Requests for Proposals
Currently Seeking Proposals:
Submitted questions and answers are linked here.
Conflict of interest statement can be found here.
Announcement
The Western Connecticut Council of Governments (“WestCOG”), an association of 18 cities and towns in Western Connecticut, seeks proposals for a feasibility study and implementation plan for modernization in the issuance of permits, licenses, passes, approvals (“documents”) issued by municipal departments (the “project”). A sample list of documents is attached.
Download a pdf copy of this RFP here.
Project description
A proposed framework for the project is given below. Proposers should expand on this framework; it is acceptable to propose and explain modifications to structure, order, or content of the framework. WestCOG may adjust or amend the project at its own discretion for any reason. Tasks are:
- Inventory documents (whether state-mandated or locally determined).
- Identify methods to obtain savings and improve the customer experience in the issuance of these documents (and appurtenant processes). Attention should be paid to opportunities for municipalities to share and modernize processes and to move processes online. (For example, dog tags could be issued to residents in several municipalities via a single website, with potential for auto-renew and billing.)
WestCOG will consider all proposals and methods. However, proposers should be aware that process reengineering may be more practicable than organizational restructuring. In addition, there may be a need to maintain in-person service as an option in public-serving processes, given the diverse range of parties that municipal governments interact with (including persons who may not have access to or the ability to use a computer).
- Evaluate the feasibility and the benefit-cost ratio of these methods. Benefits and costs including, but not necessarily limited, the following should be explicitly evaluated and documented:
- Startup and transition costs.
- Operations and maintenance costs.
- Cost savings resulting from implementation.
- Revenue growth resulting from implementation.
- Improvements in customer service.
- Other benefits and costs.
Period, confidence levels, and ranges should be provided for all estimates.
In addition, the following should be evaluated and documented as part of the feasibility analysis:
- Similar examples in other jurisdictions, both successes and failures.
- Timeline for implementation.
- Models to fund costs over short, medium, and long terms, including opportunities for additional revenue (such as through fee enhancements or upselling).
- Legal requirements and restrictions, including potential those created by differences in municipal structures.
- Risks and challenges, including potential impacts to existing operations and services, reliability, and (cyber)security.
- Stakeholder concerns.
- Probability of success.
Methods that are found to be infeasible for any reason may be excluded from further analysis; proposers should explain how feasibility and benefit-cost analyses will be conducted.
Synergies should be identified, evaluated, and noted. (Several processes may be able to be supported through a single platform, potentially reducing cost and improving service.)
- Create short lists of methods that:
- May be implemented with relative ease, and for which costs are low, regardless of the size of benefits (‘low hanging fruit’).
- Of the feasible methods, offer the most favorable benefit-to-cost ratio or margin (‘biggest bang’).
- Respond to other needs, including stakeholder preferences.
In developing these lists, synergies and other potential interactions among methods should be considered. If economies of scale or favorable benefit-cost ratios/margins only emerge with a specific mass, this should be noted.
- Prepare implementation plans for shortlisted methods. These plans should lay out the steps to realize the methods, including identification of:
- Preconditions, including those that are not currently in place.
- Needed resources (financial and non-financial).
- A proposed timeline, with deadlines, milestones, and decision points.
- Necessary and optional steps.
- Actors, roles, and assignment of tasks.
- Further information as needed.
Implementation plans should contain sufficient direction to be acted on without further study.
Proposers should be aware that funding has not yet been identified for project implementation (hence the mention of “funding arrangements” above).
No assumptions should be made about funding levels for this project. (Amounts are to be determined.)
Application process
Format
Each application should include the following components:
- Cover page with project title; proposing firm; and name, telephone number, and e‑mail address for the project manager.
- Scope of work, timeline, and fee schedule. An outline of the project by task should be given. These tasks should correspond to the Project description. Timing, duration, and cost should be specified for each task.
- This should explain the proposer’s concept of each task and plan to discharge them. Methodology, including approach, inputs, methods, and outputs should be described in sufficient detail. Changes to the framework given in this RFP should be noted.
- Work history. Examples of similar or relevant work conducted by proposer in the past, with information on project outcomes and client references. Name, title, employer, relationship to the project, telephone number, and e-mail address should be given for each reference. Successful proposers should have demonstrated expertise in relevant areas, including evaluation of the benefits, costs, opportunities, risks, and challenges of the methods proposed, and in the development and execution of implementation plans for said methods.
- Statement of qualifications. Directory of, task assignments, and resumes for key staff on project. Professional licenses and certifications should be included. The total hours each staff person is expected to spend on each task should be documented.
- Corporate background. Include the history, location(s), length of time in existence, and structure of the firm; documentation of relevant insurance coverage; and demonstration of the capacity of the firm to carry out the project.
- Signature of a representative of the firm having legal authority to contract on behalf of the firm.
- A completed Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement that either warrants that there are no relevant facts or circumstances that could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest, and/or, as applicable, gives a full, written disclosure of any organizational conflicts of interests, including description of the action(s) the proposer has taken or will take to avoid or mitigate such conflict.
The Narrative may not exceed 5,000 words. Other components have no word limit.
Material submitted in response to this RFP and received by WestCOG may be subject to the provisions of the Connecticut Freedom of Information law (CGS §1-200 et seq.)
How to apply
Proposals are due by the end of the application period, Sunday, December 2, 2018 11:59 PM ET. Submissions should be directed to: Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at issuance@westcog.org.
Submissions should be provided in PDF format, as a single file. The file may be attached to the e-mail, or, in case of a large submission (larger than 10 megabytes), linked in the e-mail. Recipients should enable delivery and read receipts in their e-mail client. No other confirmation will be given.
Review and contracting
WestCOG will evaluate proposals received after close of the application period. At this point, WestCOG may invite additional information from selected proposers, including but not necessarily limited to, samples of other work or an in-person interview.
Should WestCOG determine to proceed with a proposal, WestCOG will begin contract negotiations, including on scope and fee, with the respective proposer. Should WestCOG and the selected proposer be unable to come to an agreement, WestCOG may terminate negotiations with that firm and revisit other proposal submitted.
It is expected that proposers will be notified of decisions on their submission by December 31, 2018. WestCOG may award the project in part or in full to one or more proposers, and to cancel or to reissue this RFP. Any award will not be final until a contract has been negotiated and executed.
Communications
Location of posting
This RFP may be found online here until December 31, 2018. It is the responsibility of interested parties to retrieve and store a copy of the RFP beyond this date. Download a pdf copy here.
Inquiries
Proposers may submit questions on this RFP by Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at 11:59 PM ET. Questions should be directed to Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at issuance@westcog.org. Answers will be posted online where WestCOG posted this RFP on a rolling basis until the close of business on Friday, November 23, 2018.
No questions will be accepted by other forms of communication.
Information about WestCOG can be found at http://westcog.org.
Addenda and supplements
Should WestCOG amend or adjust this RFP, such changes will be posted online where WestCOG posted this RFP. It is the responsibility of proposers to check for changes to the RFP.
Conditions
Legal requirements
Contracts awarded as a result of this RFP are subject to all applicable federal and state laws, including those concerning civil rights, nondiscrimination, and equal opportunity. Any responses to this RFP, as well as any work resulting from it, are subject to freedom of information.
Insurance requirements
To be considered, proposers must maintain insurance coverage as required by federal and state law.
Consortia, joint ventures, and teams
Proposals from consortia, joint ventures, and teams (“groups”) will be accepted. In such cases, a lead firm must be identified for contracting purposes. A work history and statement of qualifications (as described under Application format, #4 and #5) must be provided for each member of the group.
In designating a lead firm, groups should consider the following:
- The lead firm should have sufficient experience and expertise to perform or supervise all facets of the project, and must have sufficient resources to carry out the contractual responsibilities of the group.
- The lead firm will be legally responsible to WestCOG for the performance of, and must perform at least 51% of, the total work awarded under any contract issued as a result of this RFP.
- Firms that are subsidiaries may not rely on the experience, expertise, or resources of its parent firm to meet these requirements.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)
DBE firms are encouraged to respond to this RFP.
If a DBE firm is proposed, the proposal must clearly identify the DBE firm, the role the DBE will play in the project, and the tasks assigned to the DBE. Proof of Connecticut DBE certification must be submitted with the proposal. Responses that fail to give proof of DBE certification and description of project involvement will not be identified as including DBE participation.
Nonreimbursement of proposal costs
Costs associated with responses to this RFP, including proposal development and participation in a selection process, are the sole responsibility of the respondent firms. WestCOG will not reimburse firms for such costs, nor will any selected firms be permitted to negotiate such costs as part of a contract with WestCOG.
Conflicts of interest
All relationships that may pose a conflict of interest, and actions that shall be taken to avoid or mitigate these conflicts, shall be disclosed as part of the response to this RFP.
Announcement
The Western Connecticut Council of Governments (“WestCOG”), an association of 18 cities and towns in Western Connecticut (the “Western Connecticut Planning Region”) is interested in evaluating the potential for cost savings through the creation of a regional/interlocal health insurance collaborative (the “Collaborative”), as enabled by Connecticut Public Act 10-174, which allows municipalities and boards of education to join together to purchase employee health insurance.
WestCOG is seeking proposals from qualified, licensed Insurance Brokerages and/or Agents (hereafter “Proposer”) for the purpose of providing professional insurance, brokerage, and consulting services for an employee benefits plan. The Proposer must have a strong knowledge base and experience with health insurance collaborations and/or associations. A proven track record with at least 3-5 years of successful experience within health insurance collaborations and/or associations will be required. Please include references. The Proposer will be responsible for the outlined “Project description” below for each employer group alongside a potential future Plan Administrator.
Download a copy (.pdf) of this RFP here.
Scope of services
At minimum, the selected Proposer will be expected to provide the services enumerated below. Proposers may propose and explain modifications to the structure, order, or content of the scope of services, provided justification is given. However, WestCOG is not bound to accept any such changes. Furthermore, WestCOG may adjust or amend the project at its own discretion for any reason.
- Identify groups interested in participating in a Collaborative, collect relevant information on existing insurance arrangements. These include but may not be limited to past, present, and expected future data on benefits, costs, membership, service levels, and contractual obligations.
- Propose, review, analyze, and evaluate models for a Collaborative. These should include consideration of successful and, as applicable, unsuccessful models in use in Connecticut (e.g., ECHIP, CREC, The Connecticut Partnership Plan) as well as models, practices, and options from other, comparable locations.
The review, analysis, and evaluation should be comprehensive and should provide all necessary information to enable fully informed decisions on the part of interested groups about the viability and value proposition of establishing a Collaborative and, furthermore, about the benefits, costs, opportunities, risks, and prognosis to them individually and jointly for joining and participating in a Collaborative.
- Work with interested groups to establish governance for a Collaborative, including development, execution, and management of the processes to establish the Collaborative and for it to begin operations, enroll members, and become self-sustaining.
Application process
Format
Each application should include the following components:
- Cover page with project title; proposing firm; and name, telephone number, and e‑mail address for the project manager.
- This should explain the proposer’s concept of and method for the scope of work (i.e., what steps will the proposer take to satisfy each task? How will the analysis be conducted, and how will success be measured?) Timing, duration, and cost should be specified for each task in the scope of work.
- Work history. Examples of similar or relevant work conducted by proposer in the past, with information on project outcomes and client references. Name, title, employer, relationship to the project, telephone number, and e-mail address should be given for each reference.
- Statement of qualifications. Directory of, task assignments, and resumes for key staff on project. Professional licenses and certifications should be included. The total hours each staff person is expected to spend on each task should be documented.
- Corporate background. Include the history, location(s), length of time in existence, and structure of the firm; documentation of relevant insurance coverage; and demonstration of the capacity of the firm to carry out the project.
- Signature of a representative of the firm having legal authority to contract on behalf of the firm.
- A listing of known complaints regarding the proposer from the last ten years that filed with the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office, including the nature of the complaint and disposition.
- A completed Organizational Conflict of Interest Statement that either warrants that there are no relevant facts or circumstances that could give rise to organizational conflicts of interest, and/or, as applicable, gives a full, written disclosure of any organizational conflicts of interests, including description of the action(s) the proposer has taken or will take to avoid or mitigate such conflict.
The Narrative may not exceed 5,000 words. Other components have no word limit.
Material submitted in response to this RFP and received by WestCOG may be subject to the provisions of the Connecticut Freedom of Information law (CGS §1-200 et seq.)
How to apply
Proposals are due by the end of the application period, Sunday, December 2, 2018 11:59 PM ET. Submissions should be directed to: Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at insurance@westcog.org.
Submissions should be provided in PDF format, as a single file. The file may be attached to the e-mail, or, in case of a large submission (larger than 10 megabytes), linked in the e-mail. Recipients should enable delivery and read receipts in their e-mail client. No other confirmation will be given.
Review and contracting
WestCOG will evaluate proposals received after close of the application period. At this point, WestCOG may invite additional information from selected proposers, including but not necessarily limited to, samples of other work or an in-person interview.
Should WestCOG determine to proceed with a proposal, WestCOG will begin contract negotiations, including on scope and fee, with the respective proposer. Should WestCOG and the selected proposer be unable to come to an agreement, WestCOG may terminate negotiations with that firm and revisit other proposal submitted.
It is expected that proposers will be notified of decisions on their submission by December 31, 2018. WestCOG may award the project in part or in full to one or more proposers, and to cancel or to reissue this RFP. Any award will not be final until a contract has been negotiated and executed.
Communications
Location of posting
This RFP may be found online here until December 31, 2018. It is the responsibility of interested parties to retrieve and store a copy of the RFP beyond this date.
Inquiries
Proposers may submit questions on this RFP by Wednesday, November 21, 2018 at 11:59 PM ET. Questions should be directed to Mr. Francis R. Pickering, Executive Director at insurance@westcog.org. Answers will be posted online where WestCOG posted this RFP on a rolling basis until the close of business on Friday, November 23, 2018.
No questions will be accepted by other forms of communication.
Information about WestCOG can be found at http://westcog.org.
Addenda and supplements
Should WestCOG amend or adjust this RFP, such changes will be posted online where WestCOG posted this RFP. It is the responsibility of proposers to check for changes to the RFP.
Conditions
Legal requirements
Contracts awarded as a result of this RFP are subject to all applicable federal and state laws, including those concerning civil rights, nondiscrimination, and equal opportunity. Any responses to this RFP, as well as any work resulting from it, are subject to freedom of information.
Insurance requirements
To be considered, proposers must maintain insurance coverage as required by federal and state law.
Consortia, joint ventures, and teams
Proposals from consortia, joint ventures, and teams (“groups”) will be accepted. In such cases, a lead firm must be identified for contracting purposes. A work history and statement of qualifications (as described under Format, #4 and #5) must be provided for each member of the group.
In designating a lead firm, groups should consider the following:
- The lead firm should have sufficient experience and expertise to perform or supervise all facets of the project, and must have sufficient resources to carry out the contractual responsibilities of the group.
- The lead firm will be legally responsible to WestCOG for the performance of, and must perform at least 51% of, the total work awarded under any contract issued as a result of this RFP.
- Firms that are subsidiaries may not rely on the experience, expertise, or resources of its parent firm to meet these requirements.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)
DBE firms are encouraged to respond to this RFP.
If a DBE firm is proposed, the proposal must clearly identify the DBE firm, the role the DBE will play in the project, and the tasks assigned to the DBE. Proof of Connecticut DBE certification must be submitted with the proposal. Responses that fail to give proof of DBE certification and description of project involvement will not be identified as including DBE participation.
Nonreimbursement of proposal costs
Costs associated with responses to this RFP, including proposal development and participation in a selection process, are the sole responsibility of the respondent firms. WestCOG will not reimburse firms for such costs, nor will any selected firms be permitted to negotiate such costs as part of a contract with WestCOG.
Conflicts of interest
All relationships that may pose a conflict of interest, and actions that shall be taken to avoid or mitigate these conflicts, shall be disclosed as part of the response to this RFP.
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