On September 25, 2008, the Procurement Department, in conjunction with the Athletics and Risk Management Departments, issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain basic student accident insurance. The following factors were considered when evaluating proposals: background of the proposer and subcontractor(s), including professional qualifications and experience of each of the team members and their qualifications, references, scope of services, capability of proposer to meet District requirements, utilization of small businesses, demonstrated commitment to quality, cost effectiveness of service, and appendices. Proposals were accepted on October 28, 2008. The District utilizes two on-line vendor registration systems to notify potential bidders of opportunities. Through these systems, six firms responded (Attachment A). The evaluation process included a committee of District-level personnel (Attachment B). On December 8, 2008, the committee evaluated the proposals based on stated RFP criteria, Phases I (Attachment C). The evaluation committee selected three firms to move to future phases (Attachment D). The three vendor presentations were evaluated at the committee meeting on January 14, 2009. Upon completion of all phases of the RFP, the committee reviewed key points as a group, individually rated each firm for final compilation and ranking (Attachment E), and recommended First Florida Insurers of Tampa, Inc. for the award.

* Align financial resources to support the district’s strategic goals

Through an insurance broker, the District will offer basic student accident insurance at no increase in fees to students. The minimum guaranteed premium has been reduced by $100,000, which resulted in a cost avoidance of $100,000.

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager (end user) and Procurement Officer, who function as a team. 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.