UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE, ILLINOIS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTING SERVICES
ISSUED OCTOBER 28, 2025
PROPOSALS DUE DECEMBER 1, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
United City of Yorkville Request for Proposals:
Employee Benefits Consulting Services
The intent of the Request for Proposals as it is issued by the United City of Yorkville is to solicit bids/proposals for consulting services to assist the City in administering its employee benefits programs.
Proposals will be submitted electronically to:
For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.
Completed proposals shall be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on December 1, 2025. Any proposal time stamped after the stated closing time of 4:00 p.m. local time will be considered LATE and will not be considered.
The United City of Yorkville reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted. During the evaluation process, the City reserves the right to request additional information or clarifications from the proposers, or to allow corrections of errors and omissions. The City may choose to interview the top proposers prior to making a final decision.
Questions related to this RFP should be submitted by email to Erin Willrett:
For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.
. All questions must be received by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 14, 2025. The City will provide the final response to all consultants by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2025.
United City of Yorkville Request for Proposals
Employee Benefits Consulting Services
1. GENERAL
A. Notice is hereby given that United City of Yorkville will receive sealed proposals up to Monday, December 1, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.
B. Proposals must be received at the United City of Yorkville by the time and date specified. Proposals received after the specified time and date will not be accepted and will be marked late.
C. An email with a complete proposal shall be sent to
For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.
and are to be clearly noted in the subject line as “Proposal for Employee Benefits Consulting Services.”
2. STATEMENT OF WORK
A. In submitting this proposal, the bidder declares that the only persons or parties interested in the proposal as principals are those named herein; and that the proposal is made without collusion with another person, firm, or corporation.
B. The bidder further declares that he or she has carefully examined the bid document; and that he or she waives all right to plead any misunderstanding regarding the same.
C. The bidder further understands and agrees that if this proposal is accepted, he is to furnish and provide all services necessary as specified in this agreement and in accordance with the requirements therein set forth. The bidder is responsible for all costs incurred in completing and submitting a proposal.
D. The successful bidder further agrees to execute an agreement for this work to begin no later than May 1, 2026.
3. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The United City of Yorkville is located about 50 miles west of Chicago in Kendall County. The City employs approximately 106 full-time employees and 89 part-time employees across the following departments: Police, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Finance, Administration and Library. In addition, the City has 16 retirees currently enrolled in one or more our insurance plans.
The City is seeking proposals for a broad range of benefit consulting services relating to employee and retiree benefits that include serving as broker and agent of record to coordinate its benefits program from reputable providers at competitive prices. The consultant will be expected to respond effectively to issues and concerns as they arise throughout the course of the agreement, and to assist in providing creative solutions and approaches to problems, by acting proactively to improve the City’s employee benefits program while trying to reduce the costs of the benefits.
Current benefits that are offered by the City include, but are not limited to, the following:
-
Health Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois)
-
HMO
-
High Deductible PPO Plan with a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
-
Vision Insurance (Dearborn National-EyeMed)
-
Dental Insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois)
-
Life Insurance (Dearborn National)
-
Section 125 Plan
-
Employee Assistance Program
Total subscribers for each of the benefits:
22 HMO subscribers divided into the following tiers:
• 6 Single, 5 Plus Spouse (2 Medicare eligible), 11 Family
77 PPO subscribers divided into the following tiers:
• 23 Single (1 Medicare eligible), 13 Plus Spouse (1 Medicare eligible), 3 Plus Child, 38 Family
113 Vision Insurance subscribers divided into the following tiers:
• 31 Single, 22 Plus Spouse, 1 Plus Child, 59 Family
118 Dental Insurance subscribers divided into the following tiers:
• 32 Single, 26 Plus Spouse, 1 Plus Child, 59 Family
107 Life Insurance subscribers divided into the following tiers:
• 32 Single, 75 Family (note there is no plus spouse or plus child tiers)
It is anticipated that the consultant will provide the following services on an ongoing basis:
i. Serve as the benefits consultant and assist the City in meeting its contractual obligations with its unions, and continued compliance with existing policies and laws.
ii. Review existing benefit plans, policies, data, and other records as they pertain to employee benefits, and provide the necessary guidance to make informed benefits decisions.
iii. Negotiate with the insurance carriers all financial aspects of the insurance being provided to the City.
iv. Assist in the evaluation of the City’s third-party administrator for its Section 125 plan (FSA) and Section 105 plan (HRA).
v. Provide analysis of claims data, identify trends, and communicate areas of concern.
vi. Assist in revising plan documents and alert City staff to changes in applicable laws or regulations.
vii. Assist in the design/development/administration of comprehensive wellness activities geared toward improving employee health and controlling costs.
viii. Assist in education and communications with employees regarding benefits developments as needed.
ix. Provide consultation and advice to Administration and Finance staff as needed.
x. Provide other related services as determined to be appropriate.
The City’s plan year commences on May 1st, in conjunction with the start of the City fiscal year.
4. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
A. The bidder shall submit the following minimum information in their proposal. Reponses to the following requests for information should be submitted in writing and identified by question number. These answers form an integral part of the proposal.
B. Company Profile - Include a company profile and brief history including years in the insurance/benefit consulting business, company growth and retention, the size of the firm, the geographical range in which it operates, the number of employees and offices it has, the type of services it generally provides, and the type of clients it has, including local government clients. Also include anything that might make the company unique or provide added value to its clients. Also provide a summary of work completed with other municipalities/units of local government or private industry with employee benefit programs similar to the City’s.
C. Staff Qualifications – Provide the name(s) of the consultant(s) to perform the work for the City and a brief statement as to why each consultant is qualified to provide services to the City. Identify areas of expertise, training, qualifications, and continuing education for each consultant.
D. Provide documentation of insurance producer license issued by the State of Illinois or other licensures possessed by the consultant(s). Confirm the independency of the consultant(s) from any affiliation with any insurance company, third party administrator agency, or provider network.
E. References – The proposal shall include a list of four references of clients whom are being provided the same or similar type consulting services. The reference list shall include the type of work performed, the size of the client’s group and period of time retained as a client. For each client, provide the name, title, address, telephone number and email of a contact person that the City may contact as a reference.
F. Describe the company’s vision of the relationship with the City in being its employee benefits consultant. How can the company help the City to evaluate the potential costs or savings resulting from various changes to benefit plans that may be considered? Describe any processes or tools that would be used in the evaluation.
G. Describe how the City’s account will be managed by your company, including if different consultants and/or departments will manage different aspects of the account.
H. Detail the scope of services the company would offer and how the work will be accomplished. Include information about any newsletter or other publications that are provided to clients or experience in reviewing information prepared by clients. Provide sample copies.
I. Outline the company’s ability to provide expertise and experience in the areas of health insurance benefit plan analysis and design by detailing its ability to advise clients on health care cost containment strategies. Provide examples of work completed for other clients and the result of the effort.
J. Describe the working relationships with health, dental and life insurance carriers. Explain to what extent you are willing to be involved in resolving problems with claims, etc., between an insured and the insurance carrier. Also describe working relationships with third party administrators (TPA) of Section 125 (FSA) and Section 105 (HRA) plans and experience in undertaking an RFP process to evaluate and secure a TPA. Explain any existing or potential relationships between your company and insurance providers, TPA, or other vendors who might be considered by the City and that could lessen the company’s independence and objectivity because of a perceived or actual conflict of interest.
K. Describe any other services, capabilities, designations, or experiences that differentiate the company from competitors.
L. Explain the company’s training and education strategy to ensure that the latest and most accurate information is conveyed to its clients.
M. Statement of Material Litigation - Provide a statement on whether or not the company is currently involved with any litigation material to providing consulting services, arbitration, or bankruptcy proceedings, or has been within the past three years directly or indirectly.
5. COMPENSATION
Please provide a complete description of the proposed basis for compensation for consulting services. If some or all of the proposed compensation will be in the form of commissions, please identify the source of the commissions, the expected amount of total commissions, and how the total commissions will be divided among various entities. If some of the proposed compensation will be based on an hourly rate, please list the hourly rate for each type of service affected. If some contemplated services may require additional compensation, please state the basis for determining when the additional compensation will be required and how the additional compensation will be calculated. The City will require complete disclosure of any and all fees, commissions, bonuses, overrides, or any other compensation your company receives each year as a result of the services provided to the City.
6. PROPOSAL EVALUATION
Proposals will be evaluated based on which proposer meets the requirements of the United City of Yorkville. Criteria for the selection of the consultant will include the following: a demonstrated understanding of the work required by the City as evidenced by a thorough proposal and the ability of the proposer to commence work in a timely manner; the overall qualifications of the proposer; the scope and quality of services offered by the proposer; the ability to work with and have demonstrated relationships with and access to major health, dental, vision and life insurance carriers and other vendors; and the recommendations from other organizations for which the proposer provides consulting services.
The City Council will consider final acceptance of the proposal, under the recommendations of the City Administrator, Finance Director, Assistant City Administrator, Senior Accountant, Payroll Benefits Coordinator and Administrative Intern.
7. SUBLETTING AGREEMENT
It is mutually understood and agreed that the successful bidder shall not assign, transfer, convey, sublet or otherwise dispose of this agreement or his right, title or interest therein, or his power to execute such agreement, to any other person, firm or corporation without the previous written consent from the City Administrator or their designee; but in no case shall consent relieve the successful bidder from his obligations or change the terms of the agreement.
8. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS
Successful bidder shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and rules promulgated by any Federal, State, County, Municipal and/or other governmental unit or regulatory body now in effect or which may be in effect during the performance of work. Included within the scope of the laws, regulations and rules referred to in this paragraph, but in no way to operate as a limitation, are Occupational Safety and Health Act, Illinois Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, Worker’s Compensation Law, the Social Security Act of the Federal Government and any of its titles, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Human Rights Commission, or EEOC statutory provisions and rules and regulations.
9. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
Successful bidder acknowledges that it is an independent contractor and that none of its employees, agents, or assigns are employees or agents of the City. Successful bidder shall make all unemployment, social security, and other payroll taxes required by law or union contract.
10. INDEMNITY/HOLD HARMLESS
The selected Contractor shall indemnify and hold harmless the United City of Yorkville (“City”), its council members, officers, directors, agents, employees, representative and assigns, from lawsuits, actions costs (including attorney’s fees), claims or liability of any character, incurred due to the alleged negligence of the Contractor, brought because of any injuries or damages received or sustained by any person, persons or property on account of any act or omission, neglect of misconduct of said Contractor, its officers, agents and/or employees arising out of, or in performance of any of the provisions of the Contract Documents, including and claims or amounts recovered for any infringements of patent, trademark or copyright; or from any claims or amounts arising or recovered under the “Worker’s Compensation Act” or any other law, ordinance, order or decree. In connection with such claims, lawsuits, actions or liabilities, the City, its trustees, officers, directors, agents, employees, representatives and their assigns shall have the right to defense counsel of their choice. The Contractor shall be solely liable for all costs of such defense and for all expenses, fees, judgments, settlements and all other costs arising out of such claims, lawsuits, actions or liabilities.
The Contractor shall not make any settlement or compromise of a lawsuit or claim, or fail to pursue any available avenue of appeal of any adverse judgment, without the approval of the City and any other indemnified party. The City or any other indemnified party, in its or their sole discretion, shall have the option being represented by its or their own counsel. If this option is exercised, then the Contractor shall promptly reimburse the City or other indemnified party, upon written demand, for any expenses, including but not limited to court costs, reasonable attorneys’ and witnesses’ fees and other expenses of litigation incurred by the City of other indemnified party in connection therewith.
11. TERMS OF AGREEMENT
A. In submitting proposals, bidders must indicate that they are prepared to complete an agreement containing all the information submitted in their proposals. The successful bidder shall enter into a written agreement, which shall be subject to the approval of the City Council of the City. Subject to the approval of the City Council these documents will allow for an initial period of 36-months. Final acceptance of a proposal shall only be complete upon the City Council acceptance of an agreement executed by the successful bidder.
B. The City may, at its sole discretion and without penalty, cancel or annul in whole or in part the agreement at any time with 30 days written notice to the successful bidder. The bidder shall receive payment for services provided up to the date of the cancellation or annulment.
C. An extension period of two (2) additional years may be exercised upon mutual agreement between the City Council of the City and the successful bidder. Not later than six (6) months prior to the expiration of the initial term, the successful bidder may submit a proposal for the renewal of the agreement. If the City and the successful bidder are unable to agree on mutually acceptable terms for a renewal term, the City shall be free to solicit bids or requests for proposals from other contractors for a new agreement, and the successful bidder shall be free to bid for such contract or submit its proposal, as the case may be.
CONTRACTOR CERTIFICATIONS
The undersigned;
A. Certifies that it is not barred from bidding or contracting with the City as a result of a violation of either Paragraph 33E-3 or 33E-4 of Act 5, Chapter 720 of the Illinois Complied Statutes regarding criminal interference with public contracting, and
B. Swears under oath that it is not delinquent in the payment of any tax administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue as required by Chapter 65, Act 5, paragraph 11-42.1 of the Illinois Complied Statutes, and
C. States that is has a written sexual harassment policy as required by the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/2-105(A) (4) a copy of which shall be provided to the City upon request, and
D. Agrees to comply with the requirements of the Illinois Human Rights Act regarding Equal Employment Opportunities as required by Section 2-105 of the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/2-105)
D. Agrees to comply with the civil rights standards set forth in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as mandated in Executive Order No. 11246, U.S.C.A. Section 2000e n.114 (September 24, 1965)
All work under this contract shall be executed in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and City laws, ordinances, rules and regulations which may in any manner affect the performance of this contract.
Link to RFP
