Fully Insured Group Dental Insurance Plan

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RFP ASSUMPTIONS   The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District is requesting proposals for Group Dental Insurance. The purpose of this RFP is for the Edinburg CISD Dental Plan. The District offers two optional plans, high plan and base plan for all eligible employees and retirees that wish to opt into the plan.  Ameritas Group is the current dental insurance carrier.   The District is not soliciting proposals for self-insured Group Dental Insurance or any modified plans.   All companies submitting proposals must be licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance and be permitted to contract with the State or any of its subdivisions. All insurance carriers must be rated A- or better by AM Best Company.   Dental insurance carriers submitting proposals should do so with the understanding that Edinburg CISD will only consider offers that include Fiduciary claims responsibility. It is further understood that awarded Dental insurance carriers will agree to hold ECISD harmless in the event of any IRS penalties or fines impose as of result of the Dental insurance carrier failure to comply with ACA Public Law.   Dental insurance carriers submitting proposals should do so with the understanding that ECISD will not agree to pay any additional fees, costs or expenses other than those expressly set forth in the proposal response in which ECISD will require the Dental insurance carrier to certify that they will not receive any revenue or compensation for any other third party related to the services provided under the agreement except for the revenue and compensation expressly described in its proposal response form. Proposals must be clearly explained and identified. All costs including optional programs must be clearly stated and summarized. Exceptions or deviations from the specifications must be explicitly identified.   If submitting RFP documents manually One (1) original ring binder and one (1) copy of the proposal response in USB format must be delivered to Amaro Tijerina, Director of Purchasing, c/o Edinburg Consolidated ISD, 411 N. 8th Avenue, Edinburg, Texas 78541, no later than 3:00 PM, Friday, May 30, 2025.  Sealed envelopes must be clearly marked as follows:   RFP XX-XX, FULLY INSURED GROUP DENTAL INSURANCE PLAN
No telephone, fax or email proposals will be accepted. Proposals may only be accepted if delivered by U.S. Postal Services or other courier services including hand delivery or submitted electronically through the district's online portal IONWAVE. The District will not be responsible for missing, lost or late mail. Any proposals received after the time set for opening will be returned to the proposer unopened upon written request at proposer’s expense.   The proposals will be opened at 3:00 PM, FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2025.  The proposals will be opened but not read aloud to avoid disclosure of contents to competing vendors and the contents shall be kept confidential during the proposal evaluation and negotiations.   Group Dental carriers should submit proposals directly net of commissions or third-party compensation and or agent service fees. AN AGENT OF RECORD LETTER WILL NOT BE ISSUED.   Proposals are desired for a primary term of three (3) years with the option to renew for five (5) additional one (1) year terms with a minimum of a 24-month rate guarantee (Dental services). However, the Board of Trustees reserves the right to accept a guarantee of less than 24 months if it is in the District's best interest. All proposal terms and rates must be good for 120 days following the due date.   Public Sector employers are not allowed, under current state law, to execute a document containing a Hold Harmless/Indemnification Clause causing the employer to be responsible for other parties liability(ies). Therefore, your documents should not contain any such clauses.   Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District reserves the right to accept or reject all or any part of the proposal, waive minor technicalities and award the proposal that best serves the interest of the District. The District also reserves the right to waive or dispense with any of the formalities contained herein. The Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees will make the final decision on award.   Requests for information must be submitted via email to:   Dustin Garza, Insurance Manager Edinburg Consolidated ISD contact@example.gov   COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOL DISTRICT MEMBERS: Company and representatives submitting proposals shall not discuss this RFP with employees of ECISD or members of the Board of Trustees. Communication includes but is not limited to unsolicited literature, email, faxes or phone calls related to any aspect of the RFP. If discussion is necessary, you will be notified in writing by the individual listed above. Failure to abide by this requirement will result in automatic disqualification of the company representative at the discretion of the District.   Proposals should be based on duplication of the existing Plans of Benefits. Any deviations must be clearly identified and explained. All proposals will be assumed to have been submitted without any deviations unless clearly noted.   All materials necessary to effectively communicate and administer the program shall be prepared and printed by the proposer at the proposer’s own expense. These materials include, but are not limited to, master plan document, summary plan descriptions/schedule of benefits, claim forms, identification cards, check stock, and explanation of benefits.   If submitting manually, the appropriate enclosed proposal forms which include a Questionnaire, Rate Pages, Felony Conviction Notice, Non-Collusion Statement & Signature Sheet, Excel Spreadsheets, etc., must be completed and included with the response. An authorized official of the Carrier/Dental with legal authority to bind the Carrier/Dental must sign all proposal forms submitted. FAILURE TO COMPLETE PROPOSAL FORMS MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.   The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District accepts no financial responsibility for any costs incurred by any proposer in the course of responding to these specifications.   The Request for Proposals package will be available for download from our website at www.ecisd.us. Look for “Purchasing” inside the “Department” tab. Vendors WILL NOT be notified of additional information/addenda postings. It is the vendor’s responsibility to view the ECISD’s web page regularly, &/or prior to submitting a proposal response, to ensure that no addenda or additional information have been issued, or to obtain any addenda that may have been issued, for the solicitation.  This proposal will also be available on the district's online platform IONWAVE.  Vendor will need to register, if not already, prior to viewing/submitting an online submittal.   The proposal is to be based on the provided census as of February 2025 (MS-Excel format).   Effective date is January 1, 2026.  The District will assist with coordination of the transfer of enrollment information including accumulator information in an electronic format; however, the successful vendor should be prepared with a contingency plan to effect a smooth transition within the time and with the information immediately available. The successful vendor should also be prepared to conduct education meetings regarding the new administration procedures and a full enrollment of all current participants on-site at multiple locations. Alternatively, the successful vendor must also be prepared to conduct a full re-enrollment electronically via a web-based application at no additional cost to the District.   Any estimated savings, performance or other guarantees included in any part of the proposal should be specific, quantifiable and should include a method for validation.   Enforceability - This Contract shall be interpreted, construed, and governed by the laws of the United States and the State of Texas and shall be enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction in Hidalgo County, Texas.   Continuity of Coverage - All eligible individuals covered by the current plan are to receive immediate coverage under the new plan.   Advertising – Vendor will not advertise or publish that it has entered into an agreement with ECISD as an endorsement of services without prior written consent.   Gratuities - No gratuities in the form of entertainment, gifts or otherwise, shall be offered or given by vendor or any representative of the vendor to any administrator, employee or anyone affiliated with the School District with a view toward securing a contract or securing favorable treatment with respect to a contract. Failure to comply with this requirement will cause the proposal to be rejected, or contract (if approved) to be void.   Enrollment - The following is the desired enrollment schedule for the selected Dental Carrier to follow:   July 2025 -Approval of Final Contract Award by ECISD Board of Trustees September 2025 thru November 2025 - Enrollment of all ECISD Employees   Anticipated Timeline:  The anticipated tentative timeline for the ECISD's RFP process is as follows:  


DATE DESCRIPTION
April 30, 2025 RFP Release Date
May 26, 2025 Vendor Questions Due
As they come in Vendor Questions Answered
May 30, 2025 RFP Submission Deadline 3:00 P.M. (CST)
July 2025 Approval of Final Contract Award by ECISD Board of Trustees


  Manual Submittals   For further information, Please submit questions in writing via email only to:   Dustin Garza, ECISD Insurance Manager contact@example.gov
  Questions can also be submitted through the district's online portal.   The selection of a proposal for Fully Insured Dental Services will be made after careful evaluation of the proposals received. Each proposal will be evaluated for acceptability, with emphasis on the various factors enumerated in the table outlined below. Each factor is assigned a numerical score. The scores will be used to develop a list of potential providers with whom negotiations may be conducted.   Evaluations will be based on the following criteria, for which up to 100 points may be awarded.  A total evaluation of 60 points will invalidate a proposal.   10 - Responses to RFP Questionnaire 10 - Experience with School Districts 20 - Dental Network Capabilities 05 - Experience with Direct Providers 20 - Network Providers 35 - Overall Cost   ECISD highly recommends responses be submitted electronically though this electronic bidding system as it helps expedite the bidding process and helps to alleviate errors. Manual responses will still be accepted as long as they are received by the close date and time listed on this bid event. NO EMAILED OR FAXED RESPONSES WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR MANUAL SUBMITTALS.  

BOARD MEMBERS:
David Torres - President, Carmen Gonzalez - Vice-President, Letty Flores - Secretary, Luis Alamia - Member, Xavier Salinas - Member, Leticia "Letty" Garcia - Member, Dominga "Minga" Vela - Member, Dr. Mario H. Salinas- Superintendent of Schools.