COBRA & FSA Effective 1/1/2027

Columbus City Schools: Read Me First

RFP Type: COBRA and FSA Request for Proposal

Due Date: February 25, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EST

CLIENT ADDRESS: 3700 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43207

CLIENT SIZE: Approximately 8,000

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2027

INTRODUCTION

Columbus City Schools is seeking to secure a vendor who will partner with them to deliver a seamless, employee-focused experience. This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks a vendor partner who can administer COBRA and FSA programs.

All data and information contained in this RFP is confidential and is not to be shared with any other party without the prior written consent of Columbus City Schools (CCS) and Aon.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Columbus City Schools is the largest school district in the state of Ohio, serving over 46,000 students in 113 schools. The District employs approximately 8,000 administrators, teachers and operations personnel. The majority of employees are represented either by the Columbus Education Association (Ohio Education Association) teacher’s union or Columbus School Employees Association (Ohio Association of Public School Employees) for classified employees.

SIC Code: 8211 - Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Situs: Ohio.

Please submit all quotes with 0% commissions.

CASE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

All communications and questions are to be sent through Aon. Under no circumstances should anyone at CCS be contacted. Aon contacts for this RFP are:

• AON OFFICE: 8940 Lyra Drive, Suite 250

Columbus, OH 43240

• CONTACTS: Katie Tuttle Patty Hook

katie.m.tuttle@aon.com patricia.hook@aon.com

+1.614.601.5098 +614.825.9407 

Bethany Reuhrmund

bethany.ruehrmund@aon.com

+1.614.825.2710

TIMETABLE OF ACTIVITIES
The following timetable is tentative and represents Columbus City Schools' intent at the time this document is posted. The timeline may be modified by CCS due to other District priorities, and changes will be posted to CCS' website. Your ability to meet these deadlines will be considered in the analysis of your capabilities.
Activity	Target Date
RFP posted on CCS website	February 4, 2026
Questions from vendors due to Aon	February 9, 2026
Responses to questions posted on CCS Website	February 11, 2026
Proposals due from vendors	February 25, 2026
Notification of finalists	Week of March 16, 2026
Capabilities sessions/finalist meetings	April 22, 2026
Vendor selection	Week of May 18, 2026
Implementation Starts	Week of June 1, 2026
Effective Date	January 1, 2027

Please submit all questions you have about this RFP to Bethany and Katie no later than February 9, 2026. Questions received after this date will not receive a response, unless related to a previous question/response.

An electronic submission of your complete response should be emailed to Patty and Katie by February 25, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

This RFP is subject to the Ohio public records law since Columbus City Schools is a public entity. If there are elements of your proposal response that are confidential and not subject to public disclosure, your response should clearly indicate all of the contents which are considered “trade secrets” and you should submit one redacted copy of your RFP response at the same time as you are submitting the entire proposal. Redacted copies imply that you have blacked out or whited out any information your counsel can confirm should be qualified as “trade secrets.”

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Your proposal should fully respond to all elements of this RFP. Any cost of proposal preparation is the responsibility of your organization. Responses will be evaluated by completing the Excel RFP File included in the posting: Columbus City Schools COBRA and FSA RFP 2026.

The Columbus Board of Education and Columbus City Schools are committed to assuring that all qualified contractors, subcontractors and suppliers have an equal opportunity to participate in contracts for goods and services issued by Columbus City Schools. The Outreach Program has been established in furtherance of this goal and for the purpose of promoting the participation of Local Economically Disadvantaged Enterprises (LEDE) capable of providing labor, materials, and services in connection with all expenditures by Columbus City Schools, advancing local economic revitalization, and achieving non-discrimination in the award and administration of contracts. This program is not a race-based or gender-based quota or set-aside program. The LEDE information request is contained in the Appendix and must be completed and submitted with your proposal.

Vendor’s Errors/Omissions

Neither CCS nor Aon will be responsible for errors or omissions made in your proposal. You will be permitted to submit only one proposal. You may not revise or withdraw submitted proposals after the applicable deadline. After that, revisions to your original submission will not be allowed except as requested by Aon or CCS.

Completeness

We ask that your proposal be complete and that it complies with all aspects of these specifications. Any missing information, including incomplete answers could disqualify your proposal. Unless you note to the contrary, we will assume that your proposal conforms to our specifications in every way.

NEXT STEPS

Aon will receive and evaluate the proposals submitted by all bidders. The CCS Joint Insurance Committee will review the proposal summary and detail as necessary to select finalists.

The District reserves the right to determine the number of vendors, if any, that will provide a finalist presentation. Selection of the vendors making a finalist presentation and the meeting agenda is at the sole discretion of Columbus City Schools. Please refer to the timeline above. The selected vendor will work closely with CCS and Aon to implement the program, with an expected effective date of January 1, 2027.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

I. Proposal Rejections

The District reserves the right to reject all offers, waive technicalities, amend the original estimates, and advertise for new offers on the required products or services. Offers failing to respond to all requirements may be rejected.

II. Information Requested

Columbus City Schools may request additional information from a vendor at any time.

III. Costs Incurred for RFP Submissions

Columbus City Schools is not responsible for any cost associated with the preparation of responses to this RFP.

IV. Vendor’s Terms and Conditions

Vendor’s terms and conditions submitted with this RFP which are contrary to those set forth in this RFP will not be a part of any contract awarded as a result of this RFP. Companies that cannot adhere to the terms and conditions outlined in this RFP will not be considered.

V. Hold Harmless

The vendor will protect, indemnify, and hold Columbus City Schools harmless from and against any damage, cost, or liability, including attorneys’ fees and costs, resulting from claims by third parties for injury to persons or damage to property arising from the acts or omissions of the vendor, its officers, employees, agents, or subcontractors in providing products or services under the terms and conditions of this contract.

VI. Confidential & Proprietary Information

After a contract is awarded, the District will have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent consistent with the District’s needs in the procurement process. This restriction does not limit the District’s right to use, without restriction, information contained in this proposal if it is obtained from another source. If the vendor receives a request for such information, the vendor will immediately send the request to the District’s Chief Legal Counsel.

VII. Confidential & Proprietary Information Indemnification

The vendor agrees to protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Columbus City Schools and its respective officials, employees, agents and representatives, against loss, claim, liability in tort or by statute imposed, charge, cost or expense, including without limitation, attorneys’ fees which may be incurred in connection with, or in any manner of any damage or loss arising from disclosure of proprietary information.

VIII. Conflict of Interest / Personal Relationships

Vendors are required to disclose in writing any relationship or affinity with a member of the Columbus City Schools Board of Education, authorizing official, or member of the joint insurance committee. Failure to properly disclose such a relationship may result in termination of the contract and may jeopardize the vendor’s future business opportunities with the District.

IX. Independent Contractor Status

The vendor will perform its duties as an independent contractor and not as an employee of Columbus City Schools. Neither the vendor nor any agent or employee of the vendor will be, or will be deemed to be, an agent or employee of Columbus City Schools.

X. Contract/Rate Guarantee Periods

Columbus City Schools plans to enter into an agreement with the selected vendor effective January 1, 2027 for an initial period of 3 years, with two, optional one-year renewals. The vendor must guarantee first contract period rates/fees through December 31, 2029. Additional consideration will be given to those proposals willing to offer multi-year rate guarantees or rate caps.

XI. Negotiations / Best & Final Offers

After receipt of original vendor responses, negotiations may be conducted. Vendors may also be asked to submit written best and final offers at a designated date and time. After receipt of best and final offers, no discussions will be reopened unless the District determines that it is clearly in the District’s best interest to do so, e.g., it is clear that information available at that time is inadequate to reasonably justify vendor selection and award based on the best and final offers received. If discussions are reopened, the District may issue an additional request for best and final offers.

XII. District Terms and Conditions

All vendors are bound by the District’s Purchase Order, Contract, and Solicitation General Terms and Conditions which can be found on the District’s website.

APPENDIX: LEDE Outreach Program

The Columbus Board of Education is committed to assuring that all qualified firms have an equal opportunity to participate in contracts for goods and services. The Outreach Program was established to achieve a goal of 20% participation (of administration fees) by Local Economically Disadvantaged Enterprise (LEDE) vendors including subcontracts for supplies or services issued by any vendor doing business with the District. This program is not a race-based, gender-based quota or set-aside program.

Vendors may be required to submit a Contract Completion Survey and periodic reports to the Outreach Program Office during the term of the contract. Failure to provide this information during the contract term may leave vendors ineligible for future contracts.

Prospective LEDE vendors must be certified as such before the date and time that the RFP responses are due.

The District reserves the right to approve all LEDE vendors that will serve as subcontractors on any project and to reject any LEDE subcontractors that do not meet the requirements outlined in this document and any other factors that the District, in its sole discretion, deems relevant.

LEDE vendors are not required to sign an exclusive agreement with prime vendors and are encouraged to respond as a prime vendor and/or partner with several prime vendors to enhance their chances of success.

Prime vendors that make a commitment to use an LEDE vendor must include copies of payments to the LEDE vendor with their CCS invoices. If copies of those invoices are not included, payment may not be made.

For additional information regarding the Outreach Program, please contact: outreachservices@columbus.k12.oh.us.

Following is the LEDE information that must be completed and submitted with the vendor proposal. Vendors that do not list LEDE participation and that do not complete this section will be considered non-responsive.

SECTION A---Vendor Statement of Good Faith Effort

If the goal of the Outreach Program could not be met, but a good faith effort to reach the goal was made, please complete this section. Vendors that do not list LEDE participation and that do not complete this section will be considered non-responsive. This information should be completed even if LEDE participation is zero.

Date the Outreach Program Office Contacted:

Please describe the advice given by the Outreach Program Office and steps taken to follow up on that advice:      

What good faith efforts, as listed below, did you make to achieve District Outreach goals:      

Please provide the reasons that work cannot be subcontracted or supplies purchased from LEDE vendors:      

Prime Vendor Representative’s Name:      

Title:      

Prime Vendor Representative’s Signature: __________________________________________

Date: ____________________

SECTION B---Good Faith Efforts List

The following list includes good faith efforts that vendors may make in obtaining LEDE participation. It is not intended to be mandatory, exclusive, or exhaustive.

In determining whether a vendor has made a good faith effort, Columbus City Schools will examine not only the various kinds of efforts but also the quantity and intensity of those efforts. The Columbus City Schools may require vendors to provide supporting documentation as to their good faith efforts.

In order to award a contract to a vendor that has failed to meet LEDE participation goals, Columbus City Schools must be convinced that the vendor’s efforts were those that, given all relevant circumstances, a vendor aggressively seeking to meet the goals would have made.

Attempts that are merely pro forma are not considered good faith efforts. Efforts to obtain LEDE participation are considered inadequate, even if they are sincerely motivated, if given all relevant circumstances, they could not reasonably be expected to produce a level of LEDE participation sufficient to meet the goals.

A vendor that fails to meet these requirements may be considered non-responsive. In evaluating a vendor’s good faith efforts, Columbus City Schools may consider whether the vendor:

1. Attended any pre-response meetings that were scheduled by Columbus City Schools;

2. Advertised in general circulation, trade association, and minority-focused media concerning subcontracting opportunities;

3. Provided written notice to a reasonable number of specific LEDEs that their interest in the contract is being solicited, in sufficient time to allow the LEDEs to participate effectively;

4. Followed initial solicitations of interest by contacting LEDEs to determine with certainty whether the LEDEs were interested;

5. Partitioned the work to increase the likelihood of meeting the LEDE goals including, where appropriate, breaking the contracts into economically feasible units to facilitate LEDE participation;

6. Provided interested LEDEs with adequate information about the plans, specifications, and requirements of the contract;

7. Negotiated in good faith with interested LEDEs based on a thorough investigation of their capabilities, not rejecting LEDEs as unqualified without sound reasons;

8. Made efforts to assist interested LEDEs in obtaining bonding, lines of credit, or insurance as required by Columbus City Schools;

9. Effectively used the services of available minority community organizations; minority vendors groups; local, state and federal minority business assistance offices; and other organizations that provide assistance in the recruitment and placement of LEDEs.

SECTION C---LOCAL ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ENTERPRISE PARTICIPATION

If LEDE vendors have agreed to participate, please complete this section. The District will grade both direct and indirect LEDE participation.

Direct participation is defined as products or services that are directly related to the contract with Columbus City Schools. For example, CCS has a contract with a vendor to lease copiers and an LEDE vendor provides maintenance on those copiers.

Indirect participation is defined as products or services that indirectly support the vendor’s business operation. For example, CCS has a contract with a vendor to lease copiers and an LEDE vendor provides programming services for the prime vendor’s computers at the prime vendor’s business offices.

Vendors will only receive credit for LEDE participation of either variety if the LEDE participation is the result of a new contract that results from this RFP.

Both types of participation carry the same value when grading LEDE participation.

1. LEDE Company Name:      

LEDE Representative’s Name:      

Title:      

Phone:      

LEDE Representative’s Signature: ________________________________

Date:__________________

Direct Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Direct Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

Indirect Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Indirect Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

2. LEDE Company Name:      

LEDE Representative’s Name:      

Title:      

Phone:      

LEDE Representative’s Signature: ________________________________

Date:__________________

Direct Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Direct Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

Indirect Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Indirect Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

3. LEDE Company Name:      

LEDE Representative’s Name:      

Title:      

Phone:      

LEDE Representative’s Signature: ________________________________

Date:__________________

Direct Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Direct Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

Indirect Participation:

Description of Products / Services including the strategies your company will take to fulfill the Outreach goal:      

Price of Indirect Participation LEDE Products / Services Listed Above: $     

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The undersigned certifies that, if awarded the contract, it will adhere to the stipulations outlined in this section, continue to work with the Outreach Program Office to fulfill the goals as stated, enter into formal contracts with the LEDEs identified above, and to provide the Outreach Program Office with proof of contracts and payments upon request. The undersigned further agrees that it will immediately notify the Columbus City Schools in the event that any LEDE is unable to complete the work outlined above for any reason or if the information provided in this section changes in a material way.

Prime Vendor Representative’s Name:      

Title:      

Dollar Amount of Contract: $     

Prime Vendor Representative’s Signature: __________________________________________

Date: ____________________

Individual Responsible for Vendor’s Outreach Program Compliance:      

Title:      

Phone: