B. Present plan enhancement and/or cost reduction strategies whenever possible. C. Enhance plan communication and legal compliance efforts.

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1 Dear : Union College is soliciting proposals from insurance brokers/consultants qualified to perform and interested in performing brokerage and consulting services for the modification and refinement of Union s Health and Welfare plans. Interested and qualified brokers/consultants who have demonstrated their ability at comparable work are invited to submit proposals. Our major objectives are to: A. Maintain a benefits program that meets the diverse needs of Union s active employee and retiree population in a most cost effective manner. B. Present plan enhancement and/or cost reduction strategies whenever possible. C. Enhance plan communication and legal compliance efforts. To assist you in responding I have included a list of Union College Health & Welfare plan perceived consulting needs, statistical information about Union College s current enrollments, a summary of benefit plan components and current flexible benefit plan enrollment materials. SCOPE OF SERVICES - BENEFITS Union College is seeking a broker/consultant to perform the full range of services related to the design, implementation, maintenance, communication, and improvement of the group medical, dental, disability, life, AD&D, and voluntary insurance programs. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1. Assisting the Human Resource Director in administering all group insurance plans, responding to questions from and providing information to staff, and providing other consulting services during the course of the plan year. 2. Assisting Union College in complying with laws and regulations related to employee benefits.

2 Page Two 3. Reviewing claims experience, claim service, and claim administration to ensure maximum benefit to Union College. 4. Determining and recommending the most economical funding methods for the benefit programs. 5. Representing Union College in all negotiations with providers on all issues including those related to premiums, benefit levels, plan design, and special terms and conditions. 6. Meeting with and providing reports to various Union College representatives. 7. Assisting Union College with the implementation and communication of new programs or changes to existing programs, which may include attending and presenting information to Union College employees. 8. Researching and advising Union College of any new developments in the law and employee benefit programs on an ongoing basis. 9. As requested by Union College, preparing bid specifications and soliciting proposals from insurance markets that specialize in group insurance plans as needed. Evaluate bids and bidders, including administration, claim payment procedures, customer service, network, reserve establishment policies, financial soundness, and identifying the most cost-beneficial package from among the various bidders. 10. Interface with insurance carriers as needed to assist Union College in the resolution of problems associated with the benefit programs. THE RFP PROCESS Please follow the procedures outlined under the RFP PROCESS in preparing your response and structure your proposal to address the items listed under the RFP PROPOSAL. This request for proposal has been structured to reduce, where possible, the time and effort needed to prepare a response and for Union College to evaluate the proposal. Brief, direct and factual responses are preferred. Two separate documents are requested so that the selection team can separately review your company s service capabilities without being biased by pricing information. Both documents must be signed by an individual authorized to commit your company to provide the proposed services at the proposed fees. The Business Response should also include a statement of commitment that can be accepted by Union College at its discretion on or before May 1, Effective date for transition would be July 1, I. Two separate documents must be submitted, as follows: A Technical Proposal, presenting your company s services, and A Business Proposal, presenting your company s fees related to the performance of service outlined in the Technical Proposal.

3 Page Three Pricing of services is critical to the selection of a successful consultant. We are aware that there are different pricing models, and plan costs can be borne by different groups (plan sponsor, participants, consultant discounts...). These pricing procedures provide a basis for comparing candidate responses. Pricing must contain a risk element. A total fee is set based upon the projects outlined. A portion of this fee is forfeited, if the work is not completed. II. Responses must be submitted to: Eric Noll, SPHR Director of Human Resources UNION COLLEGE 807 Union Street Schenectady, NY nolle@union.edu Responses must be received by 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on or before March 1, Responses received after this time may eliminate the candidate from consideration. III. Selection Process Selection of the most responsible proposals will be made after a review and analysis by Union College. Other experts, interested parties or employee representatives may be consulted to advise staff during the review and analysis process. Respondents may be requested to meet with Union College representatives and advisors to expand on proposal qualifications and experience. IV. Selection Criteria The successful consultant will be selected upon the demonstrated ability to: 1. Act as a partner with Union College to implement, administer, and communicate the benefit program or programs, and assist with compliance of the programs immediately and in the future. 2. Positively impact claims costs through the use of creative plan design, financial analysis and protocols that provide the right care, on a timely basis, in the most appropriate setting. 3. Provide forward-thinking approaches to impacting future claims costs with a focus on identification of risk and proactive intervention to improve the health of their employees. 4. Provide the lowest reasonable costs consistent with Union College s objectives. 5. Provide a proven account manager who will be focused on Union College. 6. Provide superior levels of service to their employees and administrative staff through the use of state-of-the-art technology.

4 Page Four V. General Information All proposals and related materials become the property of Union College and may be returned only at its option. Union College is not obligated to accept any proposal or to negotiate with any proposal. All transactions are subject to the final approval of Union College who reserves the right to reject any or all proposals without cause for liability. All costs directly or indirectly related to responding to this RFP (including all costs incurred in supplementary documentation, information or presentation) will be borne by the proposer. VI. The RFP Proposal - The consultant should provide: A. Plan Design 1. A detailed analysis of current benefits. 2. A benefit strategy that will best meet the varying needs of employees at all levels of the organization. 3. An understanding of the design challenges of providing health and welfare benefits to college employees. 4. A description of your approach and capabilities in terms of designing new programs and fine tuning existing plans. 5. An explanation of any specialized techniques your firm may use to gather employee input and the kind of data your firm maintains for bench marking benefit design -- particularly as it relates to health and welfare plans at Colleges and Universities. 6. A description of the major Employee Benefit-related issues facing Colleges and Universities. B. Plan Administration and Record keeping/data Collection 1. Assistance in the appropriate selection of insurance carriers and/or plan administrators. 2. Skill in negotiating contracts on our behalf. Describe your firm s experience. 3. Experience and recommendations regarding alternative enrollment methods. 4. Administrative and reporting systems to ensure accurate system-wide reporting and analysis.

5 Page Five 5. Summary of reports that will be provided by your firm. Standard TPA and carrier reports can be used as the source for information. 6. A description of your firm s ability to perform projections of medical and dental claims and expenses, analysis of funding requirements, and changes in contribution rates for self-insured medical and dental plans. 7. Oversight (monitoring) of the performance of insurance carriers, TPAs and other health and welfare vendors, including claims audits. 8. Measurement tools to evaluate the success/failure of programs. 9. Information on systems to record, save and track data. 10. An outline of the structure of the service team that will be assigned to our account. C. Regulatory Compliance Services About Your Company 1. A description of your role in plan documentation, as well as compliance with ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, State Mandates, etc. 1. Identify your firm s experience with respect to similar benefit projects and what makes your firm uniquely qualified for this project. 2. Describe any recent action your firm has taken which demonstrates leadership in the employee benefits field. 3. How your philosophy and approach may vary between college and non-college clients and between non-profit and for-profit clients. 4. Describe the function, reporting relationships and locations of each person responsible for this account. 5. Provide a resume of the individual who will have primary responsibility for the account. Provide a brief biography of others who will be involved on the account, with a description of the role each will play in the project and any relevant experience each has had with respect to similar projects. 6. Describe three recent client assignments that achieved significant cost reductions without major benefit reductions. 7. Identify three clients (College or University if possible) that you have worked with that we may contact for reference purposes. 8. What steps your firm has taken to ensure that quality products and services are delivered?

6 Page Six 9. How you would guarantee access to records in the event you were succeeded by another firm. Implementation Process 1. Develop a project time line, summarizing the entire process beginning with this proposal. 2. Explain the transition process you would employ if your bid is successful. Include a detailed description of the implementation plan, our role in the process, data requirements and time frames. 3. Total number of projected hours required for this project. - At Union College - At Your Place of Business If you have any questions or require additional information please call or . Thank you! Sincerely, Eric Noll, SPHR Director of Human Resources Phone: (518) nolle@union.edu