Benefits Consulting Services

The Vendor is required to provide comprehensive employee benefits consulting, advisory, and brokerage support (including acting as an intermediary between agency and its benefit vendors) across three service categories:
• Core annual services,
• Ongoing advisory and support services, and
• Project-based and specialized services (collectively, the “Services”).
- Currently supports a diverse workforce of approximately 4,300 active employees and 2,300 retirees across multiple benefit plan designs as follows:
• Traditional benefits plan (approximately 3,500 employees): includes permanent bargaining unit employees (full-time, part-time, and job-sharing), temporary bargaining unit employees, temporary management and legal staff, and permanent medical officers and physicians;
• Flexible benefits plan (approximately 800 employees): available to permanent management employees (full-time, part-time, and job-sharing), allowing choice across coverage options such as extended health, dental, life insurance, accident insurance, and long-term disability; and
• Retiree benefits (approximately 2,300 retirees): includes limited extended health coverage and a voluntary group dental plan that is currently under review.
- Core Annual Services:
• Lead annual renewal process, including analysis, negotiation with carriers, and provide recommendations;
• Report on and analyze claims experience, utilization trends, and financial performance on a quarterly and annual basis;
• Deliver benchmarking against comparable organizations and market practices on a biennial basis;
• Recommend plan design improvements, cost containment strategies, and optimization opportunities;
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and market developments and assess impacts and report;
• Maintain a multi-year benefits strategy aligned with agency organizational objectives;
• Review and ensure accuracy of contracts, plan documents, and benefit booklets; and
• Support annual enrolment processes, including pricing, flex credits, and decision support.
- Ongoing Advisory and Support Services:
• Act as advocate and liaison with insurers and service providers, as needed;
• Address escalated service, claims, and contract-related issues as they arise;
• Provide advice on plan administration, governance, and best practices;
• Provide cost projections and budget forecasting, including emerging experience impacts;
• Support collective bargaining through costing, plan design advice, and interpretation of benefit provisions;
• Support employee communications, education, and change management initiatives; and
• Ensure ongoing contract compliance and service performance monitoring.
- Project-Based and Specialized Services:
• Deliver targeted support for strategic initiatives and major changes;
• Conduct comprehensive plan reviews (e.g., management, retiree, disability programs);
• Assist with benefit plan marketing and procurement processes, including development of specifications, evaluation of proposals, vendor selection and contract negotiation;
• Support vendor transitions and implementations including implementation planning and governance, data transfer and system integration, communication and change management, and post implementation review;
• Provide specialized actuarial calculations for participants of Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP); and
• Other benefits related projects.