Columbus County Schools Voluntary Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting Services RFP
| Agency: | State Government of North Carolina |
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| State: | North Carolina |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| NAICS Category: |
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| Posted Date: | Aug 3, 2026 |
| Due Date: | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Solicitation No: | 171-171-26-203 |
| Original Source: | Please Login to View Page |
| Contact information: | Please Login to View Page |
| Bid Documents: | Please Login to View Page |
Description
| Solicitation Number: | 171-171-26-203 |
| Project Title: | Columbus County Schools Voluntary Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting Services RFP |
| Description: | Columbus County Schools is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide Section 125 Flexible Benefit Plan Administration and Voluntary Employee Benefit Brokerage/Consulting Services for the plan year beginning July 1, 2027. Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on September 1, 2026. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. |
| Opening Date: | 9/1/2026 4:00 PM |
| Posted Date: | 8/3/2026 |
| Status: | Open |
| Department: | COLUMBUS COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION |
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Solicitation Number
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171-171-26-203
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Department
COLUMBUS COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
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Status Reason
Open
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Opening Date
2026-09-01T16:00:00.0000000
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Posted Date
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2026-08-03T14:18:58.0000000Z
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Primary Commodity Code
Life and health and accident insurance
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Mandatory Conference/Site Visit
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Special Instructions
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Solicitation Type
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RFP
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Owner
Clarissa Harris
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Description
Columbus County Schools is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide Section 125 Flexible Benefit Plan Administration and Voluntary Employee Benefit Brokerage/Consulting Services for the plan year beginning July 1, 2027. Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on September 1, 2026. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered.
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Attachment Preview
COLUMBUS COUNTY SCHOOLS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Section 125 Voluntary Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting Services
RFP Number:
171-171-26-203
Issue Date:
August 3, 2026
Proposal Due Date/Bid Opening Date:
September 1, 2026, by 4:00 p.m. EST
Note submissions may be received by email at ccox@columbus.k12.nc.us or by mail at the
Proposal Submission Contact:
Proposal Submission Contact:
Connie Cox
Columbus County Schools Central Services
2586 James B. White Highway North
Whiteville, North Carolina 28472
All submissions must be received by September 1, 2026 at 4PM regardless of the method of
submission.
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
Columbus County Schools is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide Section 125
Flexible Benefit Plan Administration and Voluntary Employee Benefit Brokerage/Consulting
Services for the plan year beginning July 1, 2027.
Sealed proposals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. EST on September 1, 2026. Proposals
received after this deadline will not be considered.
The outside of the sealed proposal package shall clearly identify:
• Firm Name
• Primary Contact Person
• “RFP – Section 125 Voluntary Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting Services”
Respondents shall submit a minimum of three (3) printed copies of the proposal.
Columbus County Schools reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive informalities,
request additional information, conduct interviews, and select the proposal deemed to be in
the best interest of the school district.
I. PURPOSE
Columbus County Schools seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide comprehensive
Section 125 Flexible Benefit Plan Administration and Voluntary Employee Benefit Brokerage
Services for district employees.
This Request for Proposals does not indicate dissatisfaction with the current provider. Rather,
Columbus County Schools is committed to ensuring that employees continue to receive the
highest quality benefit products, services, enrollment support, and administrative assistance
available in the marketplace.
As of August 3, 2026, Columbus County Schools consists of:
• 776 Full-Time Employees
• Approximately 40 Part-Time Employees
• 12 Schools
• District Central Office
• Transportation Department
• Maintenance Department
II. SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Board of Education desires to contract with one qualified firm to provide and administer a
comprehensive Section 125 Flexible Benefits Program.
The selected firm shall demonstrate the ability to market, administer, enroll, service, and
support voluntary employee benefits through a comprehensive benefits platform.
Services shall include, but not be limited to:
Section 125 Administration
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Administration
• Required Nondiscrimination Testing
• Compliance Reporting
• Plan Document Preparation and Maintenance
• IRS Compliance Monitoring
• Employee Record Management
Voluntary Benefits Brokerage Services
The successful proposer shall demonstrate the capability to competitively market and
administer voluntary benefits including, but not limited to:
• Cancer Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Other Supplemental Benefits
The selected vendor shall possess the expertise necessary to effectively “shop the market” and
present competitive benefit offerings to employees.
III. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
The selected vendor shall:
• Conduct all required discrimination testing.
• Prepare and maintain all required Section 125 plan documentation.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws.
• Maintain accurate records.
• Provide employee support services.
• Administer payroll deduction files.
• Coordinate enrollment activities.
• Assist with annual open enrollment.
• Provide post-enrollment reconciliation and reporting.
Columbus County Schools intends to continue payroll deduction and pretax treatment for
employees who currently maintain eligible products and elect to continue coverage.
IV. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Respondents must:
• Be licensed to conduct business in North Carolina.
• Maintain all required insurance licenses throughout the contract period.
• Demonstrate experience administering benefits programs for employers with a
minimum of 500 employees.
• Provide at least five (5) references from organizations with 500 or more employees
where the proposer currently provides both:
o Flexible Benefit Administration
o Voluntary Employee Benefits
References shall include:
• Organization Name
• Contact Person
• Number of Employees
• Telephone Number
• Email Address
V. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated based upon:
Qualifications and Experience
• Experience administering Section 125 plans
• Experience serving public school systems
• Qualifications of assigned personnel
Benefit Design and Product Offerings
• Breadth and quality of products
• Market competitiveness
• Carrier selection process
Enrollment and Communication Services
• Employee education
• Enrollment support
• Communication strategies
Technology and Administrative Services
• Online enrollment capabilities
• Billing reconciliation
• Payroll integration
• Reporting capabilities
Cost Effectiveness
• Cost to Columbus County Schools
• Administrative fees
• Overall value provided
References and Performance History
• Client satisfaction
• Service responsiveness
• Retention history
VI. REQUIRED QUESTIONNAIRE
Respondents shall answer the following questions completely.
1. Is your firm a broker, consultant, or insurance carrier? Describe your organizational
structure.
2. What experience does your organization have with Flexible Benefit Administration?
3. Do you provide a Flex Card (debit card)? Is it IRS compliant?
4. List all fees associated with Flexible Spending Accounts.
5. Describe your communication and enrollment process.
6. Who conducts enrollments? Describe their experience with North Carolina public
schools.
7. Include enrollment materials and communication samples.
8. Do you provide online enrollment? If yes, describe.
9. List costs associated with enrollment materials and services.
10. Confirm Columbus County Schools will not incur consulting fees and describe
compensation arrangements.
11. Provide a sample benefit election form.
12. Do you provide toll-free employee support?
13. Do you provide a personalized interactive benefits website?
14. Do you provide plan documents? If so, at what cost?
15. Describe your billing process.
16. Describe your payroll deduction data return process.
This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.
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* Disclaimer: This website provides information about bids, requests for proposals (RFPs), or requests for qualifications (RFQs) for convenience only and does not serve as an official public notice. Individuals who wish to respond to or inquire about bids, RFPs, or RFQs should contact the relevant government department directly.