RFQ for professional Health and Benefits Consultant Services
| Location: | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Posted: | May 12, 2026 |
| Due: | May 29, 2026 |
| Agency: | Lackawanna County |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Solicitation No: | Services |
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
RFQ for professional Health and Benefits Consultant Services
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a fair and open process, emailed submissions will be received by the County of Lackawanna Board of Commissioners at its offices at 123 Wyoming Ave., 6th floor, Scranton, on Friday, May 29, 2026, by 4 p.m., for professional Health and Benefits Consultant Services.
All questions regarding this RFQ should be made in writing to the Board of Commissioners, c/o Traci Harte (HarteT@lackawannacounty.org). If at any time this RFQ requires revision, an amendment will be posted to the county’s website.
Read the RFQ for professional Health and Benefits Consultant Services here.
Attachment Preview
LACKAWANNA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
HEALTH AND BENEFITS CONSULTANT SERVICES
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a fair and open process, emailed submissions will
be received by the County of Lackawanna (the "County") Board of Commissioners ("Board of
Commissioners") at its offices at 123 Wyoming Ave, 6th floor, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18503, on
Friday May 29, 2026, by 4:00 P.M., for professional Health and Benefits Consultant Services.
A. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Request for Qualifications is to solicit interest from
qualified firms and/or individuals to provide professional services for the County. A
qualified firm and/or individual will be selected through a competitive, quality-based, fair
and open process at the sole discretion of the County.
B. PROCEDURES FOR RESPONDING TO REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Qualifications must be submitted to the Board of Commissioners, c/o Deputy
Chief of Staff Traci Harte via email at HarteT@lackawannacounty.org and a
hard copy must also follow in a sealed envelope or package, and must be
clearly marked on the outside with the vendor’s name/address with the name
of the RFQ clearly displayed. Please mail to: Traci Harte, Lackawanna County
Government Center, 123 Wyoming Ave, 6th Floor, Scranton PA 18503.
2. The County assumes no responsibility for delays in any form of delivery
service causing the submission to be received after the above-referenced due
date and time. Submission by fax is not permitted. The final selection shall be
made at the sole discretion of the Board of Commissioners.
3. All questions regarding this Request for Qualifications should be made in
writing to the Board of Commissioners, c/o Traci Harte,
HarteT@lackawannacounty.org; you will receive a response in 24-48 hours. If
at any time this RFQ requires revision, an amendment will be posted to the
County’s Website. It is the responsibility of the vendor to monitor the website
for any amendments.
C. BACKGROUND: BACKGROUND: The County of Lackawanna employs
approximately 1,100 permanent-full-time employees as well as part-time, temporary,
and seasonal employees who do not receive health benefits. The County currently has
a self-funded health insurance program with a $175,000 stop-loss deductible. The
Plan is administered by Benecon and is a participant in the Pennsylvania Counties
Health Insurance Purchasing Cooperative (PCHIPC). Participating health benefits
providers include:
a.
Highmark Blue BCBS (HMO and PPO)
b.
Geisinger Health Plan (HMO)
c.
Aetna (EPO)
d.
CVS Caremark administered by RxBenefits (prescription drug)
e.
Guardian (dental)
f.
National Vision Administrators (vision)
g.
New York Life (voluntary life insurance)
h.
Amerihealth (workers compensation) now known as Claims Resolution
Corporation, Inc
i.
DeHey McAndrew (FSA/Dep Reimb.)
The County is a party to seven (7) collective bargaining agreements (available on the
County’s website). Participating employees are required to contribute to the cost of
health benefits.
D. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS: The Board of Commissioners
will independently evaluate each submission, and selection will be made upon the following
criteria:
1. Experience and reputation in the field;
2. Knowledge of the subject matter of the services to be provided to the County;
3. Knowledge of the County, its affairs and operations;
4.Availability to accommodate any requests for attendance at meetings of the County;
5.Other factors determined to be in the best interest of the County.
E. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: The Board of Commissioners is requesting
qualifications for Human Resources Contractor, which should include:
1. Scope of Services.
2. Resume(s).
3. Facilities - Office Locations.
4. General Requirements.
The following explains what the Board of Commissioners expects in each of the major sections:
1. Scope of Services -
a. Conduct market analysis for rates, fees and coverage for current
insurance plans. Make recommendations and set action plans for
upcoming renewals. Review the risk and market trends that will
impact these plans.
b. Work as a liaison with new suppliers of coverage by developing
communication and implementation plans.
c. Calculate and recommend employee contribution rates, provide
equivalent monthly premiums and monthly COBRA rate
calculations for Medical, RX, Dental and Vision for the upcoming
year, by October 30th.
d. Negotiate renewal options with current carriers.
e. Coordinate its health insurance and ancillary products from
reputable insurance carriers, finding the desired products at the
most competitive prices.
f. Review monthly claims summary analysis (including complete
review of all self-funded coverage).
g. Provide Open Enrollment support.
h. Quarterly meetings on performance of plans.
i. Market Stop Loss coverage.
j. Provide Legislative and Compliance updates on a timely basis.
k. Provide HIPAA and Confidentiality compliance updates on a timely
basis.
l. Provide support in addressing client questions/issues.
m. Assistance with the 1095C reporting and distribution process.
n. Assistance and reporting of all data entry errors post-enrollment at
the benefit consultant level.
o. Assist with Collective Bargaining negotiations as needed and
conduct/present/coordinate all potential plan design changes to all
necessary stakeholders.
p. Continuous review and monitoring of benefit plans and recommend
changes that improve the County’s cost effectiveness and efficiency.
q. Consultant shall maintain the County health benefits portal.
2. Resume - All resumes submitted to the County shall include the following:
a. Name and address of your firm and the corporate officer authorized
to execute agreements.
b. A brief description of your firm's history, ownership, organizational
structure, location of its management, and licenses to do business in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
c. The names, experience, qualifications, and applicable licenses held
by the individuals primarily responsible for servicing the County
and any other person(s), whether as employees or subcontractors,
with specialized skills that would be assigned to service the County.
Please include any prior work performed for the County by any of
the individuals.
d. A listing of governmental clients with which you have similar
contracts; include the name, address and telephone number of the
contact person.
e. A statement of your firm's insurance coverage. Firms must provide
an insurance certificate specific to the County in responding to this
RFQ.
f.
A statement of assurance to the effect that your firm is not currently
in violation of any regulatory rules and regulations that may have
any impact on your firm's operations.
g. A statement of innovative strategic solution(s) you have
implemented for clients similar to the County that highlights your
expertise.
3. Facilities - Office Locations
a. For your firm's facilities which will service this project:
i. The location;
ii. Firm Personnel assigned to this location; and
iii. Activities of the firm performed at this location.
b. For those facilities and activities located elsewhere, please explain
the activities performed elsewhere and why these are best performed
at a different office. Firms where all activities are performed at one
location should indicate there is only one location.
4. General Requirements
a. Consultant must be independent from any benefits insurance provider,
including income, incentives, or fees from any carriers as a result of
contracting with the County of Lackawanna.
b. The Consultant shall certify to the County that it meets all applicable local,
state, and federal requirements regarding employment and professional
standards.
c. The Consultant shall be responsible for the integrity of all work required by
this RFQ.
d. This RFQ and the Consultant’s proposal shall be considered a part of the
project Agreement.
e. Consultant must have experience working with self-insured, public
employers.
f. Consultant must have broad experience with all benefits options, including
life, health, vision, dental, prescription, and wellness programs.
g. Consultant hall be considered and Independent Contractor and not
considered and employee(s) of the County of Lackawanna.
h. A statement that the prospective firm/individual is not involved in any
current litigation with the County of Lackawanna or its component units.
F. COMMUNICATION WITH COUNTY OFFICIALS: All communications during this
process should be directed to the Office of the Lackawanna County Chief of Staff. Any firm that
makes any effort to communicate with any other official of Lackawanna County, either directly or
indirectly, during this process will be EXCLUDED from consideration.
G. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS: The Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any
and all submissions, in whole or in part, and to waive any immaterial defect or informality in any
proposal as may be permitted by law.
H. SELECTED CANDIDATE: Please be advised that the selected candidate will not be entitled
to collect/receive commissions from any/all healthcare vendors who work in relationship with
Lackawanna County.
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
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