Group life insurance - U.S. Embassy Brussels, Belgium

The Regional Procurement Support Office in Frankfurt intends to procure, on a noncompetitive basis, from Athora Belgium nv, Brussels, Belgium, Group life insurance services on behalf of U.S. Mission Belgium.

This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract. The purpose of this procurement is to obtain group life insurance coverage for U.S. Mission Belgium employees, for a base period of 12 months with four additional option year periods.

Athora is Mission Belgium’s provider for Posts’ Supplemental Retirement Plan. Post Brussels began with a Supplemental Retirement Plan in the 1980’s after Locally Employed Staff were no longer eligible to be hired under the American Civil Service Retirement (CSR) plan. The SRP is part of the salary of the employee and according to Belgian law, cannot be changed unilaterally, therefore all benefits derived from the initial retirement plan must continue regardless of future changes to the retirement plan mechanism. Following the ending of employees being hired under the CSR, the Mission created a new SRP with defined benefit.

In Belgium it is standard for the group life insurance to be included in the SRP. Currently the group life insurance for Mission Belgium employees is not included in the supplemental retirement plan but rather have a separate plan for life insurance that would allow both types of employees (those employees grandfathered in on the CSR and those hired after the ending of CSR) to be covered. This created the current ‘non standard’ situation, i.e. a group life insurance and a supplemental retirement plan that are separate and not combined such as the common practice in the Belgium.

Currently, Post Brussels has the financial advantage that the group life insurance is with the same provider as would normally be the case given the two items are benefits under a SRP. If the group life insurance will no longer be offered via Athora, Athora will review the rates for disability coverage which is part of the SRP, resulting in a premium increase of a minimum 20-25% for the disability insurance.

Continuous Life Insurance Services offered by Athora are part of Post's Local Compensation Plan and are essential to the efficient working of the US Embassy in Belgium. A change in providers is therefore not in the financial benefit od The U.S. Mission.

This notice is not a request for competitive proposals and a solicitation will not be available. This acquisition will be conducted under the authority of (FAR) 6.302-1. Interested sources must respond in writing with clear and convincing evidence to support their ability to provide the required services within eleven (11) days of this publication. A determination by the Government not to compete this action based on responses received is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Companies must respond by written correspondence, no later than April 11, 2025.