc.
• Interface electronically with the city’s human resources, benefits and payroll ERP system, currently oracle suite, for new hire enrollments, open enrollments, and qualifying life event changes throughout the plan year.
• Maintain accurate database of employees, retirees, and dependents.
• Administer all billing functions and produce a monthly consolidated billing report for city staff.
• Trace and initiate medicare eligibility and dependent age-out notices on a monthly basis.
• Administer all cobra requirements including, but not limited to, billing, premium, remittance, and mailing of general notices.
• Administer retiree program in its entirety for vision and dental, including, but not limited to, administration of initial communication and ongoing communication with retirees, premium remittance to carriers, and medicare supplement coordination and assistance if applicable.
• Provide billing remittance to city of retiree administration of vision and dental administrative costs.
• assist city staff with budget estimates and provide information to support the labor relations process as needed.
• provide customer service support to participants and city staff by acting as an interface between the city and the providers, assist with claims disputes and billing and eligibility issues, provide contract compliance monitoring, create employee communications, assist with other issues as they arise including compliance required items.
• Meet with city staff as needed.
- Contract Period/Term: 4 years
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: March 13, 2025