The City of Macon is soliciting proposals for employee benefits brokerage and consulting services, with a 2 p.m. Oct. 9 deadline.
The solicitation is set out in a city request for proposals posted on the city's bids and RFPs page, which listed it as open and accepting proposals Monday. The RFP document is titled for the City of Macon and Macon Municipal Utilities. The introduction says the City of Macon provides public services to about 5,500 residents and employs about 85 full-time benefits-eligible employees when fully staffed. The city's Human Resources page separately describes the city workforce as more than 50 employees.
The city's current benefit programs listed in the RFP include medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and accidental death and dismemberment coverage; long-term disability; health savings accounts; and other voluntary benefits.
The selected broker would advise on plan design, evaluation, and administration; help city departments with ongoing benefits administration; and recommend cost containment and plan design changes, according to the RFP. Marketing work would include evaluating carrier proposals, helping negotiate premiums and service agreements, providing claims analysis and utilization reports, and monitoring plan performance. The broker would also provide compliance guidance under federal and state benefits laws and, as the city requests, help with employee benefit communication and open enrollment education.
Proposers must be licensed to conduct insurance brokerage in Missouri, show employee benefits brokerage experience, be in good standing with the Missouri Department of Insurance, and show experience with public-sector organizations or similarly sized employers, according to the RFP.
Proposals are to describe the firm, account team, public-sector or comparable experience, service approach, value-added human resources or compliance resources, and compensation structure, including commissions, fees, or other arrangements. The city may select a vendor based solely on written proposals, according to the RFP.
The anticipated schedule in the RFP lists an issue date of Sept. 25, a deadline for questions of Oct. 8, and the Oct. 9 proposal deadline. Anticipated city council approval is Oct. 13, with an anticipated notice of intent to award Oct. 15. The city reserves the right to change that schedule.
The contract term is three years, with options to renew for additional one-year periods by mutual agreement. The city may terminate the contract with 90 days' written notice, according to the RFP.
Evaluation factors include firm and assigned-team qualifications, experience with similar organizations, the quality of brokerage and consulting services, value-added services, and fee structure and overall value. The city reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive informalities when it determines that is in the city's best interest.
Proposals may be mailed, hand-delivered, or emailed to Anastasia Rucker, city clerk, at 106 W. Bourke St., Macon, Missouri 63552, or cityclerk@cityofmacon-mo.gov. Emailed proposals should use the subject line "Proposal – Employee Benefits Broker Services." Late proposals will not be accepted, according to the RFP.
Questions about the solicitation go to Rucker at 660-385-6421 or cityclerk@cityofmacon-mo.gov. The RFP PDF is posted with the city clerk's bids and RFPs listing at cityofmacon-mo.gov.
The Chronicle has covered other recent City of Macon procurements, including Sept. 1 bidding on de-icing salt and the sale of a 1998 fire engine and a Sept. 11 Street Department laborer opening. The benefits broker RFP is a separate solicitation.