Hillsborough County Public Schools Business
Action Item

DATE: Tuesday, October 10, 2006
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent

SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS

Accept the Proposal Submitted by Aon Consulting, Inc. for Request for Proposal (RFP) #4798-TS Employee Benefits Broker (Business Division)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On June 23, 2006, the Purchasing Department on behalf of the Employee Benefits Department issued an RFP for an Employee Benefits Broker based upon specifications provided by the department. The purpose of this RFP was to establish a contract with a highly qualified employee benefits broker and consultant to perform the full range of services associated with the negotiation, purchase, design, administration and communication of a comprehensive and competitive employee voluntary benefits program. To evaluate this RFP, firms were asked to provide their account service team, approach/methodology, services, experience and qualifications of the firm and references, small business utilization, and cost/fees for services. Proposals were due on July 17, 2006.

The District utilizes an online vendor registration system to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through this system, three (3) firms responded (Attachment A). Proposals were received from Aon Consulting, Inc., Fringe Benefits Management Company, and Sunbelt Worksite Marketing. The evaluation process included a committee of district level personnel and union representatives (Attachment B). Prior to Phase l of the evaluation process, Purchasing staff contacted references to assist the committee in determining which firms would advance. During Phase I, the committee evaluated the proposals based on the RFP criteria (Attachment C) to determine which firms would advance to Phase II, oral presentations. After the oral presentations, the committee reviewed key points as a group and individually rated each vendor for final compilation and ranking (Attachment D). Attachment E represents clarification of the recommended broker’s proposal and other negotiated services. Aon shall be named a broker of record for SDHC's 2007 voluntary benefits as of October 11, 2006. Deborah Henry, Manager of Employee Benefits, is the person with whom the consultant will communicate as to matters relating to this contract. The contract shall have an effective date of January 1, 2007, and an expiration date of December 31, 2011.

ANNUAL DISTRICT GOAL(S) AND CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S)

As stated in OPPAGA report: “Efficient purchasing and warehousing require that management processes be in place to ensure that supplies, equipment and services vital to the school’s education mission are purchased from a competitive source, in the right quantity, delivered timely to the correct location, and stored in a secure location. These criteria should be met for each purchase without sacrificing quality.”

FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted: No)

There is no financial impact to the District. Fees due to the consultant will be supported by the cost of benefits paid by employees.

EVALUATION

The Project Manager (end user) and Purchasing Analyst, who function as a team, perform Contract Administration or evaluation. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.

SUBMITTED BY: Deborah M. Henry, MBA, EA, Manager of Employee Benefits and Insurance
 Willie T. Campbell, CPPO, CPPB, General Manager, Procurement

Daniel J. Valdez
Deputy Superintendent
(813) 272-4166
Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
5.11
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20061010_185 * Section E Item# 5.11