Voluntary Employee Benefits Broker and Consulting Services

Craven County (herein referred to as “County”) requests proposals and a statement of qualifications from qualified licensed North Carolina consulting/broker firms (herein after referred to as “Consultant”) to provide benefit broker and consulting services to assist County with strategically planning, designing and negotiating the best coverage and cost for voluntary employee benefit programs and Section 125 services. Services sought include plan design, placement, and administration of insurance contracts, contract renewals and the overall maintenance and administration of our Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan.The County seeks a benefit plan that can be adjusted annually based on experience as well as one which can easily adapt to changes in market conditions and regulations. Therefore, the County is interested in a Consultant with a demonstrated record of taking a creative, innovative approach to providing an unbiased perspective to voluntary and Section 125 benefits. The County is

particularly interested in a Benefits Consultant who can offer creative, innovative approaches to ensure the County’s benefit package remains strong, competitive and fiscally sound. Craven County is constantly competing to recruit and retain the best employees possible. Our leadership is looking to ensure we have financially competitive and affordable benefit programs to offer our employees and programs that utilize the latest technology for information dissemination and enrollment.The Consultant selected will be responsible for any tax filings as required by the Internal Revenue Service and complete all required discrimination testing, all required reports and will adhere to procedures, guidelines, regulations and laws related to the collection, disbursement and record keeping for spending accounts of employees. The brokerage firm will also maintain an appropriate level of fidelity bond coverage while servicing our products.All prospective Consultants will be afforded full opportunity to submit a proposal and statements of qualifications in response to this request. This Request for Proposal (RFP) is an invitation by the County for consultants to submit an offer, which may be subject to subsequent discussion. It is not a request for competitive bid. Submittal of proposal does not create any right in or expectation to a contract with the County.See related document for full details.