Deferred Compensation Recordkeeper

Deferred Compensation Recordkeeper

25P3-006

Contact Person: Akinola Oshodi

akinola.oshodi@santacruzcountyca.gov

Questions must be submitted during the Q&A Period as described in the Timeline using the Question and Answer tab for this solicitation.

The County of Santa Cruz invites sealed proposals from qualified vendors to provide comprehensive retirement plan recordkeeping and administration services.

Established in 1850 as one of the state’s original 27 counties, the County of Santa Cruz was originally called Branciforte.  The name was later changed to Santa Cruz, which is “holy cross” in Spanish.  The County of Santa Cruz geographically is the second smallest county within the State of California yet it has one of the largest unincorporated area populations.  The 2020 estimated population for the County of Santa Cruz by the U.S. Census Bureau was 270,861.  The County encompasses an urban service area of 440 square miles.

Background

The intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to establish a service agreement with a vendor that can implement, manage, and support retirement plan operations for eligible participants and County staff.

The following provides a general overview of the types of services anticipated under this RFP:

Project Details

• Reference ID: 25P3-006
• Department: Central Purchasing
• Department Head: Shauna Soldate (Purchasing & Logistics Manager)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-06-06T00:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Firm Strength, Experience, and Qualifications (10 pts)
• Record Keeping and Data Security (15 pts)
• Participant Education Services (25 pts)
• Plan Sponsor Services (15 pts)
• Locally Operated Business (10 pts)
• Proprietary Investment Characteristics (10 pts)
• Transition (5 pts)
• Fees and Expenses (20 pts)
• Proposer has been determined to meet minimum qualifications as outlined in the RFP. (1 pts) —

  If a submitted proposal fails this criteria, the proposal will be automatically disqualified.

• Vendor Presentation (100 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Point of Contact
• Contact Person - Full Name (required) —

  Please state the full name of the contact person for this proposal. Even if it is the same person submitting, please be sure to state it here.

• Contact Person - Position/Title (required) —

  Please state the position or title of the contact person for this proposal.

• Contact Person - Email Address (required) —

  What is the email for the above stated contact person for this proposal?

• Contact Person - Phone Number (required) —

  Please provide the full phone number of the contact person for this proposal.

• Proposal Information
• Letter of Transmittal (required) —

  Please provide a letter of transmittal with information regarding your company and a statement of qualifications to provide the services required.

• Services Offered (required) —

  Please upload a comprehensive list of services offered per the scope in Section 4.

• Approach (required) —

  Please explain your approach toward satisfying the needs of this project.

• Resumes (required) —

  Please provide resumes of the project team that you are proposing to assign to this project or service.

• Does your company have a minimum of ten (10) years of experience administering governmental section 457 deferred compensation plans? (required) —

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• Does your company currently provide administration to a minimum of five (5) 457 plans with an asset size of at least $250 million in each? (required) —

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• The County expects that there will be no front-end charges and/or no back-end charges of any kind. In addition, there will be no restrictions or penalties associated with any Plan- or participant-initiated transfers or withdrawals (including contract termination), with the exception of capital preservation (stable value and/or Fixed or General Account) wash and/or put provisions, and/or mutual fund specific short-term trading fees. Will your company agree to these terms? (required) —

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• Attach documents that accurately and fully disclose all expenses and revenue associated with any service made available under the Plans. This includes services such as managed accounts, investment advice, financial planning and/or self-directed brokerage accounts. (required)
• Upon award of the contract, the selected Proposer must be duly qualified to do business in the State of California. Can you confirm that your company holds the appropriate qualifications? (required) —

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• If awarded, would your company agree to the following obligations and requirements? (required) —

  The County expects that each proposer has knowledge of and complies with all applicable California and Federal regulations regarding governmental retirement plans and investment options. All laws of the State of California, whether substantive or procedural, would be applicable to any subsequent awarded contract, and all statutory, charter, and ordinance provisions that are applicable to public contracts would be followed with respect to any subsequent awarded contract.

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• If awarded, will your company comply with the requirements as stated in Section 4.12 Contracting Expectations? (required) —

  Please note: any proposal response containing a "no" response to this question will be deemed nonresponsive and shall not be considered for evaluation.

• Compliance (required) —

  Has the Respondent complied with all specifications, requirements, terms and conditions of this Request for Proposals?

• Compliance - Explanation (required) —

  Please upload a detailed explanation giving reference to all deviations to be submitted on company letterhead. All exceptions must reference the RFP paragraph and section number followed by an explanation.

• Piggyback Option? (required) —

  If you are the successful Respondent, will you extend costs quoted to the County of Santa Cruz to other municipalities, districts or jurisdictions (political subdivisions)?

  If discounts quoted herein are offered to other political subdivisions, additional delivery charges, if any, must be negotiated between that political subdivision and the Supplier.

• Forms
• Exhibit A- Respondent Fact Sheet (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit B- Customer References (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit C- Designation of Subcontractors (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit D- Non-Collusion Declaration (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit E- Protests and Appeals Procedures (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Please complete Exhibit F Vendor Questionnaire (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Locally Operated Business within Santa Cruz County? (required) —

  “Locally operated business” means a legally formed and operated business, including but not limited to a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, which has a legitimate business presence in the County. In addition, the business must:

  (a)    Hold a valid seller’s permit issued by the State Board of Equalization and a valid business license if issued by an incorporated city within the County; and

  (b)    Have been in operation, transacting business in the County, for a minimum of six months prior to publication of the call for formal solicitation; and

  (c)    Not be delinquent in the payment of any taxes, charges or assessments owing to the County or an incorporated city within the County; and

  (d)    Have requested, completed, returned, and satisfied the requirements of a locally operated business preference affidavit of eligibility.

  Please review the full text of Code 2.37.108 here: https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SantaCruzCounty/html/SantaCruzCounty02/SantaCruzCounty0237.html#2.37.108

  By selecting "Yes" to this question, I confirm that the above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

• Exhibit F- Locally Operated Business Preference Affidavit (required) —

  Once you click the link, you will be asked to complete a DocuSign form.

• Living Wage Compliance —

  Covered contracts:    

  • Automotive repair and maintenance
  • Equipment maintenance services
  • Facility and building maintenance
  • Furniture moving and installation/maintenance services
  • Janitorial and custodial services
  • Landscaping services
  • Laundry services
  • Office and clerical services
  • Pest control services
  • Recreation services
  • Security services
  • Transportation and shuttle services
  • Towing services
  • Tree trimming and removal

  Non-covered contracts:

  • Commodities, goods and supplies
  • Public works (construction projects)
  • Public projects subject to prevailing wage requirements
  • Professional services - including but not limited to architects, engineers, landscape architects, land surveyors, construction managers, scientists, physicians, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants
  • Leases

  Additional information can be reviewed here: https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/Departments/GeneralServices/Purchasing/CurrentLivingWageOrdinance.aspx

• Living Wage DocuSign Link (required) —

  Once you start your proposal you will be asked to complete a DocuSign form. Once completed, please attach in Section 4.2.

• Prevailing Wage
• Please provide your active DIR# (required)
• Please provide the current Expiration Date for your DIR# (required)
• Please upload confirmation of your active DIR Registration (required)
• Confirmation & Additional Information
• Authority to Submit (required) —

  Respondent confirms that they offer and agree to furnish all work, materials, equipment or incidentals required to complete the services subject to this Request for the costs stated within their submittal and in conformance with all plans, specifications, requirements, conditions and instructions of County of Santa Cruz RFP# 25P3-006.

  Respondent further confirms that they have the authority to submit on behalf of the stated company and have furnished any documentation necessary as proof of such authority.

• Official RFP Response Signature Page (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Proprietary or confidential information? (required) —

  Per Section 2:

  Proposals will be subject to public inspection in accordance with the California Public Records Act (CPRA). To protect proprietary information, if any, Respondent must clearly mark proprietary information as such, submit it in a separate sealed envelope and only reference it within the body of the proposal. Respondent should not include in the proposal any material that Respondent considers confidential but that does not meet CPRA disclosure exemption requirements. Respondent shall be responsible to defend and indemnify the County from any claims or liability to compel disclosure of any part of its proposal claimed to be exempt from disclosure. 

• Please upload confidential and proprietary information here (required) —

  Please only include things that are confidential and proprietary to your business in this section.  A best practice would be to include CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY on the header of each page.

  Examples of confidential and proprietary information:

  • Proprietary system design
  • Unique patented specifications or trade secrets
  • Banking information (routing numbers, etc)

  Confidential and proprietary information does NOT include things like:

  • pricing
  • customer history
  • basic vendor information like email or phone number
• Additional Information (if needed) (required) —

  Do you need to provide additional information requested or required by any of your provided answers?

• Please upload additional documentation here. (required)
• Years of Experience (required) —

  What is the minimum required number of years of experience that a qualified Respondent shall have conducted business of the nature specified within this RFP?

  Please state in written and numbered format as follows:

  Example 1:
  two (2) years

  NOTE: Number of years will default to 2 unless otherwise specified.

• Desired End Date of Contract (required) —

  What is the initial desired end date of contract?

• Extensions? (required) —

  Will there be potential extensions to this contract after the initial contract term has ended?

• Number of Possible Extensions (required) —

  How many extensions will this contract have after the initial term has ended?

  Please state in the following format: 
  (Written Number)

  Example:
  (two)

• Duration of Extensions (required) —

  How long will each extension last?

  Please state in the following format:
  (Number)-year

  Example:
  (two)-year

• Local Vendor Preference? (required) —

  Does local vendor preference apply to this RFP?

  NOTE: MAY NOT APPLY IF FEDERAL OR STATE FUNDS ARE INVOLVED- CHECK APPLICABLE FUNDING BEFORE INCLUDING THIS SECTION

• References? (required) —

  Does this RFP require the respondents to submit references as part of their proposal?

• Will you use the pricing table? (required)
• Pre-Proposal Meeting? (required) —

  Will there be a pre-proposal meeting for this RFP?

  NOTE: Your answer to this question and the possible follow-up have no automatic effect on the timeline section of this RFP, you will have to adjust that section yourself when creating your solicitation.

• Mandatory or Non-Mandatory (required) —

  You have indicated that there is a pre-proposal meeting, conference, or job walk for this RFP. Is that pre-proposal meeting Mandatory or Non-Mandatory.

  REMINDER: Your answer to this question has no automatic effect on the timeline section of this RFP, you will have to adjust that section yourself when creating your solicitation. Please be sure to match it to your answer here.

• Living Wage? (required) —

  Does living wage apply to this RFP? Living Wage includes any of these categories:

  Covered contracts:    

  • Automotive repair and maintenance
  • Equipment maintenance services
  • Facility and building maintenance
  • Furniture moving and installation/maintenance services
  • Janitorial and custodial services
  • Landscaping services
  • Laundry services
  • Office and clerical services
  • Pest control services
  • Recreation services
  • Security services
  • Transportation and shuttle services
  • Towing services
  • Tree trimming and removal

  Non-covered contracts:

  • Commodities, goods and supplies
  • Public works (construction projects)
  • Public projects subject to prevailing wage requirements
  • Professional services - including but not limited to architects, engineers, landscape architects, land surveyors, construction managers, scientists, physicians, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants
  • Leases
• Prevailing Wage? (required) —
  • Construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work done under contract and paid in whole or in part out of public funds.
  • It can include preconstruction and post-construction activities related to a public works project.
  • For a full definition of public works refer to Labor Code section 1720.

  Anyone working on a public works project must be paid prevailing wages as determined by DIR. Projects of $30,000 or more must meet DIR's apprenticeship requirements. Failure to comply with public works requirements can result in civil penalties, criminal prosecution, or both.

• Pricing (required) —

  Do you wish to use the electronic pricing table in OpenGov to receive pricing in a consistent manner from all proposers?

  By selecting "Yes", you wish to receive pricing electronically in table that you format here within OpenGov.

  By selecting "No", you will disable the electronic pricing table for this RFP and will need to create an upload option within the vendor questionnaire or provide a formatted document for vendors to fill out and submit.

• Will any wood products be purchased as part of this solicitation? (required) —

  Tropical Wood products are prohibited- if wood products will be involved, information must be provided to the respondents so they are aware.

• MICA/Multi-Department Solicitation? (required) —

  Will more than one department or division be using the services requested on this solicitation and/or will a Master Independent Contract Agreement (MICA) result from this procurement? 

  EXAMPLE: MICA for security guard services

  EXAMPLE: CDI and GSD both want a software that does the same tasks