Request for Proposal (RFP)
Phase 1
Addendum #2
Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System
CIS (Citycounty Insurance Services)
1212 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
(503) 763-3800
RFP Schedule
Issuance of RFP:
February 15, 2012
Submission of Questions about RFP Phase #1
February 29, 2012
Proposal Due:
March 16, 2012
ADDENDUM
A. BACKGROUND
On February 15, 2012, CIS (Citycounty Insurance Services) issued a Request for Proposals
(RFP) for an Online Enrollment and Benefits Administration System.
CIS is issuing this Addendum to the RFP to respond to written questions we received by
potential proposers. The Addendum modifies the original RFP document only to the extent
indicated. All other areas of the original RFP remain in effect and can only be modified in writing
by CIS. This Addendum is made an integral part of the original RFP. It is the responsibility of all
Proposers to conform to this Addendum. Proposers who have already submitted proposals may
either: 1. submit an addendum to their proposal; or 2. withdraw the original proposal and submit
a new proposal. Any addendum or revised proposal must be submitted no later than the
Proposal Due Date of 5:00 p.m. (PST) on March 16, 2012.
Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
CIS (Citycounty insurance services)
Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System
Response to RFP Questions
1. You state that you have 270+ employer groups with over
2500 plan combinations. Would you say that each plan
combination represents an eligible population?
Not all 2500 plan combinations are used. There are currently around 300
medical, 200 dental and 300 vision plans with enrollment. Each plan has an
identical retiree plan, but not all retiree plans currently have enrollment.
The plans must be set up in anticipation of a retiree.
o Of those eligible populations, how many are
retiree groups?
2. How many retirees are you administrating benefits for
today?
602, not including dependents insured under the retiree.
3. Are you looking for the ability to bill retirees for their
benefits premiums?
Looking but not required.
4. What data would you want to convert to the new system?
Current elections? Dependent data? Beneficiary data?
Historical Data?
Yes, everything mentioned. Converting current elections is crucial.
Converting historical elections is not as crucial.
5. I understand that CIS is invoicing the different employer
groups today. How is deduction data getting back to
payroll departments for employees?
The employer determines how much each employee is required to pay and
makes necessary deductions in their payroll system. CIS is not involved in
this process.
6. Please provide the scenario where an employee record
moves to another employer. What data would need to be
carried over?
Employee A works for City of Seaside, terminates 2/29/12 and is hired with
the City of Astoria 3/1/12. Currently we just change the employer,
employee group and pay cycle. All info (name, address, dependents, etc.)
carry over. Prefer not to have to re-enter employee again. Also, we prefer
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Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
the former employer specific detail (pay, HR notes, prior enrollment) is not
visible to the new employer.
7. How do you handle benefits administration for
employees that are enrolled with two employers at the
same time today?
We do not have active employees who work with two employers. But we do
have employees who work for one employer and volunteer with another
(police reserve/fire volunteer). For the life plans we create a fake ID and
enter the real ID in a custom field. Real SSN has to be reported to medical,
dental and vision carriers.
8. You ask a question in the implementation questionnaire
about limits on rate tiers? What is the max you offer to
one employer group?
All member employers will be moving to a five tiered structure for medical,
dental and vision; Employee Only, Employee+Child, Employee+Spouse,
Employee+Family and Employee+Children.
9. You note in the implementation questionnaire the ability
to track leave. We offer a spectrum of leave
administration. Can you explain what capabilities you are
looking for?
Not a requirement at this time. Feel free to state capabilities.
10. How will you pass employee census data to the benefits
platform?
In whatever format is needed by vendor.
11. Do you offer any voluntary plans that provide individual
rates instead of group rates?
All of our supplemental life plans and our small employer group life plans are
age rated.
12. Do you need benefits administration in languages other
than English? If so, what languages?
No, it is not a requirement at this time. Feel free to state capabilities.
13. Are you looking for complete COBRA administration or
just reporting for terms and dependent drops?
Currently administer COBRA using one system to send out the notice and
another system for enrollment/billing. Would prefer a complete COBRA
administration system. .
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Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
14. The New Hire process states that the member is
transferred to complete a Personal Heal Assessment. Is
this assessment completed only for new hires, or also for
annual enrollment and/or life events?
The option to complete the Personal Health Assessment is for new hires and
at the Annual Open Enrollment. Employees can also complete the PHA at any
time of the year.
15. The New Hire process appears to describe a Single Sign
On process between CIS and ADP. Can you confirm that
an SSO protocol where CIS issues and authenticates
employee IDs and passwords is desired?
Prefer not to authenticate and transfer to another website. Looking for
capability for employee to sign on a single website to select benefits.
16. The process describes a solution where ACCPAC serves
as the book of record for member and group accounts
receivable. Is this the desired future state, or is it
preferred that the new administration solution track the
individual member and group accounts receivable?
While AccPac has to continue to receive the data, it doesn’t necessarily have
to be the only book of record. If your system offers something different but
still allows the necessary data to be transferred to AccPac, we would be
interested in the proposed process.
17. When making a request for coverage, is the entity constrained to a
selection of predefined plan designs (e.g. package #1, #2 or #3) or
can they build their own plan?
Member employers choose from pre-determined medical, dental and vision
plans and they decide whether to add riders (ie: alternative care, hearing
aid, ortho, etc).
18. If plans are selected from packages, how many exist?
See answer in question 19 below.
20 medical plans, 6 dental plans, 4 vision plans, life, LTD and AD&D plans are
varied and require quote from carrier. The medical and dental plans allow
for the addition of several riders at the employer level.
19. If plans are built, how many choices are available for
each of the various benefits (e.g. health, dental, life,
AD&D, LTD, etc.)?
20. Please confirm that you wish to calculate and track employee
contributions towards the total premium, not only the employer
and total cost.
Yes. CIS wishes to enter the employee’s cost share to create accurate
confirmation statements.
21. If applicable, how is the cost sharing calculated? What
types of formulae are used; e.g. flat formula (e.g.
Current system requires a dollar amount. Amount is entered on Request for
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Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
95%/5%), employee fixed rate for all levels (e.g. $75),
other methods?
22. How are payments reported? Is there a lockbox or are all payments
entered manually?
23. Assuming that payments are handled today in ACCPAC,
is this the desired model moving forward or would you
prefer to track payments and accounts receivable in the
administration system?
Coverage and imported with rates.
Payments are not recorded to the enrollment system. All accounting is
independently recorded in AccPac and managed by the accounting
department.
While AccPac has to be updated with payment information, it doesn’t have
to be the only process. If your system offers something different but still
allows the necessary data to be transferred to AccPac, we would be
interested in the proposed process.
24. In your technical capabilities document can you indicate
the need to have versus the must have capabilities.
This will be decided and elaborated in Phase II.
25. Can the implementation be phased to provide initial
functionality for group administrator handling of
enrollment and billing, with employee self-service
functionality to follow in a subsequent phase?
No. We need group administration and employee administration at the
same time.
26. Employee Self-Administration - Please provide sample
‘Benefit Statement’ to be generated
This will be provided in the Phase II RFP. Looking for capability to customize
document.
27. Plans and Rates Setup - What is the nature of the
display? If it is for informational purposes or is this in turn
used in some calculative process?
This information is used in a calculative process.
28. Employee Setup - Is the collection of this information
(answers to questions) informational or is there a larger
The Employee Setup is the initial data base identifying the employee and
dependents for the carrier. It is modified over the year as things change.
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Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
use for the information (dollar bank, etc.)? Is this
information collected at setup and modified as required
over the year as things change? Or is this information
tied to a period and collected each month? Or,
something else altogether? Please describe how this
information is expected to be used.
29. Is tracking leave informational or does this impact how
eligibility is transmitted and reinstatement is managed?
At this point, tracking leave is informational but long term plans may change
this. We are currently researching capabilities.
30. Benefits Administration and Reporting - 3. & 4. These
two questions are tied together. Would the assignment of
an administrator be based upon the specific employee
regardless of employer? So that multiple managers may
be assigned to specific employees within one employer?
Explain how the assignment of the management of an
employee account is envisioned.
No, these two questions are not tied together. CIS wants to be the Super
Administrator and notified when any employee makes a change online (even
if the employer administrator makes a change to an employee record). In
addition the employee is assigned an employer administrator who should
also receive notifications when one of their employees has made a change
online, completed their enrollment, etc. But they do not need to know if CIS
made a change to an employee’s record.
31. Retiree Information - 2. Is this tied to C-4? This appears
to have the employer or their surrogate subsidizing the
premiums due, with the balance collected directly from
the retiree? How often does this premium subsidy
change?
No, they are different. The employee cost share is for active employees. The
whole premium is billed to the employer but we show the employee cost for
informational purposes. The retiree/COBRA subsidy is currently billed
directly to the employer on their monthly invoice and the remaining portion
(if any) is then billed directly to the COBRA/Retiree participant.
32. H. Personal Health/Wellness Program - We will have to
understand this much better. Any and all information you
could supply would help. Do you have a PHA for vendor
to host or do you expect the vendor to provide the PHA?
Our medical partners currently host their own PHA at their secure website.
The carriers have their own wellness programs and expect to continue
utilizing them. Phase II will explore options that the vendor might have
available.
33. Describe the employee contribution strategy. Is there a
Employee contributions are different by each employer and sometimes by
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Online Enrollment & Benefits Administration System - Response to RFP Questions
single contribution strategy across all groups for each
plan, or are the employee contributions different by
group? If different, are there limited choices for
contribution splits?
different employee groups (e.g., police, fire, public works, etc.) within the
employer.
34. Are defined contribution plans to be offered on the
Marketplace? Describe how you anticipate the defined
contribution plans will be structured. (Example: A single
defined contribution specified by the employer that is
applied across all eligible plan types, or a defined
contribution specified for each plan.)
CIS does not get involved in contribution strategies – this is between the
member employer and employee and potentially an applicable union
contract.
35. How are the corresponding benefit payroll deductions
administered?
Administered by the employer. CIS is not involved in employee deductions.
But payroll deductions are desired to show accurate cost on confirmation
statements.
36. What is the typical time frame between when a new
employer joins CIS, when their plans are selected, and
when the enrollment period begins?
This can vary but typically 45days for initial notice. Setup begins within 10
days of notice and the employee enrollment period would begin 30 days
before the effective date. Enrollment should be finished by 17 days before
the expected effective date.
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