Employee Benefits Brokerage Section 125 Administration and Consulting Services

The vendor is required to provide voluntary employee benefits, broker and health insurance/benefit consulting services, electronic enrollment, consolidated billing, and section 125 administrative services to board.
- Services include:
• Provide benefits information and periodic comparisons (to surrounding localities) of the offerings of board, to enable board to make effective decisions in developing an overall employee benefits program that is comprehensive and meets established objectives with respect to cost and competitiveness, with the goal of attracting and retaining employees.
• Recommend and assist staff to determine alternative benefit plan(s) designs, improvements, delivery systems, funding and communication methods, as dictated by environmental/regulatory changes and emerging technologies, which best serve board needs. 
• Provide online employee self-serve portal for enrollment/open enrollment changes.
• Provide information and guidance on health benefit issues, trends, possible new benefits, regulations and proposed new legislation.
• Review board employee benefits program on a continuing basis to ensure that the plans are in compliance with government regulations.
• Track and report progress of benefit plans on a quarterly basis, coordinating with benefit providers to obtain relevant performance data. 
• Provide analysis of benefit performance.
• Provide, upon request, consultation and guidance with respect to all benefit plans. 
• This would include in person meetings and all costs associated would be inclusive.
• Advise, assist and keep informed, board of all changes in both state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to employee benefits, specifically, health care reform (section 125 and health plan). 
• Assist board and any employee benefits plan(s), in remaining compliant at all times. 
• Make recommendations related to health care reform including long term care solutions.
• TPA must be licensed as a third party administrator in the state.
• Board desired time-line is ambitious. 
• It is the intent of board to have the future provider selected by September/October 2025, in order to allow an ample time for any transition period between the current provider and future provider, if necessary.
• Open enrollment is estimated to start around October, 2025 for an effective date of January 1, 2026.
• Provide consolidated, one-check billing. 
• Consolidated billing all payroll deducted benefits with the exception of 403b. 
• Process and administer all new and existing payroll deductions with each insurance company for payroll deducted insurance products under section 125.
• Relieve payroll department responsibility by providing consolidated monthly billings, including plan recaps which allow payroll department to submit one check for all payroll deducted products excluding health insurance. 
• Disperse appropriate amounts to individual carriers within two working days after receipt of funds.
• Provide a toll-free telephone line for customer service.
• Assist administrators, committees and staff with determining which products are qualified under section 125.
• Assist in drafting, reviewing any request for proposals for benefits (including identification of appropriate markets).
• Review, evaluate, and analyze all proposals received from insurance providers under section 125, including but not limited to, health, dental, vison and submit findings to administrators and committee.
• Assist and advise board in contract negotiations/renewals (including review for accuracy of coverage, compliance, terms and conditions).
• Conduct annual surveys of insurance products performance and status to assure that products continue to be qualified under section 125 and that carrier’s maintain proper ratings.
• Advice and assist board with required benefit plan communications to employees annually, during benefits enrollment periods and as regulatory changes occur. 
• Conduct meetings and enrollments with all personnel on mutually agreed upon days, to educate and inform, answer questions and give presentations on the plan, benefits and products.
• Assure continuing compliance with all internal revenue code and department of labor regulations and rules for employers. 
• Maintain all plan records in a fashion conducive to providing verification of plan compliance.
• Provide information to plan participants concerning participation status on a routine basis and other inquiries on an as needed basis. 
• Open enrollment dates must align with dates provided by board.
• Process all medical reimbursement and dependent care spending account claims and assist with carrier claims and associated follow-up as needed.
• Act as a school system liaison for plan operations to assist with the resolution of employee, participant and administrative issues as they arise.
• Provide the school system with all needed forms to facilitate plan operations and compliance.
• Provide all employee deductions in a file format of board choosing, or allow board access to log in to offeror’s system and create a file to load into board payroll system, munis, if needed.
• Provide open enrollment dates to board as requested by staff.
• Accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, cancer, and life whole life shall all be portable into retirement for employees.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: July 21, 2025