Heath Insurance and Related Benefits Broker

HEALTH INSURANCE BROKER

(FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND RELATED PRODUCTS)

Issued: May 1, 2026

Proposals Due: June 3, 2026

3:00 pm C.D.T

INTRODUCTION

Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL) is requesting proposals from a qualified broker or firm (referred to as Broker) to provide health insurance brokerage services to Daniel Boone Regional Library in support of the DBRL employee benefit program.  Such services will include, but not be limited to 1) reviewing and advising on appropriate health, dental, and related products; 2) marketing placement of insurance; 3) reviewing vendor contracts and evidence of coverage; 4) conducting employee meetings to explain coverage; 5) acting as a liaison for DBRL with the selected insurance companies; 7) developing and producing employee communications materials; and 8) working with designated DBRL personnel to select the insurance products to offer DBRL employees.

The benefit programs include group health, prescription drugs, group dental with optional orthodontic, group life/AD&D, optional or supplemental life, short- and long-term disability, vision, and a supplemental individual insurance plan that covers accidents, hospital stays, and specified health events.

SCHEDULE AND SUBMITTAL

A.  Schedule

Release of Request for Proposals:                   May 1, 2026

Written questions due from Broker:               June 1, 2026

Proposals due:                                                 June 3, 2026

Possible Interviews or

  Additional Information                                  June 4 to 19, 2026

Finance Committee Review:                          Week of June 22nd

DBRL Board Approval:                                  July 16, 2026

Broker marketing of coverage

and review of plans:                                    August 10- September 30, 2026

Broker review options with DBRL:               October 2 - 16, 2026

Placement of coverage:                                   October 21, 2026

Open enrollment:                                            October 27 to November 30 2026

New Plan Year Coverage Effective:              January 1, 2027

B. Written Questions

Questions or comments related to the RFQ must be put in writing and received by DBRL no later than 3:00 p.m. on June 1, 2026.  Questions or comments may be sent via email to James Smith at jsmith@dbrl.org. Questions pertaining to specifications received after the deadline will not be answered. Answers to aforementioned questions will be posted on the Beacon Bid Web site (http://www.dbrl.org/rfp). It is the responsibility of all Brokers responding to this RFQ to examine the entire document and seek clarification of any item or requirement contained in this document prior to submitting a proposal.

C.  Proposal Submittal Requirements

Emailed electronic copy must be received in the DBRL Administrative Office, 100 West Broadway, Columbia, MO by 3:00 p.m. on June 3, 2026. Any proposal received after this date and time will not be considered.  No faxed proposals will be accepted.

Electronic Proposals must contain a letter of transmittal which includes the following information:

1.      List the name, title, mailing address, telephone number(s), fax number, and email address of the authorized contact person for this proposal.

2.      Provide a brief history of you and/or your firm, including years of operation.

      Include information on you and/or your firm’s customer service experience, keeping up with regulatory compliance, etc.

3.   Provide the name(s) of the broker(s) to perform the work for DBRL and a brief statement explaining how each broker is qualified to provide services to DBRL.  Provide information related to support staff and their ability to assist with the health insurance and related product needs of the DBRL. Also, detail you and/or your broker’s experience with health insurance and related products and their availability in answering questions. Also provide the number of support staff available to answer questions if the Broker is not available.

4.   Confirm that the Broker is a licensed insurance broker in Missouri and the Broker has at least ten years of experience negotiating benefit plans similar to DBRL’s size.

5.   Confirm that you serve as a broker independently, and are not affiliated with any insurance company, provider network, or third-party administrative agency.

6.   Please describe how your firm and your broker will provide the scope of services listed. Please describe to what extent your firm/broker are willing to be involved in resolving problems with claims, etc., between an insured employee and provider.

7.   Explain how you will be able to meet the scope of work in accordance with the timeline as outlined in the RFQ and how your firm/broker will be able to provide personalized representation to DBRL.

8.   The letter of transmittal must be signed by a person authorized to bind the offering firm/broker to the terms of this proposal.

9.   The firm/broker should be transparent with and disclose all fees / commissions that will be charged and/or received by your firm/broker for DBRL plans. It is anticipated that any income received by the firm/broker from the administration of the health insurance and related products for DBRL will be in the form of commissions received from the insurance company or companies.  If the respondent requires additional fees for the scope of work as outlined in this RFQ, those fees should be so noted and itemized in your firm’s response to the RFQ.

10. Please do not send insurance plan options.  Broker selection will be based on criteria outlined in the section PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION.

DBRL reserves the right to request any additional information after opening the proposals through written interview questions or interviews. DBRL will not share any census information, claims information, summary of benefits, prior enrollment forms etc. DBRL will share this information with the successful bidder.

A copy of this RFQ may be obtained from DBRL’s website at  http://www.dbrl.org/rfp.

A summary of the proposals received will be available upon written request after

June 8, 2026.

SCOPE OF SERVICES:

At a minimum the Broker will need to be able to provide these responsibilities:

1.      Serve as designated insurance broker of record for DBRL health and dental insurance and related products, seeking coverage that meets DBRL’s defined benefit objectives of comprehensive coverage and budget parameters. This coverage should also include the provision of coverage that provides tiered rates and cost that is reflective of the market for dependent coverage offered. Firm/Broker will make sure all data received is secure, technology used is compatible with DBRL’s system and will comply with HIPAA to ensure employee’s medical information is not released and kept secure at all times.  

2.   Negotiate and place health and dental insurance and plans for related products as directed by the DBRL Board of Trustees or its designee. The related products include voluntary plans that are of no cost to DBRL, but offer employees the opportunity to enhance their benefits package and coverage levels.

3.   Analyze health and dental insurance and related products proposals and present the results of such analysis to the appropriate parties.

4.   Negotiate health and dental insurance and related products coverage, including meeting directly with insurance providers on issues related to premiums, plan design and special conditions of coverage.

5.   Analyze claim experience/financial development for all insurance coverages.

6.   Prepare annual reports, in standard industry format including Excel spreadsheets, PDF reports, etc., with specific format requirements by the end of October, for each line of coverage, analyzing financial developments, network utilization, insurer cost structures, etc., and make recommendations regarding changes, modifications and/or benefit enhancements.

7.   In accordance with parameters and criteria established by DBRL, make recommendations regarding various insurance plans, insurance carriers, health maintenance organizations, administrators and benefit service providers.

8.   Review all insurance and administrative service documents for accuracy and adherence to prior agreements (but not perform a legal review).

9.   Provide open enrollment support, including, but not limited to, developing timeline, assisting with the development of open enrollment materials, and coordinating and participating in open enrollment meetings as reasonably requested.

10. Review contracts with providers for accuracy in rates, eligibility, and coverage definitions.

11. Review evidences of coverage (EOC) for accuracy, make recommendations regarding changes, modifications and/or benefit enhancements, and negotiate changes with carriers.

12. Assist DBRL and its employees with claims and billing issues as requested and necessary to assure overall plan satisfaction.

13. Assist with HRIS transitions of carriers/administrators, if   necessary.

14. Alert DBRL of legislative mandates and assist with compliance.

15. Attend meetings of the DBRL of Trustees and other administrative meetings as requested.

16. Provide concise and accurate special executive summary reports annually.

17. Electronic transfer of reports to DBRL staff.

18. Perform detailed review of claims, prescription drug utilization and coverage utilization.

19. Inform DBRL staff of major national or regional health care trends.

20. Provide seminars and educational sessions to employees as requested.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION

Each criterion below will be rated from 1 to 5 with 1 being does not meet criteria stated and 5 demonstrating excellent compliance with the criteria. Proposal evaluation will consider the following criteria:

1.      Experience in the field of Health Insurance and related products as a Broker, and       in the representation of public employers. As a minimum qualification, the Firm/Broker should have at least ten years active health benefit experience and must be licensed in the State of Missouri.

2.  Broker’s demonstrated expertise in negotiating benefit plans on behalf of clients of similar size and structure to DBRL (e.g., 100 to 250 employees).

3.      Availability to accommodate the health insurance and related products needs of    Daniel Boone Regional Library, and demonstrate that a qualified support staff is available to assist with the health insurance and related ancillary product needs of the Daniel Boone Regional Library.

4.   Understanding of the Scope of Services: This will be based on the quality and content of the proposal and the respondent’s ability to communicate a complete understanding of the requested service and to meet the scope of services as outlined in the RFQ.  The proposals will be evaluated for general compliance with instructions and requests issued in the RFQ.

5.   Ability to complete the project in accordance with the timeline outlined in the RFQ. This is based on the overall schedule as stated.  DBRL must be guaranteed of the broker or firm’s ability to complete the project as outlined in RFQ.

6.   The past record of performance of the firm/Broker with respect to such factors as customer service, regulatory compliance, and publicly available information regarding satisfaction and dispute resolution.

7.   Fees

8.   Positive reference checks from two clients within the last two years who are of a similar group size and coverage as DBRL. DBRL will be inquiring their opinion as to how well you have performed the requested services for that company and/or organization.  

Contract Length

This proposal is for awarding a contract to cover a two (2) year period.  The first year applicable in the agreement is anticipated to begin on August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2028.  The DBRL Board of Trustees has the option to extend this contract up to a maximum of three (3) one-year periods, provided the scope of the agreement does not substantively change.  No contract will be for a term greater than five (5) years.

Awarding of Contract

The final evaluation and selection of the submitted proposal shall rest solely with the DBRL Board of Trustees based on the recommendation of the DBRL Finance Committee and/or Administration.

It is the intent of The DBRL Board of Trustees to award a single contract as the result of this RFQ. However, the DBRL Board of Trustees reserves the right to apportion the requirements of this RFQ among multiple contractors if this is determined to be in its best interests. The contract(s) resulting from this RFQ shall require authorization by the DBRL Board of Trustees.

DBRL Board of Trustees is not obligated to accept any proposal or to negotiate with any respondent. The DBRL Board of Trustees expressly reserves the right to reject all proposals and make no award under this RFQ.

Conflict of Interest

Under Section 171.181 of the Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri, no Board Member, officer or employee of DBRL, or any of its affiliated library districts is permitted to contract for any services described within this RFQ.

The broker covenants that they presently have no interest in and does not or will not employ anyone with any interest, directly or indirectly, which would conflict in any manner or degree with the performance of the obligations and services to be provided through the terms of this RFQ. Any potential conflicts of interest shall be disclosed for review by the DBRL.

Equal Opportunity Employment

DBRL is an equal opportunity employer.  Prospective brokers who submit proposals agree to comply with all applicable employment laws and

must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, or physical disability unless a bona-fide occupational qualification exists.

E-Verify

Any business contracting with a political subdivision for more than $5,000 is required by Chapter 285.530 (2) RSMO to affirm by sworn affidavit that it has enrolled and participates in a federal work authorization program with respect to the employees working in connection with the contracted services and the company does not knowingly employ any person who is an unauthorized alien in connection with the contracted services. One example that complies with this statute is the “E-Verify” program. The website for this is www.uscis.gov/e-verify. In order for the firm/broker to comply with the E-Verify requirement, DBRL will require a sworn affidavit to be included as part of the contract. (See example attached)

Insurance

The successful Broker agrees to obtain and maintain throughout the term of

the contract, General and /or Professional Liability, and Worker’s Compensation Insurance in the amount required by Missouri statute for all employees to be engaged in the work of this contract. The required insurance must be written by a company licensed to do business in Missouri at the time the policy is issued and in effect. Neither party will be responsible for personal injury or property damage or loss except that resulting from its own negligence or the negligence of those within its control or employ.

Public Records

All information received from prospective brokers will be deemed public records and presumed to be open.