City Employee Benefits

The City is seeking a responsible and qualified consultant to provide comprehensive brokerage and consulting services for the City's employee insurance benefits program. Term shall be for one (1) year with the option to renew for four (4) additional one-year periods. Services are expected to include, but are not limited to, the strategic design, implementation, evaluation, administration and ongoing maintenance of the employee benefit plans.

The firm selected with be a strategic partner to the City, providing guidance on benefits strategy, plan design, cost management, regulatory compliance, and industry best practices. The firm will assist the City in evaluating and optimizing its benefits to ensure they remain competitive, cost-effective, and aligned with the City's goals and employee's neeeds.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 26-22
• Department: HR
• Department Head: Carli Seeba (Manager of People and Culture)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-17T20:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-04-17T18:22:19.900Z) —

  City Benefits Guide Attached

Evaluation Criteria

• Ability to Negotiate Effective Benefit Programs (14 pts) —

  Demonstrated ability to design, structure, and negotiate a benefits program that effectively meets the needs of the City of Wheat Ridge.

• Relevant Experience and Expertise (14 pts) —

  Proven experience in managing and negotiating employee benefit plans for organizations of similar size and complexity, with a track record of achieving favorable outcomes.

• Technical Knowledge and Online Enrollment Support (15 pts) —

  Depth of knowledge and capability to provide technical support for online benefits administration and open enrollment systems.

• Account Team Accessibility and Location (14 pts) —

  Availability and responsiveness of the broker and assigned account team, including the location of the service office and capacity to meet the City’s needs promptly.

• Qualifications of Assigned Personnel (14 pts) —

  Experience, professional credentials, and references for the individuals who will directly manage and support the City’s account.

• Proactive Support and Industry Communication (14 pts) —

  Ability to provide ongoing, proactive support to the City’s Human Resources team, including timely dissemination of relevant legal, regulatory, and insurance carrier updates.

• Pricing and Overall Cost-Effectiveness (15 pts) —

  Ability to provide cost-effective services that align with the City's organizational objectives and employees' needs.

• Interview (10 pts)

Submission Requirements

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• Non-Discrimination Assurance Title VI Regulations at 49 CFR Part 21 (required) —

  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination of the basis of race, color or national origin by any entity receiving Federal financial assistance.

  The City of Wheat Ridge is a recipient of Federal financial assistance and as such, it—as well as all of its responsible agents, contractors and consultants—is required by the United States Department of Transportation Title VI Regulations at 49 CFR Part 21 (the Regulations) to assure nondiscrimination. The City of Wheat Ridge assures that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, or national origin under any program or activity conducted by the City.

  All bidders are hereby notified that the City of Wheat Ridge will affirmatively ensure that disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to all invitations and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin in consideration for an award.  This applies to all solicitations for bids for work or material subject to the Regulations, and for all proposals for negotiated agreements.

  By clicking "Please confirm" below, the bidder agrees as follows:

  1. The bidder shall comply with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  2. The bidder assures the City of Wheat Ridge that disadvantaged business enterprises are afforded full opportunity to submit bids as sub-contractors or sub-consultants and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color or national origin in consideration for award.
  3. The bidder shall comply with all reasonable requests made in the course of an investigation of Title VI, the Regulations and this assurance by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the US Department of Transportation or the City of Wheat Ridge, as a sub-recipient of Federal financial assistance.
  4. The bidder agrees that the United States has a right to seek judicial enforcement with regard to any matter arising under Title VI, the Regulations and this assurance.
• Non-Collusion Affidavit (required) —

  The Contractor, of lawful age, being duly sworn, on oath says that (s)he is the agent authorized by the Bidder to submit the attached bid. Affidavit further states that the Bidder has not been a party of any collusion among Bidders in restraint of freedom of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding; or any Federal, State or Municipal official or employees as to quantity, quality, or price in the prospective Contract, or any other items of said prospective Contract; or in any discussions between bidders and any Federal, State or Municipal official concerning exchange of money or other thing of value for special consideration in the letting of a Contract.

• Contractor acknowledges they: (required) —
  1. Have read the RFP documents thoroughly prior to submitting a proposal,
  2. Will fulfill the obligations in accordance to the scope of work or specifications, terms, and conditions,
  3. Are capable of performing quality work to achieve the City objectives, and
  4. Are submitting without collusion with any other individual or firm.

  By clicking "Please confirm" the contractor agrees to the above.

• OWNERSHIP/MANAGEMENT, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, SUPERVISORS, AND RELATED ENTITIES
• Principle In Charge Name (required)
• Principle in Charge Email (required)
• Type of Business Organization (required)
• State in which incorporated
• Joint Venture
• Contact Information (required) —

  Name, position, and address of contract person regarding the information on this form.

• Number of years your firm has done business under current name? (required)
• Previous Names or Partnerships —

  Previous firm names and / or partnerships (or firms you have had any interest in), and number of years of each name

• CONTRACTING HISTORY
• Major Account History (required) —

  Attach a list of all major accounts for the past two (2) years. For each account indicate the following:

  • Original contract bid amount
  • Owner (address, telephone number, and contact name)
  • Account services provided
  • Litigation or claims related to each project—state nature of claim(s), the parties, the dollar value, the status and outcome—including the value of any judgment(s) or settlement(s)
  • Name, address, and phone number(s) of reference(s)
• Company Availability (required) —

  List major equipment, facilities, number and type of employees available for City contract work. Specify type of work normally done by your forces, and type of work you normally subcontract.

• Have you ever terminated or abandoned any work prior to completion, or had work completed by others? (required)
• If yes, describe the situation (required)
• Has your firm—or any firm you have had any interest in—ever been debarred or prohibited from contract work with any government or private institution? (required)
• If yes, describe the situation: (required)
• City Staff will evaluate all qualification forms. The evaluation will include the following: (required) —
  • Verification of statements and information provided
  • Ability to perform work of similar nature
  • Financial stability and capability
  • Any pattern of controversy, poor management, delayed claims, late completion, inferior service or equipment, or other undesirable characteristics

  This qualification process is not intended to restrict competition. The intent is to protect the City’s legitimate interests by ensuring that vendors are competent, capable of quality work, and financially able to complete the work awarded.

• COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND OTHER REGULATIONS —

  If “Yes” is answered to any of the following questions in Sections IV, V, or VI, please provide details—including a brief summary of cause(s) of action, indicating if applicant firm, owner, or affiliate firms were plaintiffs (P) or defendants (D); define charges explicitly, identifying by what authority, court, or jurisdiction charge(s) were made. Complete details are required.

  NOTE: For Sections IV and V below, the definition of an “investigation” includes:

  • An appearance before a grand jury by representatives of the firm
  • Any oral or written inquiry or review of the firm’s documents by a governmental or law enforcement agency or investigative agency
  • Questioning of employees concerning the general operation or specific activities of the firm
• Public Benefit —

  I, the vendor, swear or affirm under penalty of perjury, and under the laws of the State of Colorado, that: (select an option below)

  I understand that this sworn statement is required by law because I have applied for a public benefit. I understand that State law requires me to provide proof that I am lawfully present in the United States prior to receipt of this public benefit. I further acknowledge that making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation in this sworn Affidavit is punishable under the criminal laws of Colorado as perjury in the second degree under C.R.S. 18-8-503 and it shall constitute a separate criminal offense each time a public benefit is fraudulently received.

• Acceptance of Conditions Statement (required) —

  City of Wheat Ridge prohibits contracting with firms that employ certain relatives of City employees, unless the City Council determines that the making of such a contract is in the City’s best interest. No City Council member, member of a City Board or Commission, Municipal judge, City Manager, City attorney(s), or employee of the City of Wheat Ridge—or any such person’s spouse, child, parent, brother, sister, dependent or person assuming a relationship being the substantial equivalent of the above—has an existing or pending (direct or indirect) financial, pecuniary, or personal interest in the proposing firm or this Request for Proposal (RFP)

• References
• Reference Authorization (required) —

  I authorize the City of Wheat Ridge to contact the following listed references.

• Reference #1 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• Reference #2 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• Reference #3 (required) —

  Reference Contact Name

• Company Name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone Number (required)
• Project Information (required) —

  Brief overview of projected completed.

• ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED —

  Additional document copies to be submitted with this application:

• Pricing Proposal (required)
• Contract Term (required) —

  Enter the contract term for your project.

  Example: one (1) year with the option to renew for four (4) one-year periods 

• Pricing (required) —
  • Choose Option 1 when you have set line items, for example:
    • This is a quote for goods or commodities
    • This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into OpenGov Procurement from an Excel spreadsheet.
    • Seeking services for hourly rate schedules.
  • Choose Option 2 when you need vendors to provide you with the line items.

Questions & Answers