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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY OF RIALTO AND
MCGRIFF INSURANCE SERVICES, INC.
THIS SERVICES AGREEMENT (herein “Agreement”) is made and entered into this ____ day of ______________, 2022, by and between the City of Rialto, a municipal corporation and California general law city (“City”), and McGriff Insurance Services, Inc., a North Carolina Corporation, (“Consultant”). City and Consultant are sometimes individually referred to as “Party” or collectively as “Parties”.
RECITALS
A. City has sought, by Request for Proposals No. 22-028, the performance of professional services related to Brokerage Services and Benefit Consulting, as defined and described particularly in Article 1 of this Agreement.
B. Following the submission of a proposal for the performance of the services defined and described particularly in Article 1 of this Agreement, Consultant was selected by the City to perform those services.
C. Pursuant to Chapter 2.48 of the Rialto Municipal Code, City has authority to enter into and execute this Agreement.
D. The Parties desire to formalize the selection of Consultant for the performance of those services defined and described particularly in Article 1 of this Agreement and desire that the terms of that performance be as particularly defined and described herein.
OPERATIVE PROVISIONS
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants made by the Parties and contained herein and other consideration, the value and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1. SERVICES OF CONSULTANT
1.1 Scope of Services.
In compliance with all terms and conditions of this Agreement, Consultant shall provide those professional services associated with Brokerage Services and Benefit Consulting, and as specified in the “Scope of Services” attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by this reference, which services may be referred to herein as the “services” or “work” hereunder. As a material inducement for City to enter into this Agreement, Consultant represents and warrants that it has the qualifications, experience, and facilities necessary to properly perform the services required under this Agreement in a thorough, competent, and professional manner, it meets all local, state, and federal requirements in performing the services, and it is experienced in performing the work and services contemplated herein. Consultant shall at all times faithfully, competently, and to the best of its ability, experience, and talent, perform all services described herein.
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Consultant covenants that it shall follow the highest professional standards in performing the work and services required hereunder and that all materials will be of good quality, fit for the purpose intended. For purposes of this Agreement, the phrase “highest professional standards” shall mean those standards of practi ce recognized by one or more first-class firms performing similar work under similar circumstances.
1.2 Consultant’s Proposal.
The Agreement between the Parties shall consist of the following: (1) this Agreement; (2) the Scope of Services; (3) the City’s Request for Proposals No. 22- 028; and, (4) the Consultant’s signed, original proposal submitted to the City (“Consultant’s Proposal”), (collectively referred to as the “Contract Documents”) . The Contract Documents and Accepted Proposal shall be incorporated herein by this reference as though fully set forth herein. In the event of any inconsistency between the Scope of Services, Consultant’s Proposal, and/or this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall govern.
1.3 Compliance with Law.
Consultant shall keep itself informed concerning, and shall render all services hereunder in accordance with, all ordinances, resolutions, statutes, rules, and regulations of the City and any federal, state, or local governmental entity having jurisdiction in effect at the time service is rendered.
1.4 Licenses, Permits, Fees, and Assessments.
Consultant shall obtain, at its sole cost and expense, such licenses, permits, and approvals as may be required by law for the performance of the services required by this Agreement. Consultant shall have the sole obligation to pay for any fees, assessments, and taxes, plus applicable penalties and interest, which may be imposed by law and arise from or are necessary for the Consultant’s performance of the services r equired by this Agreement, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless City, its officers, employees or agents of City, against any such fees, assessments, taxes penalties, or interest levied, assessed, or imposed against City hereunder.
1.5 Familiarity with Work.
By executing this Agreement, Consultant warrants that Consultant (i) has thoroughly investigated and considered the scope of services to be performed, (ii) has carefully considered how the services should be performed, and (iii) fully understands the facilities, difficulties, and restrictions attending performance of the services under this Agreement. If the services involve work upon any site, Consultant warrants that Consultant has or will investigate the site and is or will be fully acquaint ed with the conditions there existing, prior to commencement of services hereunder. If Consultant discovers any latent or unknown conditions that will materially affect the performance of the services hereunder, then Consultant shall immediately inform the City of such fact and shall not proceed except at City’s risk until written instructions are received from the Contract Officer.
1.6 Care of Work.
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Consultant shall adopt reasonable methods during the life of the Agreement to furnish continuous protection to the work, and the equipment, materials, papers, documents, plans, studies, and/or other components thereof, to prevent losses or damages, and shall be responsible for all such damages to persons or property, until acceptance of the work by City, except such losses or damages as may be caused by City’s own negligence.
1.7 Prevailing Wages.
Consultant is aware of the requirements of California Labor Code Section 1720, et seq. and 1770, et seq., as well as California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1600, et seq., (“Prevailing Wage Laws”), which require the payment of prevailing wage rates and the performance of other requirements on “Public Works” and “Maintenance” projects. It is the understanding of City and Consultant that the Prevailing Wage Laws may not apply to this Agreement because the Agreement does not involve any services subject to prevailing wage rates pursuant to the California Labor Code or regulations promulgated thereunder. However, Consultant shall defend, indemnify, and hold City, its elected officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless from any claim or liability arising out of any failure or alleged failure to comply with the Prevailing Wage Laws.
1.8 Further Responsibilities of Parties.
Both Parties agree to use reasonable care and diligence to perform their respective obligations under this Agreement. Both Parties agree to act in good faith to execute all instruments, prepare all documents, and take all actions as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement. Unless specified in this Agreement, neither Party shall be responsible for the service of the other.
1.9 Additional Services.
City shall have the right at any time during the performance of the services, without invalidating this Agreement, to order extra work beyond that specified in the Scope of Services or make changes by altering, adding to, or deducting from said work. No such extra work or change may be undertaken unless a written order is first given by the Contract Officer to the Consultant, describing in detail the extra work or change and the reason(s) therefor and incorporating therein any adjustment in (i) the Contract Sum for the actual cost of the extra work or change, and/or (ii) the time to perform this Agreement, which said adjustments shall be reflected in an amendment to the Agreement subject to the written approval of the Parties. Any amendment to this Agreement shall be reviewed and approved by the City Manager. In accordance with Rialto Municipal Code section
2.48.180, increases in compensation of this Agreement may be approved by the City Manager provided: (a) the initial Contract Sum was less than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) and the amended Contract Sum when consider ing any or all amendments will not exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000); or (b) the agreement was approved by the City Council and the increases in compensation taken either separately or cumulatively do not exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000). Any greater increases, taken either separately or cumulatively must be approved by the City Council. Payment for additional services rendered by Consultant under this Agreement requires the submission of the actual costs of Consultant’s Page-4
performance of the extra work with the invoice(s) for the extra work claim(s), as provided in Section 2.4. It is expressly understood by Consultant that the provisions of this Section shall not apply to services specifically set forth in the Scope of Services. Consultant hereby acknowledges that it accepts the risk that the services to be provided pursuant to the Scope of Services may be more costly or time consuming than Consultant anticipates and that Consultant shall not be entitled to additional compensation therefor. City may in its sole and absolute discretion have similar work done by other contractors.
No claim for an adjustment in the contract amount or time for performance shall be valid unless the procedures established in this Section are followed.
ARTICLE 2. COMPENSATION AND METHOD OF PAYMENT
2.1 Contract Sum.
Consultant hereby agrees to provide all services pursuant to this Agreement without any direct compensation paid by the City. Consultant acknowledges and agrees that any compensation owed to Consultant for the services provided hereunder shall be paid by others in accordance with industry standard practices for these types of insurance brokerage services. The Contract Sum may also be increased for additional services pursuant to Section 1.9.
2.2 Method of Compensation.
The method of compensation may include: (i) a lump sum payment upon completion; (ii) payment in accordance with specified tasks or the percentage of completion of the services; (iii) payment for time and materials based upon the Consultant’s rates as specified in the Schedule of Compensation, provided that time estimates are provided for the performance of sub tasks, but not exceeding the Contract Sum; or (iv) such other methods as may be specified in the Schedule of Compensation.
2.3 Reimbursable Expenses.
Compensation may include reimbursement for actual and necessary expenditures for reproduction costs, telephone expenses, and travel expenses approved by the Contract Officer in advance, or actual subcontractor expenses of an approved subcontractor pursuant to Section 4.5, and only if specified in the Schedule of Compensation. The Contract Sum shall include the attendance of Consultant at all project meetings reasonably deemed necessary by the City. Coordination of the performance of the work with City is a critical component of the services. If Consultant is required to attend additional meetings to facilitate such coordination, Consultant shall not be entitled to any additional compensation for attending said meetings.
2.4 Invoices.
Each month Consultant shall furnish to City an original invoice for all work performed and expenses incurred during the preceding month in a form approved by City’s Director of Finance. By submitting an invoice for payment under this Agreement, Consultant is certifying compliance with all provisions of the Agreement. The invoice shall detail charges for all necessary and actual expenses by the following categories: labor Page-5
(by sub-category), travel, materials, equipment, supplies, and sub- contractor contracts.
Sub-contractor charges shall also be detailed by such categories. Consultant shall not invoice City for any duplicate services performed by more than one person.
City may independently review each invoice submitted by the Consultant to determine whether the work performed and expenses incurred are in compliance with the provisions of this Agreement. Except as to any charges for work performed or expenses incurred by Consultant which are disputed by City, or as provided in Section 7.3, City will use its best efforts to cause Consultant to be paid within thirty (30) days of receipt of Consultant’s correct and undisputed invoice; however, Consultant acknowledges and agrees that due to City warrant run procedures, the City cannot guarantee that payment will occur within this time period. In the event any charges or expenses are disputed by City, the original invoice shall be returned by City to Consultant for correction and resubmission.
2.5 No Waiver.
Review and payment by City to Consultant of any invoice for work performed by Consultant pursuant to this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of any defects in work performed by Consultant or of any rights or remedies provided herein or any applicable law.
ARTICLE 3. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
3.1 Time of Essence.
Time is of the essence in the performance of this Agreement.
3.2 Schedule of Performance.
Consultant shall commence the services pursuant to this Agreement upon receipt of a written notice to proceed and shall perform all services within the time peri od(s) established in the “Schedule of Performance” attached hereto as Exhibit “ C” and incorporated herein by this reference. When requested by the Consultant, extensions to the time period(s) specified in the Schedule of Performance may be approved in wri ting by the Contract Officer.
3.3 Force Majeure.
The time period(s) specified in the Schedule of Performance for performance of the services rendered pursuant to this Agreement shall be extended because of any delays due to unforeseeable causes beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the Consultant, including, but not restricted to, acts of God or of the public enemy, unusually severe weather, fires, earthquakes, floods, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, riots, strikes, freight embargoes , wars, litigation, and/or acts of any governmental agency, including the City, if the Consultant shall, within ten (10) days of the commencement of such delay, notify the Contract Officer in writing of the causes of the delay. The Contract Officer shall ascertain the facts and the extent of delay, and extend the time for performing the services for the period of the enforced delay when and if in the judgment of the Contract Officer such delay is justified. The Contract Officer shall Page-6
extend the time for performance in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section
1.9. The Contract Officer’s determination shall be final and conclusive upon the Parties to this Agreement. In no event shall Consultant be entitled to recover damages against the City for any delay in the performance of this Agreement, however caused, Consultant’s sole remedy being extension of the Agreement pursuant to this Section.
3.4 Term.
Unless earlier terminated in accordance with Article 7 of this Agreement, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect through completion of the services related to Request for Proposals No. 22-028, (the “Project”), and as identified in the Schedule of Performance, Exhibit “C”.
ARTICLE 4. COORDINATION OF WORK
4.1 Representatives and Personnel of Consultant.
The following principals of Consultant (“Principals”) are hereby designated as being the principals and representatives of Consultant authorized to act in its behalf with respect to the work specified herein and make all decisions in connection therewith:
Renée Wingert Employee Benefits Consultant
(Name) (Title)
Scott Gibbs Senior Vice President
(Name) (Title)
It is expressly understood that the experience, knowledge, capability, and reputation of the foregoing Principals were a substantial inducement for City to enter into this Agreement. Therefore, the Principals shall be responsible during the term of this Agreement for directing all activities of Consultant and devoting sufficient time to personally supervise the services hereunder. All personnel of Consultant, and any authorized agents, shall at all times be under the exclusive direction and control of the Principals. For purposes of this Agreement, the Principals may not be replaced nor may their responsibilities be substantially reduced by Consultant without the express written approval of City. Additionally, Consultant shall utilize only competent pers onnel to perform services pursuant to this Agreement. Consultant shall make every reasonable effort to maintain the stability and continuity of Consultant’s staff and subcontractors, if any, assigned to perform the services required under this Agreement. Consultant shall notify City of any changes in Consultant’s staff and subcontractors, if any, assigned to perform the services required under this Agreement, prior to and during any such performance. In the event that City, in its sole discretion, at any time during the term of this Agreement, desires to reassign any staff or subcontractor of Consultant, Consultant shall, immediately upon a Reassign Notice from City of such desire of City, reassign such persons or persons.
4.2 Status of Consultant.
Consultant shall have no authority to bind City in any manner, or to incur any obligation, debt or liability of any kind on behalf of or against City, whether by contract or Page-7
otherwise, unless such authority is expressly conferred under this Agreement or is otherwise expressly conferred in writing by City. Consultant shall not at any time or in any manner represent that Consultant or any of Consultant’s officers, employees, or agents are in any manner officials, officers, employees or agents of City. Neither Consultant, nor any of Consultant’s officers, employees or agents, shall obtain any rights to retirement, health care, or any other benefits which may otherwise accrue to City’s employees. Consultant expressly waives any claim Consultant may have to any such rights.
4.3 Contract Officer.
The Contract Officer shall be the City Manager or other such person designated by the City Manager. It shall be the Consultant’s responsibility to assure that the Contract Officer is kept informed of the progress of the performance of the services and the Consultant shall refer any decisions which must be made by City to the Contract Officer.
Unless otherwise specified herein, any approval of City required hereunder shall mean the approval of the Contract Officer. The Contract Officer shall have authority, if specified in writing by the City Manager , to sign all documents on behalf of the City required hereunder to carry out the terms of this Agreement.
4.4 Independent Contractor.
Neither the City nor any of its employees shall have any control over the manner, mode, or means by which Consultant, its agents or employees, perform the services required herein, except as otherwise set forth herein. City shall have no voice in the selection, discharge, supervision or control of Consultant’s employees, servants, representatives, or agents, or in fixing their number, compensation, or hours of service.
Consultant shall perform all services required herein as an independent contractor of City and shall remain at all times as to Ci ty a wholly independent contractor with only such obligations as are consistent with that role. Consultant shall not at any time or in any manner represent that it or any of its agents or employees are agents or employees of City. City shall not in any way or for any purpose become or be deemed to be a partner of Consultant in its business or otherwise or a joint venturer or a member of any joint enterprise with Consultant.
4.5 Prohibition Against Subcontracting or Assignment.
The experience, knowledge, capability, and reputation of Consultant, its principals and employees were a substantial inducement for the City to enter into this Agreement.
Therefore, Consultant shall not contract with any other entity to perform in whole or in part the services requi red hereunder without the express written approval of the City. In addition, neither this Agreement nor any interest herein may be transferred, assigned, conveyed, hypothecated, or encumbered voluntarily or by operation of law, whether for the benefit of creditors or otherwise, without the prior written approval of City. Transfers restricted hereunder shall include the transfer to any person or group of persons acting in concert of more than twenty five percent (25%) of the present ownership and/or control of Consultant, taking all transfers into account on a cumulative basis. In the event of any such unapproved transfer, including any bankruptcy proceeding, this Agreement shall be void. No approved transfer shall release the Consultant or any surety of Consultant of any liability hereunder without the express consent of City.
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ARTICLE 5. INSURANCE, INDEMNIFICATION AND BONDS
5.1 Insurance Coverages.
The Consultant shall procure and maintain, at its sole cost and expense, in a form and content satisfactory to City, during the entire term of this Agreement including any extension thereof, the following policies of insurance which shall cover all elected and appointed officers, employees, and agents of City:
(a) Comprehensive General Liability Ins urance (Occurrence Form CG0001 or equivalent). A policy of comprehensive general liability insurance written on a per occurrence basis for bodily injury, personal injury, and property damage. The policy of insurance shall be in an amount not less than $1,000,000.00 per occurrence or if a general aggregate limit is used, then the general aggregate limit shall be twice the occurrence limit.
(b) Worker’s Compensation Insurance. A policy of worker’s compensation insurance in such amount as will fully comply with the laws of the State of California and which shall indemnify, insure, and provide legal defense for both the Consultant and the City against any loss, claim, or damage arising from any injuries or occupational diseases occurring to any worker employ ed by or any persons retained by the Consultant in the course of carrying out the work or services contemplated in this Agreement.
(c) Automotive Insurance (Form CA 0001 (Ed 1/87) including “any auto” and endorsement CA 0025 or equivalent). A policy of comprehensive automobile liability insurance written on a per occurrence for bodily injury and property damage in an amount not less than $1,000,000. Said policy shall include coverage for owned, non- owned, leased, and hired cars.
(d) Professional Liability. Professional liability insurance appropriate to the Consultant’s profession. This coverage may be written on a “claims made” basis, and must include coverage for contractual liability. The professional liability insurance required by this Agreement must be endorsed to be applicable to claims based upon, arising out of, or related to services performed under this Agreement. The insurance must be maintained for at least 5 consecutive years following the completion of Consultant’s services or the termination of this Agreement. During this additional 5- year period, Consultant shall annually and upon request of the City submit written evidence of this continuous coverage.
(e) Additional Insurance. Policies of such other insurance, as may be required in the Special Requirements.
(f) Subcontractors. Consultant shall include all subcontractors as insureds under its policies or shall furnish separate certificates and certified endorsements for each subcontractor. All coverages for subcontractors shall be subject to all of the requirements stated herein.
5.2 General Insurance Requirements.
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All of the above policies of insurance shall be primary insurance and shall name the City, its elected and appointed officers, employees, and agents as additional insureds, and any insurance maintained by City or its officers, employees, or agents shall ap ply in excess of, and not contribute with, Consultant’s insurance. The insurer is deemed hereof to waive all rights of subrogation and contribution it may have against the City, its officers, employees, and agents and their respective insurers. The insurance policy must specify that where the primary insured does not satisfy the self -insured retention, any additional insured may satisfy the self -insured retention. All of said policies of insurance shall provide that said insurance may not be amended or cancelled by the insurer or any Party hereto without providing thirty (30) days prior written notice by certified mail return receipt requested to the City. In the event any of said policies of insurance are cancelled, the Consultant shall, prior to the ca ncellation date, submit new evidence of insurance in conformance with Section 5.1 to the Contract Officer. No work or services under this Agreement shall commence until the Consultant has provided the City with Certificates of Insurance or appropriate ins urance binders evidencing the above insurance coverages and said Certificates of Insurance or binders are approved by the City. City reserves the right to inspect complete, certified copies of all required insurance policies at any time.
Any failure to c omply with the reporting or other provisions of the policies including breaches or warranties shall not affect coverage provided to City.
City, its respective elected and appointed officers, directors, officials, employees, agents and volunteers are to be covered as additional insureds as respects: liability arising out of activities Consultant performs; products and completed operations of Consultant; premises owned, occupied or used by Consultant; or automobiles owned, leased, hired or borrowed by Consul tant. The coverage shall contain no special limitations on the scope of protection afforded to City, and their respective elected and appointed officers, officials, employees or volunteers. Consultant’s insurance shall apply separately to each insured ag ainst whom claim is made or suit is brought, except with respect to the limits of the insurer’s liability.
Any deductibles or self -insured retentions must be declared to and approved by City. At the option of City, either the insurer shall reduce or eliminate such deductibles or self-insured retentions as respects City or its respective elected or appointed officers, officials, employees and volunteers or the Consultant shall procure a bond guaranteeing payment of losses and related investigations, claim administration, defense expenses and claims. The Consultant agrees that the requirement to provide insurance shall not be construed as limiting in any way the extent to which the Consultant may be held responsible for the payment of damages to any persons or property resulting from the Consultant’s activities or the activities of any person or persons for which the Consultant is otherwise responsible nor shall it limit the Consultant’s indemnification liabilities as provided in Section 5.3.
In the event the Consultant subcontracts any portion of the work in compliance with Section 4.5 of this Agreement, the contract between the Consultant and such subcontractor shall require the subcontractor to maintain the same policies of insurance that the Consultant is required to maintain pursuant to Section 5.1, and such certificates and endorsements shall be provided to City.
5.3 Indemnification.
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To the full extent permitted by law, Consultant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the City, its officers, employees and agents (“Indemnified Parties”) against any and all actions, either judicial, administrative, arbitration or regulatory claims, damages to persons or property, losses, costs, penalties, obligations, errors, omissions or liabilities whether actual or threatened (herein “claims or liabilities”) that may be asserted or claimed by any person, firm or entity arising out of or in connection with the negligent performance of the work, operations, or activities provided herein of Consultant, its officers, employees, agents, subcontractors, or invitees, or any individual or entity for which Consultant is legally liable (“indemnitors”), arising from Consultant’s reckless or willful misconduct, or arising from Consultant’s or indemnitors’ negligent performance of or failure to perform any term, provision, covenant, or condition of this Agreement, and in connection therewith:
(a) Consultant will defend any action or actions filed in connection with any of said claims or liabilities and will pay all costs and expenses, including legal costs and attorneys’ fees incurred in connection therewith;
(b) Consultant will promptly pay any judgment rendered against the City, its officers, agents, or employees for any such claims or liabilities arising out of or in connection with the negligent performance of or failure to perform such work, operations or activities of Consultant hereunder; and Consultant agrees to save and hold the City, its officers, agents, and employees harmless therefrom; (c) In the event the City, its o fficers, agents or employees is made a party to any action or proceeding filed or prosecuted against Consultant for such damages or other claims arising out of or in connection with the negligent performance of or failure to perform the work, operation or activities of Consultant hereunder, Consultant agrees to pay to the City, its officers, agents, or employees, any and all costs and expenses incurred by the City, its officers, agents, or employees in such action or proceeding, including but not limited to, legal costs and attorneys’ fees.
Consultant shall incorporate similar, indemnity agreements with its subcontractors and if it fails to do so Consultant shall be fully responsible to indemnify City hereunder therefore, and failure of City to monitor compl iance with these provisions shall not be a waiver hereof. This indemnification includes claims or liabilities arising from any negligent or wrongful act, error or omission, or reckless or willful misconduct of Consultant in the performance of professional services hereunder. The provisions of this Section do not apply to claims or liabilities occurring as a result of City’s sole negligence or willful acts or omissions, but, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall apply to claims and liabilities resulting in part from City’s negligence, except that design professionals’ indemnity hereunder shall be limited to claims and liabilities arising out of the negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct of the design professional. The indemnity obligation shall be binding on successors and assigns of Consultant and shall survive termination of this Agreement.
5.4 Sufficiency of Insurer or Surety.
Insurance required by this Agreement shall be satisfactory only if issued by companies qualified to do business in California, rated “A” or better in the most recent edition of Best Rating Guide, The Key Rating Guide or in the Federal Register, and only Page-11
if they are of a financial category Class VII or better, unless such requirements are waived by the Risk Manager of the City (“Risk Manager”) due to unique circumstances. If this Agreement continues for more than 3 years duration, or in the event the Risk Manager determines that the work or services to be performed under this Agreement creates an increased or decreased risk of loss to the City, the Consultant agrees that the minimum limits of the insurance policies may be changed accordingly upon receipt of written notice from the Risk Manager Consultant.
ARTICLE 6. RECORDS, REPORTS, AND RELEASE OF INFORMATION
6.1 Records.
Consultant shall keep, and require subcontractors to keep, such ledgers books of accounts, invoices, vouchers, canceled checks, reports, studies or other documents relating to the disbursements charged to City and services performed hereunder (the “books and records”), as shall be necessary to perform the services required by this Agreement and enable the Contract Officer to evaluate the performance of such services.
Any and all such documents shall be maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and shall be complete and detailed. The Contract Officer shall have full and free access to such books and records at all times during normal business hours of City, including the right to inspect, copy, audit and make records and t ranscripts from such records. Such records shall be maintained for a period of 3 years following completion of the services hereunder, and the City shall have access to such records in the event any audit is required. In the event of dissolution of Consultant’s business, custody of the books and records may be given to City, and access shall be provided by Consultant’s successor in interest.
6.2 Reports.
Consultant shall periodically prepare and submit to the Contract Officer such reports concerning the performance of the services required by this Agreement as the Contract Officer shall require. Consultant hereby acknowledges that the City is greatly concerned about the cost of work and services to be performed pursuant to this Agreement. For this reason, Consultant agrees that if Consultant becomes aware of any facts, circumstances, techniques, or events that may or will materially increase or decrease the cost of the work or services contemplated herein or, if Consultant is providing design services, the cost of the project being designed, Consultant shall promptly notify the Contract Officer of said fact, circumstance, technique or event and the estimated increased or decreased cost related thereto and, if Consultant is providing design services, the estimated increased or decreased cost estimate for the project being designed.
6.3 Ownership of Documents.
All drawings, specifications, maps, designs, photographs, studies, surveys, data, notes, computer files, reports, records, documents and other material s (the “documents and materials”) prepared by Consultant, its employees, subcontractors and agents in the performance of this Agreement shall be the property of City and shall be delivered to City upon request of the Contract Officer or upon the terminatio n of this Agreement, and Consultant shall have no claim for further employment or additional compensation as a Page-12
result of the exercise by City of its full rights of ownership use, reuse, or assignment of the documents and materials hereunder. Any use, reus e or assignment of such completed documents for other projects and/or use of uncompleted documents without specific written authorization by the Consultant will be at the City’s sole risk and without liability to Consultant, and Consultant’s guarantee and warranties shall not extend to such use, reuse or assignment. Consultant may retain copies of such documents for its own use. Consultant shall have the right to use the concepts embodied therein. All subcontractors shall provide for assignment to City any documents or materials prepared by them, and in the event Consultant fails to secure such assignment, Consultant shall indemnify City for all damages resulting therefrom.
6.4 Confidentiality and Release of Information.
(a) All information gained or work product produced by Consultant in performance of this Agreement shall be considered confidential, unless such information is in the public domain or already known to Consultant. Consultant shall not release or disclose any such information or work produc t to persons or entities other than City without prior written authorization from the Contract Officer. (b) Consultant, its officers, employees, agents or subcontractors, shall not, without prior written authorization from the Contract Officer or unless r equested by the City Attorney, voluntarily provide documents, declarations, letters of support, testimony at depositions, response to interrogatories or other information concerning the work performed under this Agreement. Response to a subpoena or court order shall not be considered “voluntary” provided Consultant gives City notice of such court order or subpoena.
(c) If Consultant, or any officer, employee, agent or subcontractor of Consultant, provides any information or work product in violation of this Agreement, then City shall have the right to reimbursement and indemnity from Consultant for any damages, costs and fees, including attorney’s fees, caused by or incurred as a result of Consultant’s conduct.
(d) Consultant shall promptly notify City should Consultant, its officers, employees, agents, or subcontractors be served with any summons, complaint, subpoena, notice of deposition, request for documents, interrogatories, request for admissions or other discovery request, court order or subpoena from any party regarding this Agreement and the work performed there under. City retains the right, but has no obligation, to represent Consultant or be present at any deposition, hearing or similar proceeding. Consultant agrees to cooperate fully with City and to provide City with the opportunity to review any response to discovery requests provided by Consultant.
However, this right to review any such response does not imply or mean the right by City to control, direct, or rewrite said response.
ARTICLE 7. ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENT AND TERMINATION
7.1 California Law.
This Agreement shall be interpreted, construed, and governed both as to validity and to performance of the Parties in accordance with the laws of the State of California.
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Legal actions concerning any dispute, claim, or matter arising out of or in relation to this Agreement shall be instituted in the Superior Court of the County of San Bernardino, State of California, or any other appropriate court in such county, and Consultant covenants and agrees to submit to the personal jurisdiction of such court in the event of such action.
In the event of litigation in a U.S. District Court, venue shall lie exclusively in the Central District of California, Eastern Division.
7.2 Disputes; Default.
In the event that Consultant is in default under the terms of this Agr eement, the City shall not have any obligation or duty to continue compensating Consultant for any work performed after the date of default. Instead, the City may give notice to Consultant of the default and the reasons for the default. The notice shall include the timeframe in which Consultant may cure the default. This timeframe is presumptively thirty (30) days, but may be extended, though not reduced, if circumstances warrant. During the period of time that Consultant is in default, the City shall hold all invoices and shall proceed with payment on the invoices only when the default is cured. In the alternative, the City may, in its sole discretion, elect to pay some or all of the outstanding invoices during the period of default. If Consultant does not cure the default, the City may take necessary steps to terminate this Agreement under this Article. Any failure on the part of the City to give notice of the Consultant’s default shall not be deemed to result in a waiver of the City’s legal rights or any rights arising out of any provision of this Agreement.
7.3 Retention of Funds.
Consultant hereby authorizes City to deduct from any amount payable to Consultant (whether or not arising out of this Agreement) (i) any amounts the payment of which may be in dispute hereunder or which are necessary to compensate City for any losses, costs, liabilities, or damages suffered by City, and (ii) all amounts for which City may be liable to third parties, by reason of Consultant’s acts or omissions in performing or failing to perform Consultant’s obligation under this Agreement. In the event that any claim is made by a third party, the amount or validity of which is disputed by Consultant, or any indebtedness shall exist which shall appear to be the basis for a claim of lien, City may withhold from any payment due, without liability for interest because of such withholding, an amount sufficient to cover such claim. The failure of City to exercise such right to deduct or to withhold shall not, however, affect the obligations of the Consultant to insure, indemnify, and protect City as elsewhere provided herein.
7.4 Waiver.
Waiver by any Party to this Agreement of any term, condition, or covenant of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of any other term, condition, or covenant. Waiver by any Party of any breach of the provisions of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of any other provision or a waiver of any subsequent breach or violation of any provision of this Agreement. Acceptance by City of any work or services by Consultant shall not constitute a waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement. No delay or omission in the exercise of any right or remedy by a non- defaulting Party on any default shall impair such right or remedy or be construed as a waiver. Any waiver by either Party of any default must be in writing and shall not be a waiver of any other default concerning the same or any other provision of this Agreement.
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7.5 Rights and Remedies are Cumulative.
Except with respect to rights and remedies expressly declared to be exclusive in this Agreement, the rights and remedies of the Parties are cumulative and the exercise by either Party of one or more of such rights or remedies shall not preclude the exercise by it, at the same or di fferent times, of any other rights or remedies for the same default or any other default by the other Party.
7.6 Legal Action.
In addition to any other rights or remedies, either Party may take legal action, in law or in equity, to cure, correct, or remedy any default, to recover damages for any default, to compel specific performance of this Agreement, to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief, or to obtain any other remedy consistent with the purposes of this Agreement.
7.7 Termination Prior to Expiration of Term.
This Section shall govern any termination of this Contract except as specifically provided in the following Section for termination for cause. City reserves the right to terminate this Contract at any time, with or without cause, upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to Consultant, except that where termination is due to the fault of the Consultant, the period of notice may be such shorter time as may be determined by the Contract Officer. In addition, the Consultant reserves the right to termi nate this Contract at any time, with or without cause, upon sixty (60) days’ written notice to City, except that where termination is due to the fault of the City, the period of notice may be such shorter time as the Consultant may determine. Upon receipt of any notice of termination, Consultant shall immediately cease all services hereunder except such as may be specifically approved by the Contract Officer. Except where the Consultant has initiated termination, the Consultant shall be entitled to compensation for all services rendered prior to the effective date of the notice of termination and for any services authorized by the Contract Officer thereafter in accordance with the Schedule of Compensation or such as may be approved by the Contract Officer, except as provided in Section 7.3. In the event the Consultant has initiated termination, the Consultant shall be entitled to compensation only for the reasonable value of the work product actually produced hereunder. In the event of termination without cause pursuant to this Section, the terminating Party need not provide the non-terminating Party with the opportunity to cure pursuant to Section 7.2.
7.8 Termination for Default of Consultant.
If termination is due to the failure of the Consultant to ful fill its obligations under this Agreement, City may, after compliance with the provisions of Section 7.2, take over the work and prosecute the same to completion by contract or otherwise, and the Consultant shall be liable to the extent that the total cost for completion of the services required hereunder exceeds the compensation herein stipulated (provided that the City shall use reasonable efforts to mitigate such damages), and City may withhold any payments to the Consultant for the purpose of set -off or partial payment of the amounts owed the City as previously stated.
ARTICLE 8. CITY OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES: NON-DISCRIMINATION Page-15
8.1 Non-liability of City Officers and Employees.
No officer or employee of the City shall be personally liable to the Consultant , or any successor in interest, in the event of any default or breach by the City or for any amount which may become due to the Consultant or to its successor, or for breach of any obligation of the terms of this Agreement.
8.2 Conflict of Interest.
Consultant covenants that neither it, nor any officer or principal of its firm, has or shall acquire any interest, directly or indirectly, which would conflict in any manner with the interests of City or which would in any way hinder Consultant’s performance of services under this Agreement. Consultant further covenants that in the performance of this Agreement, no person having any such interest shall be employed by it as an officer, employee, agent or subcontractor without the express written consent of the Co ntract Officer. Consultant agrees to at all times avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of any conflicts of interest with the interests of City in the performance of this Agreement.
No officer or employee of the City shall have any financial interest, direct or indirect, in this Agreement nor shall any such officer or employee participate in any decision relating to the Agreement which effects his financial interest or the financial interest of any corporation, partnership or association in which he is, directly or indirectly, interested, in violation of any State statute or regulation. The Consultant warrants that it has not paid or given and will not pay or give any third party any money or other consideration for obtaining this Agreement.
Additionally, pursuant to Rialto Municipal Code section 2.48.145, Consultant represents that it has disclosed whether it or its officers or employees is related to any officer or employee of the City by blood or marriage within the third degree which would subject such officer or employee to the prohibition of California Government Sections 87100 et. seq., Fair Political Practices Commission Regulation Section 18702, or Government Code Section 1090. To this end, by approving this Agreement, Consultant attests un der penalty of perjury, personally and on behalf of Consultant, as well its officers, representatives, that it/they have no relationship, as described above, or financial interests, as such term is defined in California Government Section 87100 et. seq., F air Political Practices Commission Regulation Section 18702, or Government Code Section 1090, with any City of Rialto elected or appointed official or employee, except as specifically disclosed to the City in writing.
8.3 Covenant Against Discrimination.
Consultant covenants that, by and for itself, its heirs, executors, assigns, and all persons claiming under or through them, there shall be no discrimination against or segregation of any person or group of persons on account of race, color, creed, religion , sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or other protected class in the performance of this Agreement. Consultant shall take affirmative action to insure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or other protected class.
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8.4 Unauthorized Aliens.
Consultant hereby promises and agrees to comply with all of the provisions of the Federal Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C.A. §§ 1101, et seq., as amended, and in connection therewith, shall not employ unauthorized aliens as defined therein. Should Consultant so employ such unauthorized aliens for the performance of work and/or services covered by this Agreement, and should any liability or sanctions be imposed against City for such use of unauthorized aliens, Consultant hereby agrees to and shall reimburse City for the cost of all such liabilities or sanctions imposed, together with any and all costs, including attorney’s fees, incurred by City.
ARTICLE 9. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
9.1 Facilities and Equipment.
Except as otherwise provided, Consultant shall, at its own cost and expense, provide all facilities and equipment necessary to perform the services required by this Agreement. City shall make available to Consultant only physical facilities such as desks, filing cabinets, and conference space (“City Facilities”), as may be reasonably necessary for Consultant’s use while consulting with City employees and reviewing records and the information in possession of City. The location, quality, and time of furnishing of City Facilities shall be in the sole discretion of City. In no event shall City be required to furnish any facilities that may involve incurring any direct expense, including but not limited to computer, long distance telephone, network data, internet, or other communication charges, vehicles, and reproduction facilities.
9.2 Payment of Taxes.
Consultant is solely responsible for the payment of employment taxes incurred under this Agreement and any federal and state taxes.
9.3 Notices.
All notices or other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in writing, and shall be personally delivered, sent by pre- paid First Class U.S. Mail, registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or delivered or sent by facsimile with attached evidence of completed transmission, and shall be deemed received upon the earlier of (i) the date of delivery to the address of the person to receive such notice if delivered personally or by messenger or overnight courier; (ii) three (3) business days after the date of posting by the United States Post Office if by mail; or (iii) when sent if given by facsimile. Any notice, request, demand, direction, or other communication sent by facsimile must be confirmed within forty-eight (48) hours by letter mailed or delivered. Other forms of electronic transmission such as e- mails, text messages, instant messages are not acceptable manners of notice required hereunder.
Notices or other communications shall be addressed as follows:
If to City: City of Rialto
150 S. Palm Ave.
Rialto, CA 92376
Attn: City Manager
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Tel: (909) 820-2525
Fax: (909) 820-2527
With copy to: Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
1770 Iowa Avenue, Suite 240
Riverside, CA 92507
Attn: Eric S. Vail, City Attorney
Tel: (951) 788-0100
Fax: (951) 788-5785
If to Consultant: McGriff Insurance Services, Inc.
130 Theory, Suite 200
Renée Wingert, Employee Benefits Consultant/Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice
949-422-3870 Direct
[email protected]
Either Party may change its address by notifying the other Party of the change of address in writing.
9.4 Interpretation.
The terms of this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the meaning of the language used and shall not be construed for or against either Party by reason of the authorship of this Agreement or any other rule of construction which might otherwise apply.
9.5 Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and such counterparts shall constitute one and the same instrument.
9.6 Integration; Amendment.
This Agreement including the attachments hereto is the entire, complete and exclusive expression of the understanding of the Parties. It is understood that there are no oral agreements between the Parties hereto affecting this Agreement and this Agreement supersedes and cancels any and all previous negotiations, arrangements, agreements and understandings, if any, between the Parties, and none shall be used to interpret this Agreement. No amendment to or modification of this Agreement shall be valid unless made in writing and approved by the Consultant and by the City. The Parties agree that this requirement for written modifications cannot be waived and that any attempted waiver shall be void.
9.7 Severability.
In the event that any one or more of the phrases, sentences, clauses, paragraphs, or sections contained in this Agreement shall be declared invalid or unenforceable by a valid judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, sentences, clauses, Page-18
paragraphs, or sections of this Agreement which are hereby declared as severable and shall be interpreted to carry out the intent of the Parties hereunder unless the invalid provision is so material that its invalidity deprives either Party of the basic benefit of their bargain or renders this Agreement meaningless.
9.8 Corporate Authority.
The persons executing this Agreement on behalf of the Parties hereto warrant that (i) such Party is duly organized and existing, (ii) they are duly authorized to execute and deliver this Agreement on behalf of said Party, (iii) by so executing this Agreement, such Party is formally bound to the provisions of this Agreement, and (iv) the entering into this Agreement does not violate any provision of any other Agreement to which said Party is bound. This Agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns of the Parties.
[SIGNATURES ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have executed and entered into this Agreement on the date first written above.
CITY: CONSULTANT:
CITY OF RIALTO, a municipal McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. corporation
By: By:
Marcus Fuller, City Manager Signature
ATTEST: Renee Wingert
Name
By:
Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk Employee Benefits Consultant Title
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By:
Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP Signature
By: Dave Gottwals
Eric S. Vail, City Attorney Name
Regional Insurance President
Title
**Two signatures are required if a
corporation**
A-1
EXHIBIT “A“
SCOPE OF SERVICES
Consultant shall provide Brokerage Services and Benefit Consulting. Specifically, Consultant shall provide those services as outlined in its proposal dated November 13 , 2021 and attached as Exhibit “D”.
B-1
EXHIBIT “B”
“COST PROPOSAL”
Consultant shall provide Brokerage Services and Benefit Consulting. As specified, the broker services are funded through the broker’s carriers at no cost to the City.
C-1
EXHIBIT “C”
“SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCE”
Consultant shall provide Brokerage Services and Benefit Consulting. Specifically, Consultant shall provide those services as outlined in its proposal dated November 13, 2021 and attached as Exhibit “D”.
D-1
EXHIBIT “D”
“McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. Proposal in Response to RFP #22-028”
Request for Proposal
RFP #22-028 – Benefits Consulting and Brokerage Services McGriff Insurance Services, Inc.
130 Theory, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92617
McGriffInsurance.com
Content
Cover Letter 4
Executive Summary 8
Scope of Service 13
Consultant Proposal Requirements 38
COBRA 69
Broker / Value Added Services 71
Attachments 77
Cover Letter
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
November 13, 2021
Ms. Shanita Simmons
Purchasing Division
City of Rialto
150 S. Palm Avenue
Rialto, CA 92376
Re: RFP #22-028 Benefits Consulting and Brokerage Services
Dear Ms. Simmons,
On behalf of McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. (McGriff), we would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond to the City of Rialto Request for Proposal for Benefits Consulting and Brokerage Services. We are excited about the prospect of working with the City of Rialto to deliver a comprehen sive and competitive employee/retiree benefits program. We believe we have responded to all questions and requested information and provided a comprehensive proposal. Our proposal shall be valid for 120 days from the date of submittal but can be extended to accommodate the City’s consultant selection timeline.
McGriff Overview
McGriff, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Truist Financial Corporation (form erly BB&T Corporation), is the 6 th largest consulting / brokerage insurance firm in the U.S. with a reputation for delivering fresh approaches to managing and financing risk. Our size and experience working with the world’s leading insurance carriers allows us to achieve unmatched outcomes for our clients.
McGriff is the Right Partner
The McGriff philosophy is simple: provide extraordinary service and quality to our partnered clients at a fair price. We eliminate layers of management by placing our clients at the top of our organizational chart and assigning the right team members to get the job done.
McGriff understands and is committed to providing all services requested in the RFP. We have received and acknowledged Addendum No. 1 via Planet Bids. McGriff has no potential conflicts in providing the services requested in the RFP. McGriff agrees to the language in the City’s sample services agreement as provided in the RFP. In addition, we have signed this proposal declaring that McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. does not have a California sales tax permit . We are not a Minority/Women (M/WBE) owned enterprise a nd no Subcontractors will perform any service.
City of Rialto’s Client Service Team
McGriff views each client engagement as a partnership. In doing so, we have assembled a Service Team to specifically meet the needs of the City of Rialto. The City of Rialto’s account will be serviced by the McGriff Irvine Office as well as our National Public Entity Benefits Practice based in Addison, Texas. The proposed
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
Service Team for the City of Rialto, has over 100 years of combined benefits experience with strong backgrounds working with public and governmental entities. McGriff understands the collective bargained environment and realizes that maintaining the integrity of the benefits while containing costs is essential. We realize providing creative solutions and gaining consensus among all stakeholders are a must in developing a successful benefits program. That is why we have successfully built an invaluable network of market relationships to achieve optimal results for our clients. We currently work with over 2600 public sector clients nationwide.
Please find below the proposed Service Team Leads for the City of Rialto:
Renée Wingert, Employee Benefits Consultant/Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice McGriff Insurance Services, Inc.
130 Theory, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92617
949-422-3870 Direct
[email protected]
Scott Gibbs, Senior Vice President/Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice Leader McGriff Insurance Services, Inc.
Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice Headquarters
5080 Spectrum Dr., Suite 900E
Addison, TX 75080
469-232-2188 Direct
[email protected]
Creating Value for the City of Rialto
McGriff will create value for the City of Rialto through development and deployment of innovative strategies that:
• offer the most financially advantageous terms
• offer the best programs
• eliminate inefficiencies
• create immediate and long-term value
McGriff provides expertise to maximize your benefits investments and manage costs. We do this through an extensive list of services that are included in our commissions/compensation.
These services include, but are not limited to:
• General Employee/Retiree Benefit Consulting
• Benefit Program Strategy/Innovation
• Actuarial Service/Financial Underwriting/Plan Benchmarking • Data Analytics and Comprehensive Plan Reporting
• Vendor Management, Contracting and RFP Support
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• HR Advisory Services
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
• Account Management Services
• Open Enrollment & Health Fair Coordination and Participation • Customized Communications Services
• Voluntary Benefits Consulting
• Wellness Program Consulting
• Benchmarking & Predictive Modeling
• Benefits Administration Technology
• Retirement Services
• COBRA Administration
Closing
We value the pr ospect of a relationship with the City of Rialto and look forward to the potential of a partnership in the future. We are confident in our ability to create immediate and lo ng-term value for the City of Rialto and are prepared to put our collective talent and resources to work for you. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 949-422-3870.
Sincerely,
Renée Wingert Scott Gibbs
Employee Benefits Consultant Senior Vice President
Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice Leader
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
Executive Summary
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
Executive Summary
McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. (McGriff) is grateful for the opportunity to propose our firm’s capabilities to the City of Rialto for RFP #22-028 Benefits Consulting and Brokerage Services.
We have assembled a talented and dedicated client team to work on your benefits program and assist with all aspects of your plans. The McGriff offices assigned to support the City are:
McGriff Insurance Services (Primary)
130 Theory, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92617
McGriff Insurance Services (Supporting)
National Public Entity Employee Benefits Practice Headquarters 5080 Spectrum Dr., Suite 900E
Addison, TX 75080
Together, we believe we will help you to stand out from your com petition, achieve your goals and properly support the individuals who work each day to make the City of Rialto a great place to live, work and visit.
A Unique Past
Founded in 1922, McGriff provides risk management and insurance consulting and brokerage services for nearly all types of coverages. With offices across the US, our growth is primarily organic (versus acquisition) and attributable to a strategy focused on client development and client centric service.
McGriff is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings, Inc., the sixth largest insurance broker in the United States and the 7th in the world. Truist Insurance Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Charlotte, N.C.-based Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC), a merger of equals between Sun Trust Banks and BB&T. Truist is one of the country’s largest and best-managed financial institutions with assets approaching $525 billion.
As part of Truist Financial, McGriff operates with access to permanent capital and no debt. This is an important distinction in the market place.
McGriff operates under the global mission of our organization – to inspire and build better lives and communities. We are confident all McGriff team members possess the requisite technical knowledge and experience to manage your benefits program effectively. Our ultimate goal and measurement of success is in our ability to build on and improve your employee/retiree benefits offering by optimizing plan performance. We will do this by McGriff’s commitment to bring valuable resources to the relationship with an intimate understanding of your organizational and cultural needs.
Our hope is that with our proposal response we will have distinguished ourselves from other competitors, offering a client-centric solution-based consulting approach.
Our proposed scope includes but is not limited to:
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
• General Employee/Retiree Benefit Consulting
• Benefit Program Strategy/Innovation
• Actuarial Service/Financial Underwriting/Plan Benchmarking • Data Analytics and Comprehensive Plan Reporting
• Vendor Management, Contracting and RFP Support
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• HR Advisory Services
• Account Management Services
• Open Enrollment & Health Fair Coordination and Participation • Customized Communications Services
• Voluntary Benefits Consulting
• Wellness Program Consulting
• Benchmarking & Predictive Modeling
• Benefits Administration Technology
• Retirement Services
• COBRA Administration
A Unique Culture
McGriff Insurance Services operates as the retail division of Truist Insurance Holdings. McGriff’s Mission and Promise guides the work we perform for our clients.
McGriff’s Mission – To protect and improve the financial security and well -being of our clients and their employee/retirees while supporting our community and each other.
The McGriff Promise: We will….
• Listen first
• Invest in our clients and employees
• Deliver innovative solutions
• Act with integrity
• Do all that we say we will do
• Champion Certainty
With an entrepreneurial spirit, we operate with minimal bureaucracy, allowing us to respond quickly to customer requests. We believe that our clients always come first, and it shows in everything we do. Our proposed references will attest to these facts.
Moreover, we also believe McGriff distinguishes itself from the competition by the following:
• INDEPENDENT: Our loyalty is and always will be to our client and their employee/retiree s. Our independent status allows us to be truly objective in our analysis of carriers, health services and products and financial underwriting analysis.
• EXPERIENCED: National expertise in servicing large complex public entity accounts and understanding individual needs.
• FOCUSED: We help manage our client’s employee/retiree benefits while protecting their most valuable resource – their employees.
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
• INNOVATIVE: The size of our firm combined with our entrepreneurial spirit allows us to seek solutions far beyond the ordinary, while exploring ways to provide our client the means for meeting their goals. • COMMITTED: We are committed to the best interest of our client an d that entails negotiating the most comprehensive benefit program with the most competitive financial result.
A Unique Approach
When our team views the City of Rialto , we do not see a common municipal government but a unique organization with a distinctive culture of hundreds of employees working to make the City great. We see individuals, each with their own hopes and dreams for a bright future who desire personalized support when accessing health care services and help with maintaining their well-being, protection against a financial loss and confidence the products and services provided will be available when they are needed most.
All McGriff Insurance Services’ clients are assigned a team of specialists dedicated to providing resources to address client needs. Our staff prides itself on excellent service: All members are dedicated to using their experience and expertise to meet the benefit objectives of clients. Our goal is to maximize your employee/retiree benefit plans, which will in turn save money through proper implementation and management of your selected benefits programs. Our team is trained to anticipate issues, fulfill your needs and address your concerns.
McGriff has strong working relationships with the City’s primary vendors including Del ta Dental, Liberty Dental, EyeMed, Lincoln Financial, Anthem, American Fidelity and CalPERS medical (PEMHCA). We consult on many groups that utilize these carriers.
However, we will not simply draw solutions from what other cities may have implemented. We approach each client relationship individually. Our team will think broadly and creatively, to listen to understand and benchmark the City against other top employers – both public and private, locally and statewide to provide the widest and most accu rate baseline view of potential innovations. Furthermore, we will use the City’s current data, information and claim experience, guided by plan goals, objectives and culture to recommend the strategies and solutions to meet the specific challenges facing the City to mitigate risk and manage cost for optimal benefit plan performance.
In both our Risk and Employee Benefits practices, we serve municipal and county governments, private and public educational institutions, special district , port authorities and transit districts . We possess an expert and proven understanding of the distinctive attributes of a public entity:
• Importance of being accessible to staff – even outside “normal” business hours • Importance of maintaining the integrity of the benefits program while containing costs in a collective bargained environment
• Provide accurate and timely financial reporting that meet budgeting requirements • Aid in the design and implementation of RFPs for vendor services, while adhering to fair practice, compliance and ethics requirements
• Assist Benefits Staff to present findings and recommendations to leadership
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City of Rialto | Request for Proposal 2021/RFPs
• Educate staff and benefit committee members on current topics of interest – examples may include conversion to self-funding, best practices using data and analytics and innovations in virtual care • Commitment to transparency and disclosure of all financial arrangements and compensation.
Lastly, all our clients look to McGriff for “next trends” – those new ideas and innovations that require thoughtful assessment, research and review to determine acceptability and alignment with an individual’s/client’s culture, total rewards package and plan objectives.
The McGriff Client Experience: Proactive, Collaborative and Consistent At McGriff, our approach to client service is simple. We listen first, then deliver. Our client teams are capable and equipped to serve the City. The McGriff Method™ of delivering best in class service is through a defined process we call the Client Experience Roadmap.
Because your experience as a McGriff client is one of partnership, collaboration and consistency, your lead client service team will design your personalized Client Experience Roadmap using our robust scope of services timelines and work plans. Helping clients be successful requires commitment and dedication, a passion to serve and a willingness to be flexible, agile and yet, maintain operational discipline to deliver a consistent experience. This well-mapped framework provides for our reliable and proactive ser vice model, one ingrained in our culture of accountability.
Finally, our Plan Performance Report, delivered at the midpoint of the plan year, is the benchmark used to measure results, receive feedback, and discuss future strategies and options to improve p rocesses and the service offerings important to our clients.
Our best resource is the intellectual capital of our teammates and philosophical alignment with our clients and culture. Our consultative, hands -on approach makes McGriff different. Simply put , our focus is on you and our references will attest to our client centric attitude, our team’s ability to listen and understand and do everything we say we will do.
McGriff Service Guarantee
McGriff is focused on integrity, professionalism, creativity and client satisfaction. It is our goal to always put our clients’ interests first. To that end, our service philosophy centers on the goals of the client and how McGriff can best provide innovative and customized solutions. We partner with each client in a consulting relationship to design, implement and manage a comprehensive and cost-effective employee/retiree benefit program.
McGriff Insurance Services offers a performance guarantee, a commitment to the client from McGriff that we will deliver services that ensure client satisfaction as promised or we are financially accountable.
Scope of Services
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Approach to Scope of Services
The City of Rialto is a complex organization with many departments and a highly diverse employee/retiree population. This creates many challenges, including the design and execution of an employee/retiree benefits strategy that effectively and consistently accomplishes your goals throughout the organization. McGriff is uniquely qualified to help you with this. We pride ourselves on guiding c lients through the various ways they can use employee benefits and the innovations in health care and voluntary benefits to accomplish their long-term goals for the organization. This requires the right mix of both, through understanding the organization’s goals, diverse population, available resources, and risk tolerance, and a thorough knowledge of market resources, trends, and historical successes and failures.
McGriff capabilities address each individual scope of services criteria included in the City’s RFP. We are a full service Risk and Employee Benefit consulting firm and confident in our ability to provide all services necessary and in a manner consistent with the work product our clients have come to expect from McGriff.
When we begin any new relationship or new project, our first priority is to listen . We will ask questions and listen to understand the unique attributes of the City, Benefits and Human Resources and other City staff.
We will engage in a candid discussion regarding the City’s obje ctives, history of the programs, culture and key points of interest where you would like us to concentrate.
McGriff has developed and patented a consulting paradigm colloquially named MORE Insights (Managing Costs, Operational Excellence, Risk Mitigation, and Enhanced Member Experience). McGriff developed this approach to create best practice metrics that quantify the plan performance of an organization, enabling us to be more prescriptive in advising clients towards a best-in-class benefits program.
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Aligning with the City’s current and future strategic plans is a key component of our benefit s program approach. To facilitate this alignment, we review current market challenges and trends, benchmark your plan design and costs, and evaluate these programs in light of new and ongoing compliance requirements, ultimately delivering recommendations around the short and long-term options to reach your desired goals.
Once we determine the desired plan strategies, our core consulting team will provide specific plan d esign feedback, aggressively negotiate renewals, provide alternative funding analyses, manage and market vendors when applicable, prepare entity -specific projected/budgeted costs that support the City’s benefits philosophy and financial goals, and provide employee/retiree communication support.
Our overarching service philosophy, MORE strategic framework, tenured consulting team, deep service bench, benefit administration thought leaders, and a host of national subject matter experts combine to form a cohesive team driven by innovation, best practices, automation, efficiency, and analytics singularly focused on the City’s goals and objectives.
Benefits Advisory Capabilities
Our approach will be an organized endeavor with accountability timeline that promotes operational discipline and clear execution. We move as fast or as slow as any organization desires, first addressing the most critical issues that will have the greatest benefit to the organization.
In addition, the design and structure of the McGriff organization is to address the focused specialization for proactive management of a benefit program in today’s complex and ever -changing health care and regulatory environment. To maximize the value of the products and services offered, technical expertise available, and the security of accurate compliance advisory, McGriff delivers our services through our unique shared services platform, we call our Specialty Practices. Our specialty practices include:
• Financial Analytics – Actuarial, underwriting and da ta resources to help make data driven decisions about plan design and contribution strategies, costs and risk • Retirement Services - Retirement consulting services for pension plans and post -retirement medical actuarial valuation
• Human Resources Advisory - Advice, best practices and insights on a wide range of HR issues across the employee life cycle
• Clinical Wellness - Industry insights, solutions and thought leadership to promote better employee health, reduce future health risks, and improve productivity • Compliance - Legislative alerts, webinars, white papers, and other resources from our team of law - degreed advisors to keep you current on compliance issues
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• Communications - Strategies to educate employee/retiree s, build cultural awareness, and drive greater engagement in your benefits for better outcomes • Benefits Administration Technology - Knowledge and experience to help select the best technology solution to meet your needs and the guidance to ensure a successful implementation • Flexible Benefit Services - The full suite of administrative services for FSAs, HSAs, HRAs, Transportation Spending Accounts (TSAs), COBRA, and retiree billing • Voluntary Employee Benefits – Leadership in the design and administration of voluntary benefits to enrich the core benefit offerings that meet their diverse and unique needs of a changing workforce Below is a brief commentary of specific capabilities aligned to the City’s proposed scope of services:
Analysis and Reporting
o Analyze existing coverage, identify and devel op cost -saving alternative benefit strategies and plans.
Provide innovative approaches to benefit challenges facing the City of Rialto and recommendations for benefit plan changes.
o Assist in the development of short and long-range goals and strategi es, including making projections of potential savings.
o Provide analysis and recommendations based on utilization and performance reports, statistical and financial reports, and plan specific data.
o Assist the City in being pro -active to monitoring and analy zing experience trends, provide timely alerts on changing patterns and suggest appropriate recommendations. o Provide, maintain and update comparison reports of other public and private companies' benefit plan offerings, and costs, to determine their competitiveness with the City's programs. o Be available to prepare, provide and present various types of reports as needed, such as cost analysis for benefit changes, and other statistical, financial, forecasting, trend, or experience reports, as well as new products and audits, as requested.
o Provide auditing contracts for accuracy of coverage, term of conditions o Analyzing claims history and insurance utilization at least quarterly o Regularly monitor and evaluate performance measures and guarantees for providers. o Maintain full and accurate records with respect to all matters and services provided on behalf of the City's benefit plans and programs. Provide City staff or officials all spreadsheets, assumptions and calculations upon completion of any project performed o n behalf of the City's benefit plans and programs.
o Provide quarterly management reports for all benefit products. Monthly reports required on insurance plans, as well as periodic meetings to discuss data and strategy. o Provide a high level of customer service to our organization to include evaluation of claims data, submission of executive reports and reconciliation of accounts.
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Financial Analytics
McGriff provides complete actuarial and underwriting resources to help make data driven decisions about plan design, network analysis, costs and risk. McGriff houses our own team of underwriters and actuarial experts that handle group risk assessment, claims analysis, renewal projections, forecasting, trend analysis, and plan design recommendations. Our analytical services include but are not limited to:
• Underwriting of fully insured plan costs; including annual benchmarking • Quarterly utilization review and monitoring experience trends • Rolling three to five (3 to 5) year forecasting including historical look backs • Evaluation of alternative funding methodologies
• Analysis of cost impact of changes
• Monthly review of financial performance against budgets and target for self-funded plans • Comprehensive Reporting
• Coronavirus Impact Analysis Key Findings from McGriff Book of Business
McGriff uses a variety of modeling tools depending on the structure and complexity of the underlying program. Tools commonly used include Cotiviti, Claros Actuarial Software, Scripta Analytics, industry standard aggregate trend projectio n and underwriting models, and in -depth forecasting and plan modeling tools built and managed within our actuarial services.
One particular application McGriff utilizes is the Claros Analytics Actuarial software platform with over 10 million enrolled lives and $100+ Billion of charged claims. Claros allows the McGriff Financial Analytics team to provide detailed plan modeling, sophisticated analysis of the risk/reward trade -offs in plan structures as well as a migration tool that allows the client to set budget rates based on a consistent and actuarially sound methodology to determine accurately employee migration between plans. The Claros Actuarial suite includes a Plan Migration modeler and takes information from the most recent three plan years to evalua te how changes in plan designs affect future costs. This tool takes into account a multitude of parameters including:
• Enrollment (by plan and tier)
• Demographics of subscribers and dependents (age, gender, etc.) • Trend by service category
• Location of employees (zip codes)
• Carrier discounts
• Plan designs
• Plan utilization
The tools is used to:
• Determine savings/increases for certain plan design changes
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• Determine an expected number of large claimants
• Run up to 100,000 trial scenarios to simulate claims
• Provide a rate development
Our expertise in data analytics and clinical consulting allows McGriff to provide educational training and transfer of our insights and knowledge to the City’s HR and Benefits staff, elected officials and senior leadership. Further, through McGriff’s client newsletters, regulatory bulletins, webinars, on-site training programs and client meetings, we provide a continuous stream of information , helping make the complex simple yet highly informative and is our goal for all client interactions.
We have provided McGriff Sample Monthly and Analytical reports, and other material to demonstrate our expertise in data management.
Plan Design and Benefit Trends
We also ensure our clients are on the leading edge of tracking benefit tren ds; what is prevalent, what is changing and how effective current benefit plans are meeting the needs of the City and participating employee/retirees. We know health and benefit plans, their delivery systems are changing, and City can count on McGriff to i dentify emerging competitive practices and care design alternatives. We will list and describe the various features and options available in the marketplace. Each option is reviewed in relation to the plan’s objectives as well as for its upside and downsid e risk. We also utilize our actuarial modeling tools to quantify the impact design alternatives can have on projected plan costs.
Collective Bargaining Support
McGriff has experience working with clients that have employee/retiree s covered through Collective Bargaining Agreements. McGriff is strongly committed to support the City’s Leadership, Human Resources and Benefits team in all aspects of managing all MOU ’s within your plan. We understand the importance of access to timing and informative data during labor negotiations including the impact of plan costs. We help you determine future costs by using a mix of proprietary analytical and underwriting tools and software comparing demographics, benefits, carrier/vendor/provider availability and historical utilization.
Further, we are experienced in dissecting the agreement language to guide you during renewal negotiations as well as helping to develop a strategy that meets our client needs while maintaining adherence to the in - force agreements. McGriff provides additional support including our presence at negotiations and delivering insights and guidance by our in-house legal counsel, if desired.
Benchmarking
A key component of McGriff’s work for the City is benchmarking against similar organizations, as well as local, regional and national employers. This service is included in our proposed services and compensation.
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Understanding how the City’s current benefit plans compares to other organizations in the area and region is an essential part of making well -informed decisions about your plan, how they support your HR and Compensation strategy and attract and retain top talent. McGriff is able to benchmark using client and non- client data and across all funding types.
To this end, McGriff has developed a proprietary real -time benchmarking tool that we use to empower our clients with sufficient market knowledge to make informed decisions. Additionally, we utilize our own internal McGriff client survey data (e.g. McGriff’s 2021 National Employer Trend Survey) and external surveys and reports from industry-leading sources, such as Radford, MetLife, and Kaiser Family Foundation.
Some of the benefit plan elements we benchmark for clients include:
Eligibility and Waiting Period Affordability Indexes
Network and Plan Access Turnover Analysis
Employee and Dependent Contributions Mobile Applications/Usability Features Plan Design Parameters Health Management / Wellness Strategies Total Plan Cost 403(b) / 457 Product Designs and Features Employer / Employer Contribution Matrix Funding Arrangements Voluntary Benefit Programs Paid Time-Off / Leave Policy
Looking to the Future
Navigating the trends and complex challenges of today's healthcare landscape is not an easy task and there is no “one size fits all solution”. Our goal is to bring innovative ideas and resources to our clients individually based on organization goals, culture, and budgetary concerns.
Historical claim data and utilization patterns will traditionally provide a solid roadmap for adjustments to plan design, consumer support services and other arrangements to support employee/retiree decision making.
Our recommendations to clients are to consider changes in plan designs to incent employees to make optimal decisions when choosing a health care p rovider or seeking care and strategies to improve the coordination of and quality of care received.
Throughout the plan year, McGriff monitors plan performance to goals as well as tracks and measures operational results, cost performance, financial controls, claim /member services, and best practices/quality of services among other key areas. Outcome measurements provide evidence against baseline trends, costs, and other indicators to compare improvements. Client reports are distributed each month (dependi ng on data availability). These reports assist us in monitoring the plans performance and highlight any areas to be monitored and reviewed in the coming months or year.
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Additionally, we are very comfortable and welcome the opportunity to present to large audiences in myriad formats. McGriff has extensive experience presenting to senior management teams. With guidance from our client’s benefits team, we filter and select the most effective information for the presentation. We understand senior management m eetings are not “working meetings ” but rather a presentation of recommendations and the approval process. We can customize our presentations to include the use of high- level of technology or, if preferred, simply hard copy. Our role in the meeting is dete rmined by the benefits team and may be as much or little as desired. We have extensive experience in leading all aspects of these types of meetings, including preparing the agenda, presenting the information, directing the discussion, fielding questions, and securing approval.
Traditional reports included in our financial analysis / reporting services include:
Monthly
• Monitor / Analyze and Report based on vendor -provided monthly claim, premium & enrollment reports
• Assimilate all historical claims, fees/prem ium & enrollment data and continuously update to track plan trends
Quarterly
• Review plan utilization to target potential plan design modifications and educational opportunities Semi-Annual
• Renewal projections
• Update multi-year forecasts
Annually
• Compare plan results against normative benchmarking data • Development of funding rates
• Review of Fees
Liaison and Problem Intervention
o Provide dedicated account manager.
o Act as liaison with (and between) the City, insurance carriers and providers. o Provide day-to-day consultation on plan interpretation and problem resolution, including, but not limited to, explanation of plans, assisting employees/ retirees with selecting plans that meet their needs. o Provide timely customer service and assistan ce to City staff, employ ees/retirees with issues involving provider billing, claims, vendor service issues/problems, advocacy for services, disputes, interpretation of contracts and services, changes and general troubleshooting. o Attendance, as needed, at meetings with City staff, elected officials, employees/retirees to facilitate and assist in the management of the City's employee benefit plans. o Act as an advocate or ombudsman in appeal between the City and the providers on unresolved issues if needed; provide advice when needed to enforce City, employee/retiree or their dependents' rights.
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o Assist the City in proactive mitigation of negative impacts or disruption of services to employees and retirees from benefit and provider network changes.
o Represent the City of Rialto in all negotiations with providers on all issues, including, but not limited to those related to fees, benefit levels, plan design, and special terms and conditions. o Attendance at and assistance with coordination of the annual Employee Health Fair and Open Enrollment meeting (on-site at several city buildings).
Day-to-Day Service Standards
McGriff is known throughout the industry as accessible to our clients. Our senior consultants remain actively involved throughout the term of the contract. Client calls and ema ils take priority in our daily activities.
Clients will have all direct lines to the McGriff employee benefits team members responsible for day -to-day service. The City’s HR and Benefit’s team will have cell phone numbers and email addresses to all primary representatives for questions before and after business hours.
Standardly, all calls and emails received before 1:00 p.m. will be returned same business day. After 1:00 p.m., we do our best to return calls and emails that day but no later than the followi ng business day. Urgent requests are handled immediately or within an agreed upon timeframe.
Claims Escalations
Performance issues with vendors are a big concern for us; so should an issue arise McGriff will do everything we can to remedy the situation as soon as it is brought to our attention. Our first course of action is to seek resolution with our day -to-day contact. If the performance does not improve, we will escalate the issue to the vendor’s senior management. We have business with every carrier in the marketplace, and the volume and breadth of our accounts enables us to demand that our vendors deliver exceptional service to our clients.
In addition, McGriff serves on a number of vendor advisory boards which helps strengthen our relationships at the senior level. If performance is not corrected to the satisfaction of the City, our final recourse will be to find a carrier that can provide a higher level of service.
Our claim and problem resolution includes:
• Dedicated Account Manager to provide City staff with assistance on resolution of escalated claims issues
• Monitor the Benefits department’s satisfaction with each vendor partner’s client service team • Serve as a liaison between the City and vendor partner to resolve any issues that may arise
Problem Resolution
McGriff monitors the performance of each carrier in a number of quantifiable ways, and will work on your behalf to elevate the performance of any carrier partner that is not meeting your expectations. McGriff
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monitors overall plan management by retrieving reports to evaluate the performance of carriers’ network discounts, wellness programs, and claims payment processes. McGriff will implement performance guarantees around timely claims payment processing, customer service, and network discounts with an overall financial penalty to carriers for failure to achieve adequate results. In addition, McGriff will review all contracts and summary plan descriptions on an annual basis to ensure compliance with all state and federal mandates.
In addition:
• Day-to-day McGriff service team contacts for any issues that need to be resolved. • A dedicated Account Manager to provide your staff with assistance on resolution of escalated issues • The monitoring of the B enefits department’s satisfaction with each vendor partner’s client service team
• Serve as a liaison between the City and vendor partners to resolve any issues that may arise • Assist with contract changes, compliance and interpretation
Meetings
The McGriff team is available, as oft en as needed to meet with all Ci ty stakeholders including employee associations, city management, City Council and all interested parties.
Initially, we prefer to establish weekly or bi-weekly meetings (conference call, Web-ex, in person) for the early portion of our relationship until both the City and McGriff feel our working partnership has solidified and of course, frequency of interactions are dependent on scope, calendar of events and complexity of items under consideration. McGriff will schedule a transition meeting with the appropriate parties at the City. Both City Benefits staff and McGriff will jointly construct an agenda to discuss all potential outstanding transition items. We prefer to use our initial meeting as a time to meet each organization’s staff, understand roles and responsibilities and begin to discuss immediate and longer term needs to be addressed by both parties.
Moving forward, the service team will meet with the City on at least a quarterly basis to review all activities performed during the prior quarter. Meeting agenda will also include but not be limited to plan performance, budgetary concerns, vendor service issues, plan designs, industry/legislative/regulatory updates and market overview.
Additionally, McGriff will meet with the City semi-annually to discuss review of the program, state of the marketplace, progress made toward strategic plan, and developments within the City. The service team will meet with the City annually to review the stewardship report for the preceding year, create a work plan outlining the goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
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Open Enrollment Support
The McGriff Tactical Approach to Open Enrollment Support takes a multifaceted approach that may include:
• Survey employees on current benefit communications and their overall program understanding and satisfaction; this will help us identify any potential areas of improvement • Review prior communication materials to determine their past effectiveness, thoroughness, and clarity
• We make recommendations based on our survey and review regarding optimized communication strategies, vehicles, and a timeline for implementation • We develop an Op en Enrollment Strategy to determine the appropriate method(s) for enrollment support.
• Communication pieces during the year typically include:
Branded benefit guide for current employee/retirees and new hires; including required notices Web-based presentations to educate employee/retirees
Email campaigns and streaming videos
Posters, postcards, and payroll stuffers
• Coordination with employee/retiree benefits administrative portal • Coordinate, facilitate and participate in on -site and online Annual Open Enrollment meetings and Health Fair. Meetings may include carrier representatives, if desired. Webinar meetings conducted can be recorded, if desired.
• Manage all transitional activities including out -going vendor termination, incoming vendor set -up, contract, rate, communication revi ew, administrative process and billing training and review with benefits team, etc.
Further, McGriff expanded our digital communications portfolio to further build out our “virtual communication” tools and resources to help clients communicate more effectively with employees about benefits, open enrollment, and other HR -related topics. McGriff has a standard video library to educate employee/retirees about benefits. The library consists of 60 videos (1:30 -2:00 minutes in length), in both English and Spanish, that provi de an overview of the benefits and HR other topics . These s ervices are included in our commission. Sample communications are included as an attachment.
Customer Satisfaction
• Employee Survey & Focus Group - We conduct general employee benefits surveys a nd focus groups to gauge program understanding, identify areas where additional communications are needed, and
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to understand what areas of the program that can be improved or eliminated. We can administer them via paper, a web-based solution, or facilitating face-to-face focus group discussions. • Tracking Objectives & Activities - We keep open items logs, compliance checklists, and timelines so that all staff members and the City can stay apprised of everything that is going on with your account. • Measuring Service Quality - We believe that periodically taking stock of goals, rating performance , and understanding obstacles/opportunities is important in its own right. However, the exercise also provides a foundation for defining future action, assures resources are effectively deployed, and assists with the desire to continually improve overall performance.
Through our Client Advocacy Report, delivered at the midpoint of the plan year, we are able to measure results, receive feedback, and discuss options that can be shared with teams and our overall footprint to continually improve processes and the service offerings important to our clients.
The report includes a review of services provided, current programs, claims data/cost projections, employee communication strategy, accomplishments with regards to agreed-upon goals, and an update on the current insurance marketplace. Additionally, the Client Advocacy Report serves as a vehicle for feedback on our team and individual performance as well as the identification of goals for renewal and upcoming year.
As previously mentioned, McGriff is willing to develop specific Service Performance Guarantees and put a portion of compensation at risk.
HR Consulting Services / Support
McGriff delivers an HR/Benefits Support Center which provides access to exclusive, industry-leading benefit and HR related tools and resources. From employee handbooks, job descriptions and other commonly used HR documents, to up-to-the-minute law alerts, easy-to-understand state and federal law libraries and unique training videos, the McGriff HR/ Benefits Support Center will help you effectively manage your compliance and employee relations needs.
In addition, McGriff provides each client with Mineral (formerly Think HR). A robust resource with liv e advisors, reliable content and interactive technology solutions that provides an end- to-end People Risk Management solution.
• Live: Certified HR Experts answer questions, render advice and follow up with research to resolve issues. These live advisors help research and explain situational fact patterns, instead of just reciting complex regulations. Accessible 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT each business day by phone and/or email. • Learn: More than 250 online web -based courses to help ensure compliance, reduce risk and drive employee engagement. Assign employees courses from a broad menu of training solutions for both
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proactive and reactive risk management, including harassment prevention, leadership, risk & safety and much more.
• Living Handbook: A customizable Living Handbook builder with federal and state-specific content and policy update alerts. Allows employers to create, maintain and manage their employee handbook with ease.
• Comply: Comprehensive resource center with all the forms, checklists and tools needed to ma intain compliance, as well as a compliance calendar to remind HR of important deadlines and help avoid risk of regulatory penalties.
• Insight: All the news and analysis HR Professionals need to stay current and compliant with changing regulations and indust ry trends. Monthly webinars providing HRCI/SHRM credits on valuable HR topics. Access to robust webinar library.
• Mobile App: Employers and HR professionals can access the resources of the Mineral (formerly Think HR) People Risk Management tools from anywhere through the user-friendly mobile app.
Compliance
o Assist with ongoing plan administration and ensure that City programs comply with State and Federal legislation.
o Provide on -site training to City staff, as needed, regarding regulatory updates and/or Bes t Practice seminars for the effective administration of benefits plan. o Review and disseminate information to City staff, on an ongoing basis, regarding new or revised State and Federal legislation that impacts benefit programs.
o Assist City staff with annual audit and reporting to ensure compliance with all mandated reporting and posting/notice requirements for benefit plans including but not limited to, ACA. o Develop and assist in creating, as needed, various communication materials and tools including, but not limited to, open enrollment annual meetings, new hire orientation, qualifying events and wellness programs.
With the vast number of benefits -related rules and regulations from both the Federal and State level, you need a trusted partner who can help manage the risks associated with providing employee benefits. To assist City staff with annual audits to ensure compliance with all mandated reporting and posting/notice requirements for its benefit plans, McGriff utilize its team of in -house compliance exp erts that operate through our McGriff platform.
Our compliance team of legally-trained advisors and seasoned HR professionals proactively monitor changes in regulations that may impact your benefits including ACA, CAA, HIPAA, COBRA, ADA and GINA, - then provide timely and actionable guidance. They are also available on a daily basis to assist our consultants in resolving the complex issues and problems that our clients face.
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In addition to our in -house legal counsel, McGriff maintains a relationship wit h the Ogletree Deakins Law Firm to provide legal services that exceed our scope. This is a value -added benefit included in our scope of services. Note - while our team is a valuable resource to provide our consultants and clients prompt, reliable and articulate responses, we recommend that clients continue to use independent legal counsel for legal opinions.
Our compliance team a lso advises our Consultants, Account Executives and Managers on the growing legal obligations and regulatory requirements that our clients face with respect to their benefit plans. Our compliance resources track and report on federal and state legislative activity, highlighting important topics through:
• Compliance Alerts – published as needed to provide timely information, which our senior consultants review, interpret, and communicate to clients as appropriate. • McGriff Newsletters – published weekly and monthly to communicate industry trends, corporate wellness information, and legislative and compliance updates. These updates not on ly provide a thorough review of the upcoming changes, but also detail out the steps you can take to address them in your organization.
• Webinars – provided to clients and staff with in-depth information on the laws, regulations, and topics affecting employee benefits.
Ongoing Service Support for Plan Management & Compliance • Review all vendor contracts for compliance on a continuing basis to ensure federal and state compliance
• Review and maintain copies of current plan Certificate of Coverage and SPDs • Participate in ongoing benefits strategy meetings with the City • Continually work to identify issues and exposures to the City’s benefit offerings • Provide updates and commentary on impact of legislative and regulatory changes • Evaluate vendor -provided monthly reports on clai ms, premiums and enrollments and provide summary of findings each month
• Provide support for understanding and implementing changes in plans and administration required under Health Care Reform legislation including affordability and minimum value. • Act as a resource for other policies and procedures that are impacted by the insurance benefits (i.e., vacation, sick leave, LOA policies, FMLA, etc.)
• Ongoing invitations to the McGriff compliance seminar series as well as outside industry related seminars
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• Provide annual compliance guide
McGriff also provides support to clients for their internal HIPAA compliance needs, ACA Reporting and Summary Annual Report. Annual reporting compliance is part of our standard engagement.
Services available at our proposal commission include:
• ACA Reporting Consulting
• 6055 / 6056 Reporting (assistance)
• Wrap documents
• Summary Annual Report (SAR)
• Required participant notices
Services that require an additional fee are:
• ACA Reporting Administration
• Discrimination testing
• Dependent Eligibility Audit
• DOL audit preparation and support
Communications
Our communications consultants have everything you need to develop and deliver strategic campaigns that build awareness, educate employee/retirees, and drive engagement in your benefits programs.
Benefits are complex, but communicating them to your employee/retiree s does not have to be. We prefer an approach that incorporates successful consumer marketing techniques when developing an effective benefits communication campaign. That means understand ing employee/retiree demographics, presenting information clearly and creatively, and using a variety of media to reinforce messaging and maximize value.
Grounded in your culture, our experts then develop ideas and a strategy and plan tailored to the City.
Our services include:
• Strategy and communication plan development
• Campaign and Health Fair project management
• Employee Surveys
• Benefits brand logo creation
• Creative and graphic design services
• Collaboration with other vendors
• Annual open enrollment coordination, messaging and content development • Oversight and recommendations in the development of: benefit guides, posters, flyers, brochures, postcards, and more
• Digital media services: email templates, video, webcasts, and Brainshark presentations
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Annual Renewal Process and Evaluation (Current Plan year is 01/01-12/31) • Provide an annual report (more often when necessary and/or requested) outlining the in- force programs and their status, and preliminary marketing report describing the market conditions for each benefit. The report should outline suggestions and recommendations for various plan options. • Establish a strategy for benefits, both annually and three (3) to five (5) years in the future to determine goals and impacts. Consider trends, prospective legislations, new delivery systems, and forecast of market conditions, expectations of renewals and geographic health -care practices to make both short and long-term projections.
• Review and make cost-saving recommendations regarding the modification of plan design, benefit levels, funding options, communications and quality of current employee/ retiree benefit plans; recommendations of employee contributions as needed.
• Recommend appropriate premium rates and reserves/most economical funding methods to mainta in the viability of each benefit plan to ensure that quality and cost -effective benefits are provided by the plans, for both current plan year and upcoming year.
• Determine annual estimates of renewal rates and cost trends and assist City staff in preparation of budget figures.
• Conduct thorough and applicable market research in preparation for contract renewals. Include evaluation of overall insurance programs compared to similar employers (both public and private). • Prepare specifications and compile data, o btain quotes and proposals, analyze and compare proposals and negotiate rates.
• Make recommendations, as well as representations for items of negotiation with carriers, including, but not limited to, benefit levels and plan design, premiums/funding options, quality of service, performance measures and guarantees, contractual terms and conditions, quality assurance standards and return on investment, where applicable.
• Review rate proposals to ensure underlying assumptions are appropriate and accurate to the City. • Provide communication and support for the annual open enrollment period, new benefit offerings and/or changes to the existing benefits offerings.
• Attendance at and assistance with coordination of the annual Employee Health Fair and Open Enrollment meetings (on-site at several city buildings).
Developing Comprehensive Benefits Strategies
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Assessing and Measuring the Effectiveness of Current Plan Offerings McGriff follows a comprehensive process that allows us to collaborate with the City to review, compare, and decide on appropriate plan designs and employer -employee funding levels that meet the needs of your organization. The overall goal is to develop benefit programs that continue to meet the City’s needs as they change over time. To d o so, we can show estimates based on multiple scenarios, and how we expect them to impact the plan. Ultimately, the goal is to show the City a year -over-year strategy with recommended courses of action in several different categories that will help the Cit y attain a unified theme for the year, as well as remain in line with favorable trends over time.
With all new clients and annually thereafter, we work through a multi-step, detailed work plan starting with a strategic discovery session to analyze existing coverages, review claims, financial reports , current administrative processes, and identify any outstanding issues. We will collect demographic and participation data from payroll and group insurance coverage records, SPDs , contracts, and other benefit communication materials describing the City’s plans. We will discuss leading edge opportunities and determine if there are more efficient and cost effective solutions that could be evaluated and possibly implemented.
We engage in a candid discussion with the City’s stakeholders regarding the City’s objectives, history of the programs and key points of interest where you would like us to concentrate. If necessary, we wil l conduct focus groups with the employees to identify employee attitudes and perceptions to wards the current programs and to measure their receptivity to possible changes in these programs.
In designing a competitive program, a key element will be benchmarking against similar organizations as well as regional and national norms. Understanding h ow an organization compares to other employers in your region or industry is an essential part of making well -informed decisions about your plans – and how they support your benefit strategy. Our underwriting department subscribes to this strategy by emplo ying an exhaustive benchmarking and discovery process that allows us to dig deeper in our analysis of your plan costs, design, and performance. Some of the typical benefit plan elements we benchmark for clients include:
• Eligibility and Waiting Period
• Plan Access
• Employee and Dependent Cost to Participate
• Plan Design Parameters
• Total Plan Cost
• Employer / Employee Cost Sharing
• Paid Time Off
• Health Management Strategies
• Affordability Indexes
• Usability Features
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We will consider the strengths of the existing pro grams, identify any weaknesses, competitiveness and the administration efficiency of each program. We then will discuss what considerations are most important to the City in areas such as quality of care, cost effi ciency, administrative ease, employee satisfaction and tolerance for risk as it relates to financial strategy.
We will also discuss Wellness, new products in the marketplace, network design and strength , and other innovative approaches and trends affecting healthcare overall.
Projecting Plan Costs and Developing Funding Scenarios
As mentioned previously, our benefit professionals will provide insight and guidance by identifying emerging trends and managing risk when developing valuations and financial projections. We can assist you in:
• Pricing plan design changes and budgeting by assessing the financial impact of changes in benefit plan design, administration a nd funding. Our underwriters will provide an objective evaluation of a carrier’s renewal terms given your demographics, experience and business conditions. • Matching our underwriting talent with the carrier’s in order to put you in a better position to negotiate favorable terms. You will know what is driving your costs, if these factors will continue next year, and whether they should have a bearing on renewal rates.
Benefit Program Short and Long Term Strategy
Using these guidelines, your McGriff team will prepare a preliminary strategy for the current year as well as a multi -year approach with list s of programs for further analysis . Research ing multiple pr ograms and strategies allows you to gauge different options in the marketplace and, ultimately, implement a solution most appropriate for the City . Your McGriff team will ensure all proposed programs address legisl ation, compliance and regulatory constraints.
RFP Process, Evaluation and Scorecard
Selecting best -in-class benefits program designs and vendors requires an effective game plan that is consistent with the City’s objectives and both short and long-term goals. McGriff’s approach to renewal and RFP Marketing utilizes our comprehensive RFP database, which is able to effectively draw from a wide variety of questionnaires and evaluation scorecards to begin the process. Entirely independent from all insurance carriers, our process includes:
• Selecting a benefit line and specific RFP from our database and customizing to meet the City’s needs • Utilizing industry experience and staff feedback to determine the list of vendors that will receive the RFP
• Aggressively managing the RFP process and holding carriers to firm deadlines • Aggregating data and preparing a “scorecard” which is designed to weigh different elements of the RFP according to the City’s desires and our counsel
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• Utilizing market leverage, plan analysis, and in-house underwriting to negotiate the most competitive offering
• Performing contract and carrier due diligence assessment including on -site visits and on -site meetings.
• Evaluating and assistance in the selection of a provider and preparing for implementation
Your McGriff team uses an ev aluation matrix that weighs many elements of a proposal. This scorecard aggregates the key decision factors according to each client’s desires. We will work with the City to prioritize the criteria and the weighting. The most common evaluation factors on the Scorecard include the following:
• Plan design
• Quality of service
• Total Plan Affordability
• Carrier financial viability and rating analysis
• Quality of Providers
• Member and provider satisfaction ratings
• Provider Access
• Provider Disruption (in the event of change)
• Discount Analysis
• Performance Guarantees
• Service team experience, access to leadership, and onsite support • Employee support services and ease of technology (apps, website, call centers) • Reporting flexibility and integration of external vendors • Contract provisions and exclusions
• Enrollment support and communications
• Commitment to 90 day member advance notice of network changes • HIPAA security policies
• Administrative flexibility and ability to integrate with third parties • Implementation Consideration
• Comparable Clients
• Additional Resources (well-being, disease management, etc.) • Client Compatibility
• Communications
• Level of claim detail they will provide
• Available funding options
• Fees and target claims guarantees
Negotiation
With more than $30 billion in premiums, McGriff is equipped to leverage the best pricing and service from carriers and vendors for our clients. This sizable premium influence enables McGriff to offer preferred partner
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pricing along with our proven methodologies of improving employee health engagement and reducing claims. These preferred rates and proprietary programs are only available through McGriff and its affiliated agencies. Besides leveraging our size, we also ensure each client is aligned with the right carriers and vendors to achieve their overall goals . Although we may have proprieta ry programs we a lways take a consult ative approach and surve y the entire ma rket, presenting all options to the C ity. We would nev er consider or recommend one of our programs if it does not meet the needs of the City.
It is always our goal both personally and professionally to maintain quality business relationships built on honesty and integrity. We treat clients and external parties with the utmost respect understanding that our allegiance is to the client first, the City, and we will always represent and advocate for you in the most prudent and ethical manner. That being said, McGriff has also earned a reputation for honest and fair business dealing with carriers, insurers and other health services companies. At present, McGriff personnel serve on 15 broker advisory councils representing most every major insurance carrier and specialty line company. Combined with our volume of business, it affords our firm access to the highest levels of leadership with insurance carriers and other vendors.
McGriff maintains an open dialogue with all our vendors. We have relationships with senior level executives at the vendors wi th whom we conduct business, as well as strong relationships at the local level. We understand the importance of these relationships and realize it is a true partnership. We typically have annual meetings with them to discuss what is new at their company a s well as periodic meetings throughout the year.
We use a three-part approach to negotiating with carriers:
• Comprehensive financial analysis of proposed renewal rates/fees and thorough review of all required underwriting worksheets and formulas. This is the empirical part of our negotiation strategy. Errors, inconsistencies, unreasonable cost, and trend factors are scrutinized and negotiated. • Following the comprehensive financial analysis, we will reveal to carriers their competitiveness ranking based on overall cost/value. Leveraging market forces to the full extent results in price movement, this motivates serious carriers to evaluat e their proposals to ensure the best possible rates, conditions, and projected renewals.
• In a few instances, the comprehensive financial analysis and market forces may not deliver the results we expect for our clients. This is when we exercise our book of business, membership and relationship status with a client’s carrier(s) to obtain the best overall cost/value. A member of our senior executive team will negotiate directly with a carrier’s senior executives to meet the City’s financial objectives.
Once the underwriting team has negotiated the best overall cost and value, the McGriff team will meet with the City to review the responses to the RFP, the summary of results, a comprehensive overview of the market
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analysis, the recommended plan designs, McGriff underwriting methodology workup, and the detailed cost projections for the approaching three years , along with our initi al thoughts to each vendor’s proposal. This report is an integral part of each annual renewal.
After vendor selection, we will beg in implementing the selected programs. During this process, we will develop an implementation calendar and work closely with each vendor to make certain programs are implemented correctly and in a timely manner. We will confirm all fees, plan designs, clai m system setup, reporting structure and data requirements. We will also make sure the vendor set-up documents are accurate, review transition issues (new vendors) , ensure timely transfer of the eligibility file, and make sure we have all required document s (contract agreement, SPD /Plan document, and administrative manual and performance agreements) prior to the effective date.
An important step throughout the plan year is to monitor plan performance to goals. We will track and measure operational results , clinical outcomes, financial controls, claim/member services, and best practices/quality of services among other key areas. Some of the measurements will come from external sources, although most can be obtained from your data. Additionally, to ensure th e vendors are providing the highest levels of customer service, we propose surveying the employee population.
We can provide support for these surveys through multiple channels, including formal surveys (paper or web- based), focus groups and other forms of feedback. When a survey is used, we can then consolidate the survey responses and compare them with the service levels agreed upon during implementation to gauge if the negotiated objectives have been met or exceeded.
Communications
Our communications consultants have everything you need to develop and deliver strategic campaigns that build awareness, educate employee/retirees, and drive engagement in your benefits programs.
Benefits are complex, but communicating them to the City’s employee/retiree s does not have to be. We prefer an approach that incorporates successful consumer marketing techniques when developing an effective benefits communication campaign. That means understanding employee/retiree demographics, presenting information clearly and creat ively, and using a variety of media to reinforce messaging and maximize value. Grounded in your culture, our experts then develop ideas and a strategy and plan tailored to the City.
Our services include:
• Strategy and communication plan development
• Campaign and Health Fair project management
• Employee Surveys
• Benefits brand logo creation
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• Creative and graphic design services
• Collaboration with other vendors
• Annual enrollment coordination, messaging and content development • Oversight and recommendations in the development of : benefit guides, posters, flyers, brochures, postcards, and more
• Digital media services: email templates, video, webcasts, and Brainshark presentations
Other Service Requirements
• Assist in the development, implementation and ongoing pro cess of an employee wellness program, to improve employee health and reduce employee health-care costs, both in the short and long-term. • Assist in the available options of web site technologies to support on-line enrollments, qualifying event changes and employee education to assist employees/retirees in self- management of benefits.
Wellness
McGriff will provide the City of Rialto with a wellness and preventive health analysis of employees and claims experience (if available) . After identifying risks, cost drivers, and challenges facing employee health, our experts can develop and implement a successful wellness and engagement strategy, persona lized to the City’s specific culture and aligned with the City of Rialto’s goals.
Traditional programs rely significantly on historical claims data to identify the highest -cost employees and then offer support to help them manage their condition. However, to truly improve outcomes and reduce costs, we recommend a comprehensive approach that includes:
• Determining risks using claims data in conjunction with the City’s culture, industry benchmarks, population health trends, and current research
• Total well-being strategies to improve health and increase productivity, morale, and retention • Reducing barriers to engagement and promoting behavioral change • Program Assessment – We help with data collection and review, historical analysis, de fining goals, and understanding cultural considerations.
• Strategic Planning and Development – We assist in the development of multi-year strategies and phased approaches, offer guidance in evaluating vendors, and provide ongoing support. • Consultative Suppo rt and Stewardship – Developing and maintaining an effective clinical wellness program requires a multi-faceted approach that evolves with your employees. We work with the City for the long-term as a trusted advisor providing support for strategic initiatives and helping to address challenges.
• Thought Leadership – Stay up to date on the latest workplace wellness industry trends with white papers, email alerts, webinars and in-person presentations.
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Examples of resources we provide:
• Environmental assessme nt of the City policies and worksite issues relating to wellness to support design and development of the City health management program • Guidance for implementing health risk assessments, on -site biometric screenings and all supporting wellness programming
• Wellness Account Management
• Manage and administer wellness marketing and communications • Customer service for both the City and the employee
• Supervise the performance of the program overall
• Analyze results and recommend wellness program activities and modifications • Provide standard monthly wellness communications
• Vendor Management and Operational Liaison
• Biometric Screening/Health Screening coordination and oversight – screening tests include blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol/HDL, body fat and BMI • Incentive Rewards oversight and management
• Online and mobile consumer engagement and wellness rewards technology and management • Program Administration and Customer Support
• Incentive Rewards platform implementation
• Outcomes-based wellness initiatives
• Data integration to Incentive Rewards and enrollment system • Update employee rates
Benefits Administration Technology
McGriff provides two distinct options for consideration: Benefits Administration Technology Consulting and McGriff’s own Benefit Administration Tech nology platform. Either way, McGriff has the expertise to help you make the best technology decisions for your employee/retirees and the City of Rialto.
Benefits Administration Technology Consulting
Discovery – With so many benefits administration technology solutions in the marketplace, and considering each client is unique, one way we differentiate ourselves is by helping our clients conduct a thorough examination of their current benefits administration solution. Our specialized consulting team provides tools that aid clients in having productive internal discussions around their ben admin technology goals, as well as assisting them in uncovering pain points, errors and inefficiencies that currently exist.
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• Search Support – We can assist in identifying benefits administration technology providers that fulfill the objectives and goals identified during the discovery process - and participate in the reviewing their solutions. McGriff works with several online vendors to provide these services to our clients such as Benefit Coordinators Corp (BCC), Benefit First, Hodges Mace and Benefit Focus to name a few. Once the client selects a provider, we can provide guidance on vendor contracting, as well as setting appropriate expectations, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. • Implementation S upport – No matter how technologically advanced the new platform, if not implemented correctly, it will lead to an unpleasant client experience for all involved. We assist our clients by providing guidance and best practices in all areas of the system.
McGriff also has a proprietary platform and can provide complete HR benefit solutions including benefits administration/outsourcing, billing administration, benefit technology, integrated wellness consulting and incentive management, as well as COBRA and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) administration. • Benefits Administration and Outsourcing Services
• Enrollment and Eligibility Management
• Consolidated Premium Billing and Reconciliation
• Benefit Call Center
• COBRA and FSA Administration – We offer complet e COBRA and FSA administration solutions, wherein we administer COBRA and FSA plans within full compliance of all laws and regulations, and offer both self-service and telephonic support for both participants and HR staff.
Benefit Technology Services
• Customized Benefits Portal: We create and manage customized online portals that provide clear and efficient communication of all benefits available for the employee/retiree s. This includes documents and direct links to important benefit sites.
• Online Enroll ment Services: We offer a best -in-class online enrollment system that allows for employee/retirees to quickly, efficiently, and securely make and manage benefit elections. This system also provides extensive administrative capabilities and reporting. • Data Management Services: We manage electronic data exchange used to communicate benefit elections and changes with carriers, vendors, payroll and/or HRIS systems. We also have the capability to create custom interfaces to your specifications.
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• Recommend and help develop enhancements and improvements for communications specific to the needs of the City's employees and retirees, including, but not limited to, brochures, pamphlets, matrices, comparison charts, summaries, electronic communications, forms, employee handbooks, benefit statements, wallet cards with benefit contact information and employee orientation. • Provide timely research and responses to technical questions posed by City staff. • Provide regular and timely communications needed for the effective administration of benefit plans. • Provide guidance and recommendations on items such as, but not limited to, trends in benefits plans, methods for improving cost containment, financial arrangements and administration. • Provide access to published benefit-related survey information. • Develop additional benefits communications specific to the needs of the City's employees/retirees. • Attendance at, and assistance with, meetings with the Mayor and Council, City management and staff. • Recommend that City staff attend par ticular consultant-sponsored seminars, benefit events and educational forums that would be beneficial to the City. • Develop and/or assist in developing and evaluating employee/retiree needs and satisfaction surveys. • Work collaboratively with other consultants and City staff. • Manage plan transitions as necessary.
• Review and evaluate current administrative processes related to enrollment and billing. • Recommend and assist with implementation of administrative process enhancements. • Assist the City of Rialto with the implementation and various communication options of new programs or changes to existing programs, which will include attending and presenting information at annual open enrollment meetings, along with any meetings during the plan year, as needed.
Please refer to the previous section Our Approach to the Scope of Services and responses to Scope of Services Analysis and Reporting, Liaison and Problem Intervention, Compliance, Annual Renewal Process and Evaluation for responses to the above.
The City of Rialto desires an open communication with selected insurance carriers (vendors) for all lines of benefits. The City of Rialto does not approve or promote the consultant firm being the only point of contact for the City of Rialto.
McGriff agrees not to be the only point of contact for the City of Rialto with all vendors and insurance carriers.
Consultant Proposal
Requirements
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I. Consultant Proposal Requirements
The proposal response must clearly demonstrate the required qualifications, expertise, competence and capability of the Consultant. Please provide a concise description of your firm’s ability to provide the services required in the Scope of this document. Costs incurred by firms responding to this RFP are solely their responsibility. Additionally, please include the answers to the following questions (Address each by number):
I. Brokerage Services
a. Confirm that you are a licensed broker in the State of California and provide documentation.
Yes, McGriff is a licensed broker in the State of California.
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b. Briefly describe yo ur company’s organization, philosophy, and management. Also, provide a brief company history.
McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. (McGriff) is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings, the sixth largest insurance broker in the United States. Truist Insuran ce Holdings is owned by Charlotte, N.C.-based Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC), one of the nation’s largest and best managed financial institutions with assets approaching $500 billion. Truist was formed by the merger of equals SunTrust Banks and B B&T, completed in December 2019.
6th Largest Risk and Benefits
Consulting Firm in the US and
7th Largest in the world.
Founded in 1922 and headquartered in North Carolina, McGriff provides consultative risk management and insurance brokerage s ervices for nearly all types of coverages serving the employer market. With offices across the United States, our growth is attributable to a client- centric approach to serving our customers.
With 2020 revenue of $2.3 billion, McGriff’s national insuranc e operation includes over 250 locations and more than 7,500 teammates that meet our client’s needs each and every day.
McGriff Employee Benefit Solutions, combines a full array of products (Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life, Communications, Employee Advocacy, Actuarial, Benefit Administration, COBRA, FMLA, Cafeteria Plans, Compliance and more) with exceptional market expertise and industry knowledge to deliver comprehensive insurance programs designed specifically for each client. With national capabili ties, regional focus, and local relationship-oriented service, McGriff is an industry leader in employee benefits.
As part of the sixth largest broker in the U.S., McGriff leverages our market position, which is billions of dollars in premiums , intellectua l capital, and excellent industry relationships to deliver the best possible pricing, terms, and service delivery from all insurance carrier and vendor partners. The data below includes information specifically about our employee benefits book of business:
• More than 65 employee benefits offices across the United States • Over 10,000 employer clients and over 2,600 public entity clients
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• Clients range from 2 employees to 55,000 employees
• Employee benefits retention rates between 95% and 98% since 2008 • Our significant size and scope provide us with leverage to achieve the best outcomes for clients • Diversity of business operations and specialized practices allows for unique perspectives on the industry and stability of performance across multiple markets
• Broad infrastructure with resources and capabilities in key areas to support our local teams and their clients, including: actuaries, attorneys, clinical professionals and other subject matter experts • Full-service third-party administration, including extensive compliance support • Full-service benefits administration services
• Access to world -class vendors for additional services in technology, analytics, population health management, employee engagement, and other key capabilities • We are members of the National Advisory Council with over 15 carriers
The work we perform for our clients is based up our Mission and Promise.
McGriff’s Mission – To protect and improve the financial security and well -being of our clients and their employee while supporting our community and each other.
The McGriff Promise: We will….
• Listen first
• Invest in our clients and employees
• Deliver innovative solutions
• Act with integrity
• Do all that we say we will do
• Champion Certainty
Our client management approach is personal for each group. Our dedicated team approach ensures that the City will have a close relationship with those who are working on your group’s behalf. Your dedicated McGriff team will have a complete understanding of your culture and goals for your employee/retiree s and their benefits.
We believe our high client retention is a reflection of how we interact and provide service to our clients. We strive to exceed our clients’ expectations each and every day. We believe that our clients always come first, and it shows in everything we do. We are dedicated to and sensitive to our clients’ needs. We strive to make every business relationship a long-term partnership that continues to grow in value. We understand that our viability as a company depends solely on our ability to meet the City’s needs. We stay in close communication with all of our clients and their decision makers to make sure they are beyond satisfied with the partnership and our services . Moreover, we believe our mission and promise supporting our clients sep arates us from our competitors.
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McGriff views each client engagement as a partnership. In doing so, we have assembled a Service Team to specifically meet the needs of the City. The City’s Account will be serviced by the McGriff Irvine Office as well as our National Public Entity Benefits Practice based in Addison, Texas. The proposed Service Team for the City has over 100 years of combined benefits experience with strong backgrounds working with public and governmental entities.
McGriff has been servicing public and governmental entity accounts for over 30 years and our Public Entity practice is one of the strongest industry vert icals within McGriff. McGriff has over 2600 public and governmental entity clients nationally.
Through our tenure, experience and seasoned account teams, we have become well versed with navigating the different intricacies that separate public entity clients from the private sector. This includes providing services such as accurate and timely financial re porting that helps municipalities meet budgeting requirements; aiding in the design and implementation of RFP’s for vendor services, while adhering to fair practice, compliance and ethics requirements; assisting HR and Benefits staff in presenting findings and recommendations to leadership and Council ; understanding the collective bargained environment and that maintaining the integrity of the ben efits while containing costs is essential and providing creative solutions and gaining consensus among all stakeholders are a must in developing a successful benefits program.
Our senior management maintains hands-on involvement with account activities to ensure the highest level of service and responsiveness. That allows us to offer our clients innovative, effecti ve, and strategic employee/retiree benefit consulting. We understand that our roles are evolving and each client expects not only a partner, but also a trusted consultant. McGriff’s organization structure always places the client first.
We are a flat orga nization staffed with professionals that are first -and-foremost in the insurance business, regardless of what leadership level they have obtained. Every person in our organization has direct account responsibility, and all associates are directly responsible for providing unsurpassed service. c. Describe your contractual relationships, if any, with organizations or entities necessary to your proposal’s implementation (i.e. actuarial services, data information services, etc.).
McGriff will perform all services using internal resources with the exception of any outsourced vendors the City has selected to partner with, such as a technology platform or COBRA administrator and the use of the HR advisory services through Mineral (formerly Think HR). d. How long has your organization been providing brokerage services?
Founded in 1922, McGriff provides consultative risk management and insurance brokerage services for nearly all types of coverages serving the employer market.
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e. How many public sector clients does your firm currently provide brokerage services to?
McGriff has been servicing public and governmental entity accounts for over 30 years and our Public Entity practice is one of the strongest industry vert icals within McGriff. McGriff has over 2600 pu blic and governmental entity clients nationally.
f. Please provide a list of three verifiable public sector references, all of whom are able to comment of your organization’s relevant experience. Please include group name, contact name, and telephone number.
Please furnish:
a. services you provided
b. benefit programs addressed
c. time period covered
d. contact name and phone number
City of Santa Clarita
Ancillary Benefits Consulting Services (CalPERS Medical) November 2014 to Current
Kristi Hobrecker
661-255-4908
khobrecker@santa_clarita.com
City of Barstow
Ancillary Benefits Consulting Services (CalPERS Medical) May 2014 to Current
Darcy Wigington
760-256-3531
[email protected]
Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority
Ancillary Benefits Consulting Services (CalPERS Medical) February 2008 to Current
Toni Henning
760-246-8638 ext. 106
[email protected]
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g. Describe your organization’s anticipated involvement in the annual renewal process. Include information regarding process timeframes, negotiation of rates and Consultant selection. NOTE: City of Rialto’s current plan year for all employee benefits insurance is 01-01 to 12-31.
Annual Assessment and Measuring the Effectiveness of Current Plan Offerings As previously discussed in the Scope of Services, McGriff follows a comprehensive process that allows us to collaborate with the City on an annual basis to review, compare, and decide on appropriate plan designs and employer-employee funding levels that meet the needs of your organization. The overall goal is to develop benefit programs that continue to meet the City’s needs as they change over ti me. To do so, we can show estimates based on multiple scenarios, and how we expect them to impact the plan. Ultimately, the goal is to show the City a year -over-year strategy with recommended courses of action in several different categories that will help the City attain a unified theme for the year, as well as remain in line with favorable trends over time.
Together, McGriff and the City will work through a multi -step, detailed work plan starting with a strategic discovery session to analyze existing cove rages, review claims, financial reports , current administrative processes, and identify any outstanding issues. We will collect demographic and participation data from payroll and group insurance coverage records, SPDs, contracts, and other benefit communi cation materials we don’t current have that describe the City’s plans. We will discuss leading edge opportunities and determine if there are more efficient and cost effective solutions that could be evaluated and possibly implemented.
We engage in a candid discussion with the City’s stakeholders regarding the City’s objectives, history of the programs and key points of interest where you would like us to concentrate. If necessary, we will conduct focus groups with the employees to identify employee attitude s and perceptions towards the current programs and to measure their receptivity to possible changes in these programs.
In designing a competitive program, a key element will be benchmarking against similar organizations as well
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as regional and national nor ms. Understanding how an organization compares to other employers in your region or industry is an essential part of making well -informed decisions about your plans – and how they support your benefit strategy. Our underwriting department subscribes to thi s strategy by employing an exhaustive benchmarking and discovery process that allows us to dig deeper in our analysis of your plan costs, design, and performance. Some of the typical benefit plan elements we benchmark for clients include:
• Eligibility and Waiting Period
• Plan Access
• Employee and Dependent Cost to Participate
• Plan Design Parameters
• Total Plan Cost
• Employer / Employee Cost Sharing
• Paid Time Off
• Health Management Strategies
• Affordability Indexes
• Usability Features
We will consider the strengths of the existing programs, identify any weaknesses, competitiveness and the administrative efficiency of each program. We then will discuss what considerations are most important to the City in areas such as quality of care, cost efficiency, administrative ease, employee satisfaction and tolerance for risk as it relates to financial strategy.
We will also discuss new products in the marketplace, network design and strength, and other innovative approaches and trends affecting healthcare overall.
Projecting Plan Costs and Developing Funding Scenarios
Our benefit professionals will provide insight and guidance by identifying emerging trends and managing risk when developing valuations and financial projections. We can assist you in:
• Pricing plan design changes and budgeting by assessing the financial impact of changes in benefit plan design, administration a nd funding. Our underwriters will provide an objective evaluation of a carrier’s renewal terms given your demographics, experience and business conditions. • Matching our underwriting talent with the carrier’s in order to put you in a better position to negotiate the most favorable terms. You will know what is driving your costs, if these factors will continue next year, and whether they should have a bearing on renewal rates.
Benefit Program Short and Long Term Strategy
Using these guidelines, your McGriff team will prepare a preliminary strategy for the current year as well as
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a multi -year approach with lists of programs for further analysis. Researching multiple pro grams and strategies allows you to gauge different options in the marketplace and, ultimately, implement a solution most appropriate for the City. Your McGriff team will ensure all proposed programs address legislation, compliance and regulatory constraints.
RFP Process, Evaluation and Scorecard
Selecting best -in-class benefits program designs and vendors requires an effective game plan that is consistent with the City’s objectives and both short and long-term goals. McGriff’s approach to renewal and RFP Marketing utilizes our comprehensive RFP database, which is able to effectively draw from a wide variety of questionnaires and evaluation scorecards to begin the process. Entirely independent from all insurance carriers, our process includes:
• Selecting a benefit line and specific RFP from our database and customizing to meet the City’s needs • Utilizing industry experience and staff feedback to determine the list of vendors that will receive the RFP
• Aggressively managing the RFP process and holding carriers to firm deadlines • Aggregating data and preparing a “scorecard” which is designed to weigh different elements of the RFP according to the City’s desires and our counsel
• Utilizing market leverage, plan analysis, and in-house underwriting to negotiate the most competitive offering
• Performing contract and carrier due diligence assessment including on -site visits and on -site meetings.
• Evaluating and assistance in the selection of a provider and preparing for implementation
Your McGriff team uses an evaluation matrix that weighs many elements of a proposal. This scorecard aggregates the key decision factors according to each client’s desires. We will work with the City to prioritize the criteria and the weighting. The most common evaluation factors on the Scorecard include the following:
• Plan design
• Quality of service
• Total Plan Affordability
• Carrier financial viability and rating analysis
• Quality of Providers
• Member and provider satisfaction ratings
• Provider Access
• Provider Disruption (in the event of change)
• Discount Analysis
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• Performance Guarantees
• Service team experience, access to leadership, and onsite support • Employee/retiree support services and ease of technology (apps, website, call centers) • Reporting flexibility and integration of external vendors • Contract provisions and exclusions
• Enrollment support and communications
• Commitment to 90 day member advance notice of network changes • HIPAA security policies
• Administrative flexibility and ability to integrate with third parties • Implementation Consideration
• Comparable Clients
• Additional Resources (well-being, disease management, etc.) • Client Compatibility
• Communications
• Level of claim detail they will provide
• Available funding options
• Fees and target claims guarantees
Negotiation
With more than $30 billion in premiums, McGriff is equipped to leverage the best pricing and service from carriers and vendors for our clients. This sizable premium influence enables McGriff to offer preferred partner pricing along with our proven methodologies of improving employee health engagement and reducing claims. These preferred rates and proprietary programs are only available through McGriff and its affiliated agencies. Besides leveraging our size, we also ensure each client is aligned with the right carriers and vendors to achieve their overall goals
. Although we may have proprieta ry programs we a lways take a consult ative approach and surve y the entire ma rket, presenting all options to the C ity. We would nev er consider or recommend one of our programs if it does not meet the needs of the City.
It is always our goal both personally and professionally to maintain quality business relationships built on honesty and integrity. We treat clients and external parties with the utmost respect understanding that our allegiance is to the client first, the City, and we will always represent and advocate for you in the most prudent and ethical manner. That being said, McGriff has also earned a reputation for honest and fair business dealing with carriers, insurers and other health services companies. At present, McGriff personnel serve on 15 broker advisory councils representing most every major insurance carrier and specialty line company. Combined with our volume of business, it affords our firm access to the highest levels of leadership with insurance carriers and other vendors.
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McGriff maintains an open dialogue with all our vendors. We have relationships with senior level executives at the vendors wi th whom we conduct business, as well as strong relationships at the local level. We understand the importance of these relationships and realize it is a true partnership. We typically have annual meetings with them to discuss what is new at their company a s well as periodic meetings throughout the year.
We use a three-part approach to negotiating with carriers:
• Comprehensive financial analysis of proposed renewal rates/fees and thorough review of all required underwriting worksheets and formulas. This is the empirical part of our negotiation strategy. Errors, inconsistencies, inappropriate items, unreasonable cost, and trend factors are scrutinized and negotiated.
• Following the comprehensive financial analysis, w e will reveal to carriers their competitiveness ranking based on overall cost/value. Leveraging market forces to the full extent results in price movement, this motivates serious carriers to evaluate their proposals to ensure the best possible rates, conditions, and projected renewals.
• In a few instances, the comprehensive financial analysis and market forces may not deliver the results we expect for our clients. This is when we exercise our book of business membership and relationship status with a client’s carrier(s) to obtain the best overall cost/value. A member of our senior executive team will negotiate directly with a carrier’s senior executives to meet the City’s financial objectives.
Once the underwriting team has negotiated the best overall cost and value, the McGriff team will meet with the City to review the responses to the RFP, the summary of results, a comprehensive overview of the market analysis, the recommended plan designs, McGriff underwriting methodology workup, and the detailed cost projections for the approaching three years , along with our initi al thoughts to each vendor’s proposal. This report is an integral part of each annual renewal.
This candid discussion allows us to identify which vendors should be selected for a finalist meeting. These interviews will be conducted with your McGriff team and will allow you and each vendor to clarify any issues regarding your plans. This process provides an opportunity for you to learn which of the vendors may be the best fit for your needs, objectives and the City’s culture.
After vendor selection, we will begin implementing the selected programs. During this process, we will develop an implementation calendar and work closely with each vendor to make certain programs are implemented correctly and in a timely manner. We will confirm all fees, plan designs, claim system setup, reporting structure and data requirements. We will also make sure the vendor set -up documents are accurate, review transition issues (new vendors), ensure timely transf er of the eligibility file, and make sure we have all required documents (contract agreement, SPD/Plan document, and administrative manual and performance agreements) prior to the effective date.
An important step throughout the plan year is to monitor pla n performance to goals. We will track and
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measure operational results, clinical outcomes, financial controls, claim/member services, and best practices/quality of services among other key areas. Some of the measurements will come from external sources, although most can be obtained from your data. Additionally, to ensure the vendors are providing the highest levels of customer service, we propose surveying the employee population.
We can provide support for these surveys through multiple channels, including formal surveys (paper or web- based), focus groups and other forms of feedback. When a survey is used, we can then consolidate the survey responses and compare them with the service levels agreed upon during implementation to gauge if the negotiated objectives have been met or exceeded.
Sample Financial Reports
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Service Schedule
McGriff is prepared to start working with City of Rialto as soon as possible. Below is a Sample Service schedule:
City of Rialto 2022-2023 Service Schedule
January February March
Task Task Task
Post Renewal Follow Up Medicare Part D Disclosure Due Early Pre-Renewal Meeting Non-Discrimination Test Results Stewardship Report Establish Goals & Objectives 2023 Execute Plan Review 2023 Work Plan
April May June
Task Task Task
1st Quarter Claims Review Review Employee Survey Receive Renewals Employee Satisfaction Survey Pre-Renewal Meeting Negotiation & Finalization-Proposals Request Updated Census Establish Marketing/Renewal Strategy RFP and Quote Analysis Develop Renewal Timeline
RFP and Market Submission
July August September
Task Task Task
Renewal & Marketing Meeting Develop OE Communication Open Enrollment Meetings 2nd Quarter Claims Review Distribute Annual Compliance Notices Health Fair Finalize Plan/Carrier Decisions Update Ben Admin System SBCs and Benefit Summaries Develop OE timeline Help coordinate Health Fair
October November December
Task Task Task
Open Enrollment Meetings Confirm EDI Feed Transmission Confirm ID Card Distribution COBRA Open Enrollment Request Non-Discrimination Testing Review & Distribute Plan Document
h. Describe how your organization strives to streamline benefit administration for your clients. Include any services you provide for automation of the benefit process (i.e. electronic capabilities, outsourcing options). Attach any associated costs for these services on a separate fee schedule.
Benefits Administration Technology
McGriff provides two distinct options for consideration: Benefits Administration Technology Consulting and McGriff’s own Benefit Administration Technology platform. Either way, McGriff has the expertise to help you make the best technology decisions for your employee/retirees and the City of Rialto.
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Benefits Administration Technology Consulting
Discovery – With so many benefits administration technology solutions in the marketplace, and considering each client is unique, one way we differentiate ourselves is by helping our clients conduct a thorough examination of their current benefits administration solution. Our specialized consulting team provides tools that aid clients in having productive internal discussions around their ben admin technology goals, as well as assisting them in uncovering pain points, errors and inefficiencies that currently exist. • Search Support – We can assist in identifying benefits administration technology providers that fulfill the objectives and goals identified during the discovery process - and participate in the reviewing their solutions. McGriff works with several online vendors to provide these services to our clients such as B enefit Coordinators Corp. (BCC), Benefit First, Hodges Mace and Benefit Focus to name a few. Once the client selects a provider, we can provide guidance on vendor contracting, as well as setting appropriate expectations, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. • Implementation Support – No matter how technologically advanced the new platform, if not implemented correctly, it will lead to an unpleasant client experience for all involved. We assist our clients by providing guidance and best practices in all areas of the system.
McGriff also has a proprietary platform and can provide complet e HR benefit solutions including benefits administration/outsourcing, billing administration, benefit technology, integrated wellness consulting and incentive management, as well as COBRA and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) administration. • Benefits Administration and Outsourcing Services
• Enrollment and Eligibility Management
• Consolidated Premium Billing and Reconciliation
• Benefit Call Center
• COBRA and FSA Administration – We offer complete COBRA and FSA administration solutions, wherein we administer COBRA and FSA plans within full compliance of all laws and regulations, and offer both self-service and telephonic support for both participants and HR staff.
Benefit Technology Services
• Customized Benefits Portal: We create and manage customized online portals that provide clear and efficient communication of all benefits available for the employee/retirees. This includes documents and direct links to important benefit sites.
• Online Enrollment Services: We offer a best -in-class online enrollment system that allows for employee/retirees to quickly, efficiently, and securely make and manage benefit elections. This system also provides extensive administrative capabilities and reporting.
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• Data Management Services: We manage electronic data exchange used to communicate benefit elections and changes with carriers, vendors, payroll and/or HRIS systems. We also have the capability to create custom interfaces to your specifications.
A Fee Schedule is not available. Each client’s services are customized to meet their specific needs and therefore a Scope of Services would need to be developed and a quote produced. i. Briefly describe the level of service and support provided to the City on a day-to-day basis.
Our client management approach is personal for each group. Our dedicated team approach ensures that the City of Rialto will have a close relationship with those who are working on your group’s behalf. Your dedicated McGriff team will have a complete understanding of your culture and goals for your employee/retirees and their benefits.
We believe our high client retention is a reflection of how we interact and provide service to our clients. We strive to exceed our clients’ expectations every day. All employees of the City of Rialto and their covered dependents would have direct access to our team for any questions regarding claims, eligibility, access to care and more. We stay in close communication with all of our clients and their decision makers to make sure they are beyond satisfied with the partnership and our services. Once we get involved in an issue, we “own” it until it is completely resolved.
McGriff views each client engagement as a partnership. In doing so, we have assembled a Service Team to specifically meet the needs of the City of Rialto. The City of Rialto Account will be serviced by the McGriff Irvine Office as well as our National Public Entity Benefits Practice based in Addison, Texas. The proposed Service Team for the City of Rialto has over 100 years of combined benefits experience with strong backgrounds working with public entities.
McGriff has been servicing public and governmental entity accounts for over 30 years and our Public Entity practice is one of the strongest industry vert icals within M cGriff. McGriff has over 2600 public and governmental entity clients nationally.
Through our tenure, experience and seasoned account teams, we have become well versed with navigating the different intricacies that separate public entity clients from the private sector. This includes providing services such as accurate and timely financial reporting that helps municipalities meet budgeting requirements; aiding in the design and implementation of RFP’s for vendor services, while adhering to fair practice, compliance and ethics requirements; assisting HR and Benefits st aff in presenting findings and recommendations to leadership and Council ; understanding the collective bargained environment and that maintaining the integrity of the b enefits while containing costs is essential and providing creative solutions and gaining consensus among all stakeholders are a must in developing a successful benefits program.
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Day-to-Day Service Standards
McGriff is known throughout the industry as accessible to our clients. Our senior consultants remain actively involved throughout the term of the contract. Client calls and emails take priority in our daily activities.
Clients will have all direct lines to the McGriff employee benefits team members responsible for day -to-day service. The City’s HR and Benefit’s team will have cell phone numbers and email addresses to all primary representatives for questions before and after business hours.
Standardly, all calls and emails received before 1:00 p.m. will be returned same business day. After 1:00 p.m., we do our best to return calls and em ails that day but no later than the following business day. Urgent requests are handled immediately or within an agreed upon timeframe.
Claims Escalations
Performance issues with vendors are a big concern for us; so should an issue arise McGriff will do everything we can to remedy the situation as soon as it is brought to our attention. Our first course of action is to seek resolution with our day -to-day contact. If the performance does not improve, we will escalate the issue to the vendor’s senior management. We have business with every carrier in the marketplace, and the volume and breadth of our accounts enables us to demand that our vendors deliver exceptional service to our clients.
In addition, McGriff serves on a number of vendor advisory boards which helps strengthen our relationships at the senior level. If performance is not corrected to the satisfaction of the City, our final recourse will be to find a carrier that can provide a higher level of service.
Our claim and problem resolution includes:
• Dedicated Account Manager to provide City staff with assistance on resolution of escalated claims issues
• Monitor the Benefits department’s satisfaction with each vendor partner’s client service team • Serve as a liaison between the City and vendor partners to resolve any issues that may arise
Problem Resolution
McGriff monitors the performance of each carrier in a number of quantifiable ways, and will work on your behalf to elevate the performance of any ca rrier partner that is not meeting your expectations. McGriff monitors overall plan management by retrieving reports to evaluate the performance of carriers’ network discounts, wellness programs, and claims payment processes. McGriff will im plement performance guarantees around timely claims payment processing, customer service, and network discounts with an overall financial penalty to carriers for failure to achieve adequate results. In addition, McGriff will review all contracts and summary plan descriptions on an annual basis to ensure compliance with all state and federal mandates.
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In addition:
• Day-to-day McGriff service team contacts for any issues that need to be resolved. • A dedicated Account Manager to provide your staff with assistance on resolution of escalated issues • The monitoring of the B enefits department’s satisfaction with each vendor partner’s client service team
• Serve as a liaison between the City and vendor partners to resolve any issues that may arise • Assist with contract changes, compliance and interpretation
Meetings
The McGriff team is available, as often as needed to meet with all City stakeholders including employee associations, city management, City Council and all interested parties.
Initially, we prefer to establish weekly or bi-weekly meetings (conference call, Web-ex, in person) for the early portion of our relationship until both the City and McGriff feel our working partnership has solidified and of course, frequency of interactions are dependent on scope, calendar of events and complexity of items under consideration. McGriff will schedule a transition meeting with the appropriate parties at the City. Both City Benefits staff and McGriff will jointly construct an agenda to discuss all potential outstanding transition items. We prefer to use our initial meeting as a time to meet each organization’s staff, understand roles and responsibilities and begin to discuss immediate and longer term needs to be addressed by both parties.
Moving forward, the service team will meet with the City on at least a quarterly basis to review all activities performed during the prior quarter. Meeting agenda will also include but not be limited to plan performance, budgetary concerns, vendor service issues, plan designs, industry/legislative/regulatory updates and market overview.
Additionally, McGriff will meet with the City semi-annually to discuss review of the program, state of the marketplace, progress made toward strategic plan, and developments within the City. The service team will meet with the City annually to review the stewardship report for the preceding year, create a work plan outlining the goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
Open Enrollment Support
The McGriff Tactical Approach to Open Enrollment Support takes a multifaceted approach that may include:
• Survey employees on current benefit communications and their overall program understanding and satisfaction; this will help us identify any potential areas of improvement • Review prior communication materials to determine their past effectiveness, thoroughness, and clarity
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• We make recommendations based on our survey and review regarding optimized communication strategies, vehicles, and a timeline for implementation • We develop an Open Enrollment Strategy to determine the appropriate method(s) for enrollment support.
• Communication pieces during the year typically include:
Branded benefit guide for current employee/retirees and new hires; including required notices Web-based presentations to educate employee/retirees
Email campaigns and streaming videos
Posters, postcards, and payroll stuffers
• Coordination with employee/retiree benefits administrative portal • Coordinate, facilitate and particip ate in on -site and online Annual Open Enrollment meetings and Health Fair. Meetings may include carrier representatives, if desired. Webinar meetings conducted can be recorded, if desired.
• Manage all transitional activities including out -going vendor termi nation, incoming vendor set -up, contract, rate, communication review, administrative process and billing training and review with benefits team, etc.
Further, McGriff expanded our digital communications portfolio to further build out our “virtual communication” tools and resources to help clients communicate more effectively with employee/retiree s about benefits, open enrollment, and other HR -related topics. McGriff has a standard video library to educate employee/retirees about benefits. The library consists of 60 videos (1:30-2:00 minutes in length), in both English and Spanish, that provide an overview of the benefits and HR other topics. These services are included in our commission. Sample communications are included as an attachment below.
Customer Satisfaction
• Employee Survey & Focus Group
- We conduct general employee benefits surveys and focus groups to gauge program understanding, identify areas where additional communications are needed, t o understand what areas of the program that can be improved or eliminated. We can administer them via paper, a web-based solution, or facilitating face-to-face focus group discussions. • Tracking Objectives & Activities - We keep open items logs, compliance checklists, and timelines so that all staff members and the City can stay apprised of everything that is going on with your account. • Measuring Service Quality - We believe that periodically taking stock of goals, rating performance , and understanding obstacles/opportunities is important in its own right. However, the exercise also
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provides a foundation for defining future action, assures resources are effectively deployed, and assists with the desire to continually improve overall performance.
Through our Client Advocacy Report, delivered at the midpoint of the plan y ear, we are able to measure results, receive feedback, and discuss options that can be shared with teams and our overall footprint to continually improve processes and the service offerings important to our clients.
The report includes a review of services provided, current programs, claims data/ cost projections, employee/retiree communication strategy, accomplishments with regards to agreed -upon goals, and an update on the current insurance marketplace. Additionally, the Client Advocacy Report serves as a ve hicle for feedback on our team and individual performance as well as the identification of goals for renewal and upcoming year.
As previously mentioned, McGriff is willing to develop specific Service Performance Guarantees and put a portion of compensation at risk.
HR Consulting Services / Support
McGriff delivers an HR/Benefits Support Center which provides access to exclusive, industry -leading benefit and HR related tools and resources. From employee handbooks, job descriptions and other commonly used HR documents, to up-to-the-minute law alerts, easy-to-understand state and federal law libraries and unique training videos, the McGriff HR/ Benefits Support Center will help you effectively manage your compliance and employee relations needs.
In addition, McGriff provides each client with Mineral (formerly Think HR). A robust resource with live advisors, reliable content and interactive technology solutions that provides an end- to-end People Risk Management solution.
• Live: Certified HR Experts answer quest ions, render advice and follow up with research to resolve issues. These live advisors help research and explain situational fact patterns, instead of just reciting complex regulations. Accessible 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT each business day by phone and/or email. • Learn: More than 250 online web -based courses to help ensure compliance, reduce risk and drive employee engagement. Assign employees courses from a broad menu of training solutions for both proactive and reactive risk management, including harassment prevention, leadership, risk & safety and much more.
• Living Handbook: A customizable Living Handbook builder with federal and state-specific content and policy update alerts. Allows employers to create, maintain and manage their employee handbook with ease.
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• Comply: Comprehensive resource center with all the forms, checklists and tools needed to maintain compliance, as well as a compliance calendar to remind HR of important deadlines and help avoid risk of regulatory penalties.
• Insight: All the news and analysis HR Professionals need to stay current and compliant with changing regulations and industry trends. Monthly webinars providing HRCI/SHRM credits on valuable HR topics. Access to robust webinar library.
• Mobile App: Employers and HR professionals can access the resources of the Mineral (formerly Think HR) People Risk Management tools from anywhere through the user-friendly mobile app.
Please find below the McGriff proposed Service Team for the City:
Team Leads Benefits Team
Renée Wingert, Employee Benefits Consultant
Scott Gibbs, Senior Vice President
Trang Le, Account Executive
Gloria Sanders, Marketing Manager
Reina Torres, Senior Account Manager
Antonina Brunetto, Vice President of Client
Services and Wellness
Sandy Brown, Account Executive
Nikki Ross, Account Manager
Jordon Nixon, Data Analyst
Team Leads
Renée Wingert, Employee Benefits Consultant - Renée will provide senior consulting and strategic planning to support to the City of Rialto. Renée will have overall responsibility of the project and team. Renée has a significant understanding of the collective bargained enviro nment not only from the broker/consultant side but also from the employer side, where she spent time working for the City of Newport Beach in their Human Resources/Benefits Department. Before joining McGriff she worked with many Southern California public Compliance
Anne E. Bach, JD, ARM, ERISA & Employee
Benefits Consultant
Actuarial
R. Edward Johnson, ASA, MAAA, ACA, SVP,
Healthcare Consulting Actuary
Steven Bull, MSPA, MAAA, FCA, EA, Pension
Actuary SVP, Chief Actuary for Retirement
Flex & COBRA Services
Ryan Peterson, Practice Leader
Ben Admin & Technology
Kisha Moliere, Practice Leader
Clinical Wellness / Wellbeing
Tom Lerche, Director or Health Management
Katie O’Neill, Practice Leader
Retirement
Linda Bright, Senior Vice President, Managing
Director for Retirement
Eddie Vaugh, Practice Leader
Employee Benefit Communications
David Meckle, Practice Leader
HR Advisory
Jamie Warner, Practice Leader
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agencies including but not limited to the City of Ontario, City of Oceanside, City of Santa Clarita, City of Glendale, City of San Bernardino, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, and the City of Pismo Beach.
Renée has over 25 years of employee benefit s experience, 2 years working for one of the country’s largest COBRA administrators, four years managing benefits for both private and public sector employers and an extensive consulting and brokerage background with McGriff, Keenan & Associates and Allian t Insurance Services. Renée is a member of the League of California Cities, California City Management Foundation , International City/County Management Assoc iation, Society for Human R esource Management and the California Public Employers Labor Relations Associ ation. In addition, Renée has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration as well as a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management.
Scott Gibbs, Senior Vice President - Scott is McGriff’s National Public Entity Benefits Practice Leader. Scott will provide resource support to the City of Rialto. Scott has been with McGriff for over 18 years and 22 years in the industry. Scott serves on the McGriff Executive Team and holds a Life and Health Insurance Counselor’s License. In addition, he holds the certification of Certified Government Benefits Administrator through State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA), SALGBA is one of the largest professional organizations providing government entities with educational and collaborative support. He also serves on the SALGBA Board and is a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences. Scott currently works with over 25 different public entity clients providing creative solutions for all aspects of their health and welfare benefit plans. Scott holds a B.A. degree from Baylor University and a M.S. degree from Trinity University.
Service Team Members
Gloria Sanders, Marketing Manager - Gloria began her employee benefits career working for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company. Since then she ha s worked for carriers, employer groups and agencies. Gloria will be responsible for all aspects of marketing the City of Rialto’s health and welfare plans. Gloria began working for an independent broker as Account Manager. In 2011 she joined the McGriff Employ ee Benefits team as Marketing Manager.
Trang Le, Account Executive – Trang is the assigned Account Executive for the City of Rialto. Trang has been in the employee benefits industry since 2001 and joined McGriff in 2011. Trang will work closely with Renée and be responsible for daily account management with particular focus on strategic planning and coordination of all employee benefit service deliverables. In this capacity, Trang currently works with the following but not limited to the City of Barstow, the City of Santa Clarita and Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority. Trang also has a Bachelor’s degree in Management & Human Resources.
Antonina Brunetto , Vice President of Client Services and Wellness - Antonina specializes in Human Resources and Wellness Programs as they relate to health care benefits. With McGriff’s extensive Clinical Wellness capabilities, she harnesses new technologies and media to increase employee wellness engagement, participation, and outcomes. As a Certified Wellness Co ordinator, Antonina keeps clients up -
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to-date with current wellness trends and provides additional resources for employer wellness programs.
With over 20 years of HR and benefits experience, Antonina assists clients with HR policy development, compensation comparisons and benefits plan design and administration. Prior to joining McGriff in 2003, Antonina was the Administration Manager/HR with an architectural firm Reina Torres, Account Manager – Reina is the assigned Account Manager for the City of Rialto. Reina has been in the insurance industry for over 17 years and joined McGriff in 2019. Her strengths include customer service, negotiating renewals and handling complicated claim issues for members. Reina will work closely with Trang and Renée and primarily be focused on daily client support including claims, eligibility and billing resolution. She coordinates with the communication team to develop communication materials and helps coordinate open enrollment and health fair activities. Reina also has a Bach elor’s degree in Healthcare Management with a Minor in Business.
Sandy Brown, Vice President/Account Executive - Sandy is the senior member of the Public Entity Practice service team for the City of Rialto. Sandy has been with McGriff for 18 years and over 22 years in the industry.
In addition, she holds the certification of Certified Government Benefits Administrator through State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA), SALGBA is one of the largest professional organizations providing government entities with educational and collaborative support. Sandy has significant expertise in helping public sector clients develop creative solutions surrounding their health and welfare benefit programs, enhance communications strategies and lead the account team in providing ex cellent service to our clients.
Niki Ross, Account Manager - Niki will provide additional client service support to the City of Rialto working closely with Sandy. Niki has been with McGriff for five years. In addition, she holds the certi fication of Certified Government Benefits Administrator through State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA), SALGBA is one of the largest professional organizations providing government entities with educational and collaborative support. Niki has a strong background in employee benefit communication and in HR and Compliance issues. She helps her clients strategically assess annual enrollment strategies and communications.
Jordan Nixon, Financial Analyst – Jordan is the assigned financial da ta and reporting analyst for the City of Rialto. Jordan has been with McGriff for four years and provides all standard reporting and data analytics to the City of Rialto. Jordan is highly engaged in his clients’ data needs working to customize data repor ts and analytics for the benefit of the client. Jordan is responsible for all monthly, quarterly and annual reporting including budget projections, financial forecasts, IBNR calculations and annual benefit benchmarking. Jordan serves a as member of McGriff’s National Financial Analytics and Reporting Team.
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j. How will you facilitate or participate in the implementation, communication, and enrollment process to assure a seamless product transition?
The McGriff employee communication strategy is comprised of four main parts:
Discovery / Strategy: Conduct communication strategy meeting with the C ity where, together, we outline the communication objectives, define the organizational benefit brand (if necessary), and establish a timeline for development and completion of the benefit pieces
Design: Our client-centric service team works with the City to manage the development and approval process for all communication pieces.
Implement: Conduct Open Enrollment meetings and ensure communication materials are distributed appropriately
Manage: Our team provides ongoing communication support for both new hires and, if desired, ongoing employee/retiree-focused communications
The McGriff Tactical Approach to Enrollment Communications takes a multifaceted approach that may include:
• Survey employees on current benefit communications and their overall program understanding; this will help us identify any potential areas of improvement • Review prior communication materials to determine their past effectiveness, thoroughness, and clarity
• We make recommendations based on our survey and review regarding optimized communication strategies, vehicles, and a timeline for implementation • We develop an Open Enrollment Strategy to determine the appropriate method(s) for enrollment support.
• Communication pieces during the year typically include:
Branded benefit guide for current employees/retirees and new hires; including required notices Web-based presentations to educate employee/retirees, available via a mobile device Email campaigns and streaming videos
Posters, postcards, and payroll stuffers
Employee/retiree benefits administrative portal
• Coordinate and facilitate on-site and online Annual Enrollment meetings and Health Fair. Meetings may include carrier representatives, if desired. Webinar meetings conduc ted can be recorded, if desired.
Further, McGriff expanded our digital communications portfolio to further build out our “virtual communication” tools and resources to help the City communicate more effectively with employee/retirees
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about benefits, open enrollment, financial -related issues, and other HR -related topics. McGriff has a standard video library to educate employee/retiree s about benefits. The library consists of 60 videos (1:30 - 2:00 minutes in length), in both English and Spanish, that provide an overview of the benefits and other HR topics. These services are included in our commissions.
Sample Employee Communications
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k. Provide any additional information regarding your organization or services that you feel would be beneficial in helping the City of Rialto to select a benefits broker.
Core Brokerage & Consulting Services
Strategic Planning
• Executive management meetings and benefits
philosophy development
• Development of 3-5 year strategy
• Benchmark plan design, costs and cost sharing
• Employee contribution strategies
• Development of prototype plan designs
provide to bring in additional member support
Underwriting & Actuarial
• Budget development, tracking, variance
analysis
• Rate development
• Multi-year cost projections and renewal
forecasting
• Large claim tracking - stop loss management (If
Applicable)
• Plan design modeling
• Experience monitoring (according to data
availability), including:
− Trend analysis
− Claim utilization analysis
− Utilization analysis
− Workforce demographic analysis and
profiling
− Review of network usage
Benefit Plan Renewal Process
• Evaluate alternatives to current plan strategy
and funding options that may better support
the City’s long-term needs
• Prepare alternative funding analysis and
actuarial analysis of claim reserves
• Develop a multi-year strategy and objectives
for benefit plans focused on reducing and
preventing health risks
• Conduct renewal negotiations with insurance
carriers and vendors
• Evaluate and make recommendations on
employee cost-sharing strategies
• Produce renewal projections
• Work with vendors to review performance of
programs in areas including large claims,
network utilization, provider discounts,
utilization, etc. Provide recommendations for
improving cost-management performance
• Analyze employee/retiree demographics to
identify trends, pattern and potential cost
drivers
• Recommend new programs that increase plan
value and support plan objectives
Vendor Marketing Review & Management
• Develop requests to solicit proposals from
ancillary vendors
• Request proposals and analyze vendor
submissions to assess product capability and
fit, network access and quality, health
management capabilities and tools,
employee/retiree resources and tools,
reporting and analytics and overall costs
• Summarize results and provide
recommendation for selecting a vendor that
will best support the City’s objectives going
forward
• Assist with changes to vendors, processes and
programs
• Negotiate performance guarantees with
vendors
• Assist with ongoing vendor management and
resolution to problems as they occur
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Core Brokerage & Consulting Services
Plan Communications & Open Enrollment/Health Fair Service and Support • Coordinate open enrollment and develop
communication strategy
• Design and develop customized benefits
enrollment guide for new hires and open
enrollments that can be distributed
electronically
• Develop customized open enrollment
presentation for City employee/retirees and
conduct enrollment meetings and webinars as
necessary
• Coordinate and communicate renewal
decisions with all vendors to ensure accuracy
of systems and benefit information
• Provide support for administrative system
updates and file feeds.
• Coordinate and attend on-site carrier meetings
Ongoing Service Support for Plan Management & Compliance • Review all vendor contracts for compliance on
a continuing basis to ensure federal
compliance
• Review & maintain copies of current plan SPDs
• Participate in ongoing benefits strategy
meetings with the City
• Continually work to identify issues and
exposures to the City benefit offerings
• Provide updates and commentary on impact of
legislative and regulatory changes
• Evaluate vendor-provided reports on claims,
premiums and enrollments and provide
summary of findings (As data is available)
• Provide support for understanding and
implementing changes in plans and
administration required under Health Care
Reform legislation including affordability and
minimum value
• Act as a resource for other policies and
procedures that are impacted by the insurance
benefits (i.e., vacation, sick leave, LOA policies,
FMLA, etc.)
• Ongoing invitations to McGriff compliance
seminar series
• Provide annual compliance guide
Wellness Consulting Services
• Wellness Vendor RFP
• Review of claims, demographics, and utilization
data to identify key health issues and cost
drivers in the City’s population and provide
recommendations for improving performance
• Provide recommendation for developing a
organization wellness strategy based on key
clinical and cost issues identified in the City’s
population
• Provide recommendations for implementing
online health risk assessments, on-site
biometric screenings and other programs that
can be used to augment current wellness
initiatives
• Review health plan benefits to assess potential
integration with wellness initiatives
• Manage and administer wellness marketing
and communications
• Supervise the performance of the program
overall
• Analyze results and recommend wellness
program activities and modifications
• Provide wellness communications
• Flu Shot Clinic coordination and oversight
HR Support Services (HR Training – Provided By McGriff) • Monthly HR educational webinars on a broad
range of HR topics - SHRM CE credit approved
COBRA Administration – No cost to the City
• Mineral (formerly Think HR)
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l. Please detail your administrative capabilities on benefits plan compliance issues.
With the vast number of benefits -related rules and regulations, you need a trusted partner who can help manage the risks associated with providing employee benefits. To assist the City of Rialto staff with annual audits to e nsure compliance with all mandated reporting and posting/notice requirements for its benefit plans, McGriff will utilize its team of in-house attorneys and legal advisors that operate through our McGriff platform. Our compliance team of legally-trained advisors and seasoned HR professionals proactively monitor changes in regulations that may impact your benefits including ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, ADA and GINA, and then provide timely and actionable guidance. They are also available on a daily basis to assist our consultants in resolving the complex issues and problems that our clients face, However, please note that while they are a valuable resource to provide our consultants and clients prompt, reliable and articulate responses – insurance brokers, including McGriff, are not authorized to practice law and recommend that clients continue to use independent counsel for legal opinions.
In addition to our in -house legal counsel, M cGriff maintains a relationship with t he Ogletree Deakins Law Firm to provide legal services that exceed our scope . This is a value -added benefit included in our scope of services.
This team also advises our consultants on the growing legal obligations and regulatory requirements that our clients face with respect to their benefit plans. Our compliance resources track and report on federal and state legislative activity, highlighting important topics through:
• Compliance Alerts: published as needed to provide timely information, which our senior consultants review, interpret, and communicate to clients as appropriate. • McGriff Newsletters: published weekly and monthly to communicate industry trends, corporate wellness inform ation, and legislative and compliance updates. These updates not only provide a thorough review of the upcoming changes, but also detail out the steps you can take to address them in your organization.
• Webinars: provided to clients and staff with in-depth information on the laws, regulations, and topics affecting employee benefits.
Ongoing Service Support for Plan Management & Compliance • Review all vendor contracts for compliance on a continuing basis to ensure federal and stat e compliance
• Review and maintain copies of current plan SPDs
• Participate in ongoing benefits strategy meetings with the City of Rialto • Continually work to identify issues and exposures to the City of Rialto benefit offerings • Provide updates and commentary on impact of legislative and regulatory changes
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• Evaluate vendor -provided monthly reports on claims, premiums and enrollments and provide summary of findings each month
• Provide support for understanding and implementing changes in plans and administration required under Health Care Reform legislation including affordability and minimum value. • Act as a resource for other policies and procedures that are impacted by the insurance benefits (i.e., vacation, sick leave, LOA policies, FMLA, etc.)
• Ongoing invitations to McGriff compliance seminar series • Provide annual compliance guide
HIPAA
We provide training regarding our Written Information Security Protocol to all employees who will have access to Personal Health Information (PHI). Additionally, all employees are required to complete HIPAA privacy and security training, with different levels of training required based on the amount of PHI to which the employee has access.
Employees, independent contractors, and consultants must not keep open documents or files containing PHI on their desks or in any ot her unsecured, unattended place after business hours. This policy applies to both hard copies and electronic copies of records and files containing PHI. At the end of the workday, all files and other records containing PHI must be secured in a manner that is consistent with our Written Information Security Protocol and the requirements of the Regulations.
McGriff also provides support to clients for their internal HIPAA compliance needs, ACA Reporting and Summary Annual Report. Annual reporting compliance is part of our standard engagement.
Services provided at no additional cost include:
• ACA Reporting Consulting
• 6055 / 6056 Reporting (assistance)
• Wrap documents
• Summary Annual Report (SAR)
• Required participant notices
Services that would require an additional fee include:
• ACA Reporting Administration
• Discrimination testing
• Dependent Eligibility Audit
• DOL audit preparation
• Other actuarial projects outside of proposed Scope of Services
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Sample Newsletters, Compliance Alerts and Reports
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m. Please provide any background company data that will help identify financial stability.
McGriff is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings, the 6th largest insurance broker in the United States and the 7th in the world. Truist Insurance Holdings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Charlotte, N.C.-based Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC); merger of equals between SunTrust Banks and BB&T. Truist is one of the country’s largest and best-managed financial institutions with assets approaching $525 billion. As part of Truist Financial, McGriff operates under the global mission of our organization – to inspire and live better lives and communities. Further, unlike many of our competitors, we operate with access to permanent capital and no debt.
n. Explain what makes your organization unique from other organizations that may submit a proposal for consideration by the City of Rialto.
McGriff has been servicing public and governmental entity accounts for over 30 years and our Public Entity practice is one of the strongest indu stry vert icals within McGriff. McGriff has over 2600 public and governmental entity clients nationally.
Through our tenure, experience and seasoned account teams, we have become well versed with navigating the different intricacies that separate public entity clients from the private sector. This includes providing services such as accurate and timely financial reporting that helps municipalities meet budgeting requirements; aiding in the design and implementation of RFP’s for vendor services, while ad hering to fair practice, compliance and ethics requirements; assisting HR and Benefits staff in presenting findings and recommendations to leadership and Council ; understanding the collective bargained environment and that maintaining the integrity of the b enefits while containing costs is essential and providing creative solutions and gaining consensus among all stakeholders are a must in developing a successful benefits program.
We also believe we set ourselves apart from the competition by the following:
• Passion: We walk the talk, having been named one of America’s Top 100 Healthiest Employers.
• Independent: Our loyalty is and always will be to our clients and their employee/retirees. Our consultative approach to business allows us to be truly objective in our analysis of carriers, products and their financial underwriting analysis.
• Experienced: At McGriff Irvine, we service large complex accounts in both domestic and international locations, including acting as the advisor to our parent company Truist, and their 60,000 employees. • Focused: We manage our clients’ employee benefits program while protecting their most valuable resource – their employees.
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• Flexible: The size of our firm combined with our expertise allows us to seek solutions far beyond the ordinary, while exploring ways to provide our clients the means for meeting their goals. • Committed: We are committed to delivering the most comprehensive, cost effective benefit programs for our clients.
It’s our highly consultative, hands-on approach that makes McGriff Insurance Services different. Simply put, our focus is on you. When you talk, we honestly listen. When you tell us about your priorities, challenges and values, you’ll have our undivided attention. When we provide guidance, it will always be with your best interest at heart.
COBRA
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II. COBRA
a. Do you provide COBRA administrative services? If yes, please explain the services provided and whether there is an additional fee associated with this service.
COBRA Administration – We offer complete CO BRA administration solutions, wherein we administer COBRA within full compliance of all laws and regulations, and offer both self -service and telephonic support for both participants and HR staff. We offer this as a value -added service to all of our clients. If the City has a preferred vendor they would like to work with McGriff will pay the monthly administrative fee on behalf of the City.
III. Broker / Value Added
Services
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III. Broker / Value Added Services
a. Does your firm have experience in developing/assisting Wellness Programs, Disease Management Programs, Health Fairs or Employee Assistance Programs? Please provide names of clients who have utilized these offerings in the last 24 months.
McGriff will provide the City of Rialto with a wellness and preventive health analysis of employees and claims experience (if available). After identifying risks, cost drivers, and challenges facing employee health, our experts can develop and implement a successful wellness and engagement strategy, personalized to the City’s specific culture and aligned with City of Rialto’s goals.
Traditional programs rely significantly on historical claims data to identify the highest -cost employees and then offer support to help them manage their condition. However, to truly improve outcomes and reduce costs, we recommend a comprehensive approach that includes:
• Determining risks using claims data in conjunction with the City’s culture, industry benchmarks, population health trends, and current research
• Total well-being strategies to improve health and increase productivity, morale, and retention • Reducing barriers to engagement and promoting behavioral change • Program Assessment – We help with data collection and review, historical analysis, defining goals, and understanding cultural considerations.
• Strategic Planning and Development – We assist in the development of multi-year strategies and phased approaches, offer guidance in evaluating vendors, and provide ongoing support. • Consultative Support and Stewardship – Developing and maintaining an effe ctive clinical wellness program requires a multi-faceted approach that evolves with your employees. We work with the City for the long-term as a trusted advisor providing support for strategic initiatives and helping to address challenges.
• Thought Leadership – Stay up to date on the latest workplace wellness industry trends with white papers, email alerts, webinars and in-person presentations.
Examples of resources we provide:
• Environmental assessment of the City policies and worksite issues relating to wel lness to support design and development of the City health management program • Guidance for implementing health risk assessments, on -site biometric screenings and all supporting wellness programming
• Wellness Account Management
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• Manage and administer wellness marketing and communications • Customer service for both the City and the employee
• Supervise the performance of the program overall
• Analyze results and recommend wellness program activities and modifications • Provide standard monthly wellness communications
• Vendor Management and Operational Liaison
• Biometric Screening/Health Screening coordination and oversight – screening tests include blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol/HDL, body fat and BMI • Incentive Rewards oversight and management
• Online and mobile consumer engagement and wellness rewards technology and management • Program Administration and Customer Support
• Incentive Rewards platform implementation
• Outcomes-based wellness initiatives
• Data integration to Incentive Rewards and enrollment system • Update employee rates
Further, McGriff is strongly committed to improving the effectiveness of condition/disease management programs for medically enrolled at risk members including the embedded wellness initiatives. We focus on several key metrics for both carrier based disease management programs and external carve-out programs:
• We mine the claims data to determine which chronic diseases are the most prevalence and most costly in the employee/retiree population
• We determine the number of members eligible for t he disease management program based on medical and prescription drug claims data.
• We track the number of eligible members who are actively participating in the disease management program
• We verify the number of participating members who “graduate” from the program. • We evaluate the above data metrics over a multi-year period instead of focusing on a point in time.
We consider wellness/clinical care management consulting part of our core services. Clinical wellness solutions can help clients manage financial risk by positively impacting employee health, morale, and retention. We integrate well-being with other appropriate resources in data analytics, human resource consulting, risk management, and technology to provide comprehensive, long -term solutions. By pr oviding
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on-going support and identifying unique population considerations and goals, we develop multi -faceted strategic initiatives that allow employee to lead healthier lives. Our goals would be to:
• Increase employee productivity, reduce absenteeism, and increase profits • Properly inform and encourage employees to take an active role in managing their health • Promote a culture of health and well-being to drive engagement and better outcomes • Reduce medical claims cost by improving the health of your employees • Provide industry trends and best practices to continue the evolution and improvement of employee health programs
Clinical Care Management Consulting includes:
• Clinical analytics to understand the health cost drivers in the employee population - health r isks, chronic disease, maternity, large claims, etc.
• Clinical director review of the analytics and recommendations on areas of focus • In collaboration with Wellness staff, development of a corporate population health management strategy based on key clinical, health risk and cost issues • Performance evaluation of carrier disease, large case, and pharmacy management programs, comparison of performance results against industry best practice performance standards and recommendations for performance improvement
• Semi-annual reporting and interpretation of clinical analytics and carrier performance in disease management, case management, and pharmacy management
• Annual recommendations on benefit design and medical plan strategy to drive employee health improvement, appropriate medical care and employee engagement in wellness initiatives and care management programs
• Health plan benefit design review to assess potential integration with wellness initiatives
b. Does your firm provide the necessary resources to generate annual "Employee Benefit Statements"? Yes, McGriff can provide the necessary resources to generate “Annual Benefit Statements”.
c. What additional services does your firm provide (i.e. ACA reporting, New Hire Benefits Orientation, Virtual Options)?
Pharmacy Benefit Consulting
McGriff offers expertise to help the City of Rialto understand how pharmacy care services is an important benefit component and how pharmacy data often provides the earliest insights of member engagement with
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the healthcare system. We can help the City of Rialto understand its unique pharmacy data trends and how it affects overall plan costs. Further, we can provide an independent observation and affect pharmacy vendor compliance and financial competiveness – all in a transparent manner consistent with our values and client centric approach.
When you engage with McGriff, our pharmacy experts independently review and update key areas including:
• RFP management to assist in vendor selection and ensure stringent contract terms • Contract and Pricing negotiations
• Data analytics review with clinical and economic observations • Trend reporting to provide future population health projections • Clinical program strategy including gaps in care, drug adherence and utilization management • Specialty drug management through plan design and manufacturer assistance programs • Pharmacy Network options including 90 days at retail, limited networks and onsite pharmacies • Employee Clinic Pharmacy services and 340B management, if applicable • Audit services to validate that all financial and administrative PGs are met or reconciled
Voluntary Benefits Consulting
Voluntary Benefits is a hot topic and we understand why. As part of Truist, the nation’s 6th largest commercial bank, we recognize the financial concerns of working Americans. Ninety percent (90%) of middle- income American families are not confident they have enough savings to cover family emergencies according to Truist survey. Encompassing offerings from dental and vision to critical illness, voluntary benefits provide important coverage and soften the financial and emotional impacts of a critical illness or unexpected medical event providing needed security to employees and their families.
Supplemental medical benefits may include traditional plans such as dental and vision but standardly, include financial protection such as Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Accident Insurance. Newer and growing coverages include Emergency Medical Transport, Student Loan R eimbursement, Pet Insurance and ID Theft Protection. Further, our services include enrollment and educational support by experienced and licensed personnel.
McGriff believes well-designed Voluntary benefits are a creative way to help the City of Rialto meet internal and total rewards objectives and employees’ needs and added flexibility:
• Added flexibility – With today’s changing workforce, 70% of millennials and 59% of Gen X employees are looking for benefits that are more flexible.
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• Offer student loan assistance - About 86% of millennials say student loan repayment assistance is an important benefit and a must have. In fact, these benefits can play a large role in recruitment and retention efforts.
• Drive employee engagement: for example, increase employee participation in consumer directed or on-demand care when complemented by strong voluntary benefits program. • Fill gaps and cut costs: Voluntary benefits can help control costs, improve compliance and fill coverage gaps for your employees.
For many, COVID -19 has increased financial insecurity a nd financial wellness is a growing need more and more employees’ desire. Voluntary Benefits are advantageous to employers and employees alike. We have the consulting expertise to successfully modify and redesign your Voluntary Benefit program to align wit h the City’s global benefits strategy including the ability to consult on benef it administration technology, vendors and support personalize employee enrollment and plan education.
Health Fairs
McGriff assists in all aspects of our clients’ health fairs, from the planning phase to breakdown and clean-up.
When it comes to the City’s benefits program we envision our team as an extension of your benefits department so however we can help we are there to do so. Whether that’s developing a theme, bringing in vendors, coordinating set-up, developing communication materials or sitting behind a booth and answering questions, we will be there for you.
Employee Assistance Programs
Employee Assistance Programs are more important now than ever. McGriff works with each client to design a program that meets the sp ecific needs of their organization . McGriff understand the public sector and municipalities. When designing an Employee Assistance Program it needs to take into consideration Department of Transportation requirements , Skelly Process, Last Chance Agreements and other regulatory and internal policies that are unique to the public sector and the City of Rialto. We’ ve done this time and time again for our public entity clients and we will do this as part of the Employee Benefits Consulting Scope of Services included in this RFP.
d. Does your firm provide training and education for city employees? Yes, McGriff can provide training to city employees in all aspects of employee benefits ranging from underwriting to HIPAA compliance. We can provide training both on site or via Web-ex.
Attachments
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City of Rialto
Core Brokerage & Consulting Services
Strategic Planning
• Executive management meetings and benefits
philosophy development
• Development of 3-5 year strategy
• Benchmark plan design, costs and cost sharing
• Employee contribution strategies
• Development of prototype plan designs
provide to bring in additional members support
Included in
Commission
Underwriting & Actuarial
• Budget development, tracking, variance analysis
• Rate development
• Multi-year cost projections and renewal forecasting
• Large claim tracking - stop loss management
(If Applicable)
• Plan design modeling
• Experience monitoring (according to data
availability), including:
− Trend analysis
− Claim utilization analysis
− Utilization analysis
− Workforce demographic analysis and
profiling
− Review of network usage
Included in
Commission
Benefit Plan Renewal Process
• Evaluate alternatives to current plan strategy and
funding options that may better support the City’s
long-term needs
• Prepare alternative funding analysis and actuarial
analysis of claim reserves
• Develop a multi-year strategy and objectives for
benefit plans focused on reducing and preventing
health risks
• Conduct renewal negotiations with insurance
carriers and vendors
• Evaluate and make recommendations on employee
cost-sharing strategies
• Produce renewal projections
• Work with vendors to review performance of the
City’s programs in areas including large claims,
network utilization, provider discounts, general
utilization, etc. Provide recommendations for
improving cost-management performance
• Analyze employee demographics to identify
trends, pattern and potential cost drivers
• Recommend new programs that increase plan
value and support plan objectives
Included in
Commission
Employee Benefit Solutions
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Vendor Marketing Review & Vendor Management
• Develop requests to solicit proposals from ancillary
vendors
• Request proposals and analyze vendor submissions
to assess product capability and fit, network access
and quality, health management capabilities and
tools, employee resources and tools, reporting and
analytics and overall costs
• Summarize results and provide recommendation for
selecting a vendor that will best support the City’s
objectives going forward
• Assist with changes to vendors, processes and
programs
• Negotiate performance guarantees with
vendors
• Assist with ongoing vendor management and
resolution to problems as they occur
Included in
Commission
Plan Communications & Open Enrollment Service and Support • Coordinate open enrollment and develop
communication strategy
• Design and develop customized benefits
enrollment guide for new hires and open
enrollments that can be distributed
electronically
• Develop customized open enrollment
presentation for the City’s
employees/retirees and conduct enrollment
meetings and webinars as necessary
• Coordinate and communicate renewal
decisions with all vendors to ensure accuracy
of systems and benefit information
• Provide support for administrative system
updates and file feeds.
• Coordinate and attend on-site enrollment
meetings.
• Health Fair coordination and communication
support
Included in
Commission
Ongoing Service Support for Plan Management & Compliance • Review all vendor contracts for compliance on a
continuing basis to ensure federal compliance
• Review and maintain copies of current plan SPDs
• Participate in ongoing benefits strategy meetings
with your company
• Continually work to identify issues and exposures to
the City’s benefit offerings
• Provide updates and commentary on impact of
legislative and regulatory changes
• Evaluate vendor-provided reports on claims,
premiums and enrollments and provide summary
of findings (As data is available)
• Provide support for understanding and
implementing changes in plans and
administration required under Health
• Care Reform legislation including affordability
and minimum value.
• Act as a resource for other policies and
procedures that are impacted by the insurance
benefits (i.e., vacation, sick leave, LOA policies,
FMLA, etc.)
• Ongoing invitations to McGriff compliance
seminar series
• Provide annual compliance guide
Included in
Commission
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Wellness Consulting Services
• Wellness Vendor RFP
• Review of claims, demographics, and utilization data
to identify key health issues and cost drivers the
City’s population and provide recommendations for
improving performance
• Provide recommendation for developing a
organization-wide wellness strategy based on key
clinical and cost issues identified in the City’s
population
• Provide recommendations for implementing online
health risk assessments, on-si
te biometric screenings
and other programs that can be used to augment
current wellness initiatives
• Review health plan benefits to assess
potential integration with wellness initiatives
• Manage and administer wellness marketing
and communications
• Supervise the performance of the program
overall
• Analyze results and recommend wellness
program activities and modifications
• Provide wellness communications
• Flu Shot Clinic coordination and oversight
Included in
Commission
HR Support Services (HR Training – Provided By McGriff) • Monthly HR educational webinars on a broad range of HR topics • SHRM approved for CE credit
• Mineral (formerly Think HR) – robust on-line resource with live advisor, reliable content and interactive technology solutions that provides an end-to end People Risk Management Section.
Included in
Commission
COBRA Administration Included in Commission
McGriff Insurance Services agrees to the current commission levels built into the City’s existing lines of coverages covered under the Scope of Services in this RFP. In addition, any additional services presented and advised as covered without an additional fee, such as COBRA Administration, will also be covered under said commissions.
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McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings, Inc.
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