Carter County Schools - Fully Insured Plans: Dental

Carter County Schools
Fully Insured Plans: Dental
Request for Proposal from Insurance Companies Only
(No broker responses will be considered).
Effective 1/1/2027
Proposals to Be Received NO LATER THAN 12:00pm EST on Friday, September 25, 2026
Carter County Schools invites all interested, qualified parties to offer bids on the captioned insurance
coverage(s) as described in these bid specifications.
This bid is not a bid for broker services as no broker bids will be accepted.
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Statement of Intent
Carter County Schools is seeking written, sealed proposals from qualified licensed carriers only to
provide insurance coverage(s) to its full-time benefit eligible employees.
Upon evaluating proposals, Carter County Schools will approve an insurer for an effective date of
1/1/2027 or each of the plan(s) listed on the RFP. Preference will be given to those carriers that offer
high-performance networks in the local area, agree to release future renewals a minimum of three (3)
months prior to the effective date, and present competitive pricing for the group.
Proposal Submission Requirements
1. General Instructions: Proposals in response to this RFP must be in the form of sealed bids. One
copy of a printed paper submission must be included (Form #1 and a Proposal, Form #2, and Form
#3).
2. Deadline & Timeline: All sealed bids must be delivered no later than Friday, September 25 at
12:00pm EST to:
Carter County Schools
Attn: Finance Department/Bids
801 East Elk Avenue
Elizabethton, TN 37643
Any proposal received after the time and date detailed above will not be considered. In addition to the
sealed bid, please submit an electronic copy to Gallagher Benefit Services Attn: Wes Dozier at
wes_dozier@ajg.com.
Projected Timeline
The following projected timetable should be used as a working guide for planning purposes. Carter
County Schools reserves the right to adjust this timetable as required during the RFP process.
Event Date
RFP Issued September 2, 2026
Questions Deadline September 11, 2026
Proposals Due September 25, 2026 at 12:00pm EST
Enrollment November
Effective Date January 1, 2027
This timetable is for the information of submitting entities. These dates are subject to change.
3. Inquiries by Bidders: Information has been provided which should allow for the generation of a
quote. Individual requests for additional information can be submitted to Gallagher by the
deadline for questions. All inquiries and requests for additional information should be referred
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to: wes_dozier@ajg.com. All requests should be submitted in writing to avoid
misinterpretation as to the information needed. If necessary, Gallagher will issue a written
Addendum to respond to any questions.
4. Evaluation and Reward: Award of the contract resulting from this RFP will be based on the
most responsive carrier whose offer will be the most advantageous to the employees of Carter
County Schools in terms of cost, services, network, and other factors specified elsewhere in
this RFP. The lowest bid is not necessarily the bid we will select as insurance is often selected
on a variety of factors.
Duration of Award:
Carter County Schools intends to award the bid for one (1) year, with possible annual extensions in
year two (2) and thereafter in the sole discretion of the employer, as follows: The awarding entity
reserves the right to renew the contract annually for additional one-year terms, contingent upon
mutual agreement and satisfactory performance. Renewal may occur at either:
* Flat pricing, with no change to the prior year's fees or a rate guarantee submitted at initial bid;
or
* Adjusted pricing, provided any increase does not exceed the greater of:
1. An increase in percentage cap that is submitted at the initial bid;
2. The percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers (CPI-
U), U.S. City Average, All Items, Not Seasonally Adjusted, as published by the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics; or
3. The aggregate percentage increase in insurance premiums for the equivalent products as
published by the State of Tennessee.
Any proposed pricing change must be submitted with supporting documentation by no later than three
(3) months prior to the renewal date. If the proposed renewal pricing falls within the limits stated
above, the entity may accept the renewal without initiating a new competitive bid process.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Employer is not obligated to accept a renewal that meets the
adjusted pricing parameters and may return to bid at any time after the first year in its sole discretion.
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Background/Plan Information:
All necessary reporting is available with the RFP including:
A. Full census (Retiree Information to be included)
B. Current Elections
C. Claim Reports
D. Rates
E. Contributions
F. Current plan design information
Eligible employees include all active, full-time and part-time employees, regularly working a minimum
of at least 30 hours per week. Retirees are also covered.
Eligible dependents include:
* Your legal spouse
* Your children (or stepchildren) by birth, marriage, legal adoption or legal guardianship.
Up to age 26 for medical
o
Up to age 19 (age 25, if unmarried and a full-time student) for dental and vision
o
Your children, of any age, who become totally and permanently disabled before age 26
o
while covered by the plan(s).
Dependents covered under a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (proper
o
documentation required).
General Conditions:
Carter County Schools encourages only one submission per licensed carrier. Option 1 should be
identical coverage detailed in the benefit summary. The insurance coverages bid here are only
provided to full-time benefits eligible employees. For alternative offerings, please label as "Option 2"
or "Option 3" on the spreadsheet submittal.
Receipt of proposals by Carter County Schools or a submission of a proposal to Carter County
Schools offers no rights upon the Carrier nor obligates Carter County Schools in any manner. No
bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of forty-five (45) days after the date set for opening of the
bids.
After initial evaluations, finalists may be chosen for a best and final round of submissions, allowing
Carter County Schools to negotiate with selected bidders to achieve the most competitive results.
Carter County Schools reserves the right to (a) accept or reject any and/or all submissions of
proposals; (b) to waive irregularities and technicalities; (c) accept any alternative submission of
proposals presented which, in its opinion, would best serve the interest of Carter County Schools; (d)
give full and proper evaluation of the firm or team presenting the proposals. Carter County Schools
and its Consultant shall be the judges of the proposals and the resulting negotiated agreement(s) that
is (are) in its best interest and the decision shall be final.
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Carter County Schools can abandon or postpone this project without any obligation to bidders. Also,
Carter County Schools reserves the right to make such investigation(s) as it deems necessary to
determine the ability of any submitting entity to perform the service requested. Information Carter
County Schools deems reasonably necessary to make this determination shall be provided by the
submitting entity.
All expenses for the submission of proposal shall be borne by the submitting entity. By submitting this
bid, the vendor agrees to all stated terms and conditions. While electronic copies should be sent to
our consultant, this does not change your obligation to submit a sealed public bid by the deadline to
the address above. Please note that bids submitted via email or fax to Carter County Schools will
NOT be accepted.
If a Carrier discovers any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other error in the RFP, it shall
immediately notify Carter County Schools of such error in writing and request modifications or
clarification of the document. Carter County Schools will make modifications by issuing a written
revision and will give written notice to all parties who have received this RFP. The Carrier is
responsible for clarifying any ambiguity, conflict, discrepancy, omission, or other errors in the RFP
prior to submitting the proposal or it shall be waived.
Basic Requirements of Bidders:
A. Current plan design information and requested alternative plan designs are included in the
attachments to this RFP.
B. Proposals for coverage shall include, but are not limited to, the following items:
1. Renewal for upcoming plan year delivered to Gallagher no later than three (3) months prior
to the renewal date.
2. Integrated COBRA or carrier-provided COBRA solution.
3. A complete proposal to accompany Submission Form (Form #1), including unlocked
spreadsheet in electronic form.
4. A Certificate of Nondiscrimination (Form #2)
5. The Certifications of Bidders under TN Law (Form #3)
6. Signed Acknowledgement of any Addendum(s) (may not occur).
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Form #1
SUBMISSION FORM
Carter County Schools
Request for Proposals
Insurance RFP
(No broker submissions will be considered.)
IMPORTANT: One paper copy should be submitted.
Please complete the following:
Legal Name of Proposer: ____________________________________
Contact Person: ____________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
Telephone Number: ____________________________________
E-mail Address: ____________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________
Name of Signer: ____________________________________
Taxpayer Identification Number: ____________________________________
Attached are the following:
(1) Proposal to accompany Submission Form (Form #1), including unlocked
spreadsheet in electronic form.
(2) Certificate of Nondiscrimination (Form #2)
(3) Certifications of Bidders under TN Law (Form #3)
(4) Signed Acknowledgement of Addendum(s), if any were issued by Carter County
Schools.
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Form #2
CERTIFICATE OF NONDISCRIMINATION
As Bidder, Contractor, or Subcontractor on Carter County School's Insurance RFP, the undersigned
states that he/she does not discriminate against any subcontractor, employee, or applicant for
employment on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex.
Bidder's Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________
Signature: ________________________________ Title: ___________________
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Form # 3
Required Certifications of Bidders under TN Law
Iran Divestment Act. By submission of this bid, each bidder and each person signing on behalf of any
bidder certifies, and in the case of a joint bid each party thereto certifies as to its own organization,
under penalties of perjury, that to the best of its knowledge and belief that each bidder is not on the
list created pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. 12-12-106.
Boycott of Israel. The Contractor certifies that it is not currently engaged in, and will not for the
duration of the contract engage in, a boycott of Israel as defined by Tenn. Code Ann. 12-4-119. This
provision shall not apply to contracts with a total value of less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars
($250,000) or to contractors with less than ten (10) employees.
Print Name_________________________
Signed ____________________________
Title ______________________________
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