HomeMy WebLinkAboutRFP - 8878 RECORDKEEPING & PLAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FOR RETIREMENT PLANSRFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 1 of 28
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
8878 RECORDKEEPING & PLAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES FOR RETIREMENT PLANS
The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from qualified Vendors to provide recordkeeping
and plan administrative services for the City’s retirement plans.
As part of the City’s commitment to Sustainable Purchasing, proposals submission via
email is preferred. Proposals shall be submitted in a single Microsoft Word or PDF file
under 20MB and e-mailed to: purchasing@fcgov.com. If electing to submit a hard copy
proposal we require one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic copy on a jump drive to be
received at the City of Fort Collins' Purchasing Division, 215 North Mason St., 2nd floor, Fort
Collins, Colorado 80524. Proposals must be received before 3:00 p.m. (our clock) on April
5, 2019 and referenced as Proposal No. 8878. If delivered, they are to be sent to 215 North
Mason Street, 2nd Floor, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524. If mailed, the address is P.O. Box 580,
Fort Collins, 80522-0580. Please note, additional time is required for bids mailed to the PO Box
to be received at the Purchasing Office.
The City encourages all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) to submit proposals in
response to all requests for proposals. No individual or business will be discriminated against
on the grounds of race, color, sex, or national origin. It is the City’s policy to create a level
playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly and to ensure nondiscrimination in the award
and administration of all contracts.
All questions should be submitted, in writing via email, to Gerry Paul, Purchasing Director
at purchasing@fcgov.com no later than 5:00 PM MST (our clock) on March 20, 2019. Please
format your e-mail to include: RFP 8878 Recordkeeping & Plan Administrative Services for
Retirement Plans in the subject line. Questions received after this deadline may not be answered.
Responses to all questions submitted before the deadline will be addressed in an addendum and
posted on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System webpage.
Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System hosted by Bidnet
A copy of the RFP may be obtained at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/city-of-fort-collins.
This RFP has been posted utilizing the following Commodity Code(s):
946-11 Accounting Service (Not Otherwise Classified)
946-12 Actuarial Services and Retirement Planning
946-45 Employee Benefit Funds
946-56 Investment Management Services
958-82 Records Management Services
Public Viewing Copy: The City is a governmental entity subject to the Colorado Open Records
Act, C.R.S. §§ 24-72-200.1 et seq. (“CORA”). Any proposals submitted hereunder are subject
to public disclosure by the City pursuant to CORA and City ordinances. Vendors may submit
one (1) additional complete proposal clearly marked “FOR PUBLIC VIEWING.” In this version
of the proposal, the Vendor may redact text and/or data that it deems confidential or proprietary
pursuant to CORA. Such statement does not necessarily exempt such documentation from
Financial Services
Purchasing Division
215 N. Mason St. 2nd Floor
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6775
970.221.6707
fcgov.com/purchasing
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 2 of 28
public disclosure if required by CORA, by order of a court of appropriate jurisdiction, or other
applicable law. Generally, under CORA trade secrets, confidential commercial and financial
data information is not required to be disclosed by the City. Proposals may not be marked
“Confidential” or ‘Proprietary’ in their entirety. All provisions of any contract resulting from
this request for proposal will be public information.
New Vendors: The City requires new Vendors receiving awards from the City to fill out and
submit an IRS form W-9. If needed, the W-9 form can be found on the City’s Purchasing
website at www.fcgov.com/purchasing under Vendor Reference Documents. Please do not
submit with your proposal.
Sales Prohibited/Conflict of Interest: No officer, employee, or member of City Council, shall
have a financial interest in the sale to the City of any real or personal property, equipment,
material, supplies or services where such officer or employee exercises directly or indirectly any
decision-making authority concerning such sale or any supervisory authority over the services to
be rendered. This rule also applies to subcontracts with the City. Soliciting or accepting any gift,
gratuity favor, entertainment, kickback or any items of monetary value from any person who has
or is seeking to do business with the City of Fort Collins is prohibited.
Collusive or Sham Proposals: Any proposal deemed to be collusive or a sham proposal will
be rejected and reported to authorities as such. Your authorized signature of this proposal
assures that such proposal is genuine and is not a collusive or sham proposal.
The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any
irregularities or informalities.
Utilization of Award by Other Agencies: The City of Fort Collins reserves the right to allow
other state and local governmental agencies, political subdivisions, and/or school districts to
utilize the resulting award under all terms and conditions specified and upon agreement by all
parties. Usage by any other entity shall not have a negative impact on the City of Fort Collins in
the current term or in any future terms.
Sincerely,
Gerry Paul
Purchasing Director
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 3 of 28
I. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE / OVERVIEW
A. Objective
The City of Fort Collins is requesting proposals from qualified Vendors to provide
recordkeeping and plan administrative services for the City’s retirement plans.
II. SCOPE OF PROPOSAL
A. Scope of Work
The City of Fort Collins is seeking proposals from qualified retirement plan providers to
provide recordkeeping, administration, trust custody, participant education and
communication and investment services for the City’s retirement plans.
ICMA-RC is the recordkeeper for all of the City’s retirement plans. Below is a listing of
the City’s plans, approximate assets and participant accounts included within the scope
of this request for proposal. The City maintains other plans that are not included in the
proposal.
Plan Number Type Total Plan Assets Number Participant
Accounts
109361 401a $120,781,321.04 1,613
300067 457 $117,657,892.86 1,134
108528 401a $69,005,838.20 349
301049 457 $38,734,065.58 233
108618 401a $14,773,963.12 80
306335 457 $3,117,481.42 34
306191 457 $2,084,743.69 4
306589 457 $727,336.06 8
590067 457 $6,693.95 2
106514 401a $5,900,122.03 107
108530 401a $5,009,527.61 20
106375 401a $2,066,500.26 4
108533 401a $63,264.05 2
The current Adoption Agreements for the plans listed above, as well as the 401 Money
Purchase Plan & Trust and the 457 Governmental Deferred Compensation Plan & Trust
documents are available upon request. Vendors wishing to receive a copy of these
documents must fill out and sign the City’s Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement, uploaded
separately as a Microsoft Word document, and return via email to
purchasing@fcgov.com by the Questions Deadline set forth in Paragraph E –
Anticipated Schedule.
The City has retained Innovest Portfolio Solutions as its independent investment
consultant and to consult throughout the RFP process.
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 4 of 28
The contract for the plan’s current provider expired August 2017 and is currently
evergreen with a 60 day termination notification. Therefore, the City is conducting this
solicitation to review the market’s current best practices regarding recordkeeping, plan
sponsor and participant services, employee education, and fees. The City is looking for a
provider that has the capacity of dealing effectively with employees of a program of its
size.
In preparing for the solicitation process, the City has spent significant time reviewing,
discussing, and analyzing the Plans. Goals, objectives, and outcomes of the solicitation
process were then identified which include, but are not limited to (in no particular order):
• Consolidation of retirement plans where possible
• Enhance formal education to employees and the plan sponsor
• Analyze current retirement plans for operational and technologic efficiencies
• Access to cutting-edge benefit and education programs
• Reduce participant and plan expenses
The current recordkeeper provides approximately 300 days of onsite educational
services to participants per year, plus access to a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP) 12
days per year. The City would like the selected firm to provide a dedicated, full-time
education representative for the City’s retirement plans, and an increase in the level of
CFP services.
The City processes its payroll in-house.
B. Current Plan Details
The following is a summary of the City’s current plans. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
titled “RFP 8878 – Fund Line-up Details as of 12-31-18.xlsx” has also been uploaded to
RMEPS with additional fund line-up details for each of the following retirement plans.
Plan Statistics (109361)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $105,588,941 $123,290,516 $120,781,321
Contributions
Total $6,676,819 $7,522,694 $8,490,673
Distributions
Total $7,577,183 $6,800,795 $5,024,845
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 1,170
Actively Contributing 1,116
Terminated with Balance 497
Total Participants with an Account Balance 1,613
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 5 of 28
Outstanding Loans as of 12/31/18
Outstanding 194
Balance $2,089,278
Plan Statistics (300067)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $114,949,680 $127,231,186 $117,657,893
Contributions
Total $3,894,114 $4,946,842 $4,255,357
Distributions
Total $8,594,076 $8,952,118 $9,412,360
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 1,900
Actively Contributing 761
Terminated with Balance 373
Total Participants with an Account Balance 1,134
Plan Statistics (108528)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $64,206,185 $74,852,025 $69,005,838
Contributions
Total $3,630,302 $4,024,695 $3,657,306
Distributions
Total $3,043,927 $4,660,314 $5,179,768
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 250
Actively Contributing 248
Terminated with Balance 101
Total Participants with an Account Balance 349
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 6 of 28
Outstanding Loans as of 12/31/18
Outstanding 72
Balance $1,515,735
Plan Statistics (301049)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $34,745,930 $40,898,278 $38,734,066
Contributions
Total $1,281,117 $2,051,736 $1,328,145
Distributions
Total $1,845,412 $1,688,236 $1,432,485
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 190
Actively Contributing 187
Terminated with Balance 46
Total Participants with an Account Balance 233
Plan Statistics (108618)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $12,664,776 $15,097,054 $14,773,693
Contributions
Total $582,544 $1,066,487 $551,291
Distributions
Total $805,555 $534,985 $540,990
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 40
Actively Contributing 40
Terminated with Balance 40
Total Participants with an Account Balance 80
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 7 of 28
Outstanding Loans as of 12/31/18
Outstanding 4
Balance $28,448
Plan Statistics (108530)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $5,314,455 $5,918,186 $5,009,528
Contributions
Total $200,310 $232,155 $201,030
Distributions
Total $221,001 $328,514 $925,898
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 15
Actively Contributing 14
Terminated with Balance 6
Total Participants with an Account Balance 20
Plan Statistics (306191)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $1,861,091 $2,108,465 $2,084,743
Contributions
Total $53,790 $53,878 $56,231
Distributions
Total $23,978 $24,235 $24,546
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 6
Actively Contributing 3
Terminated with Balance 1
Total Participants with an Account Balance 4
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Plan Statistics (106375)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $1,810,303 $2,080,989 $2,066,500
Contributions
Total $54,350 $56,206 $57,685
Distributions
Total $30,539 $31,435 $33,388
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 3
Actively Contributing 3
Terminated with Balance 1
Total Participants with an Account Balance 4
Outstanding Loans as of 12/31/18
Outstanding 1
Balance $25,092
Plan Statistics (106514)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $5,021,150 $6,094,738 $5,900,122
Contributions
Total $319,130 $330,298 $346,649
Distributions
Total $90,192 $140,279 $256,156
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 85
Actively Contributing 83
Terminated with Balance 24
Total Participants with an Account Balance 107
Outstanding Loans as of 12/31/18
Outstanding 6
Balance $61,924
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Plan Statistics (306335)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $3,181,804 $3,723,477 $3,117,481
Contributions
Total $176,833 $173,201 $168,417
Distributions
Total $17,278 $107,766 $691,172
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 85
Actively Contributing 26
Terminated with Balance 8
Total Participants with an Account Balance 34
Plan Statistics (306589)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $537,368 $712,217 $727,336
Contributions
Total $63,507 $72,158 $67,083
Distributions $0 $0 $143
Total $0 $0 $143
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 5
Actively Contributing 5
Terminated with Balance 3
Total Participants with an Account Balance 8
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Plan Statistics (590067)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $110,144 $12,118 $6,694
Contributions
Total $0 $0 $0
Distributions
Total $32,131 $186,265 $5,689
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 2
Actively Contributing 0
Terminated with Balance 2
Total Participants with an Account Balance 2
Plan Statistics (108533)
Balance, Growth, and Participation Statistics as of 12/31 each year
2016 2017 2018
Market Value
Total $39,816 $56,308 $63,264
Contributions
Total $9,903 $10,202 $10,514
Distributions
Total $0 $0 $0
Overall Participation as of 12/31/18
Eligible Employees 1
Actively Contributing 1
Terminated with Balance 1
Total Participants with an Account Balance 2
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 11 of 28
C. Fixed Account (Vantagepoint Plus Fund)
The City utilizes the VT Plus Fund R9, which has a current crediting rate of 2.32% as of
12/31/18.
Crediting Rate
2018 Net Crediting Rate: The estimated crediting rate for month ending
12/31/2018 is 2.32%. The estimated crediting
rate may differ from actual investor returns.
2017 Net Crediting Rate: The estimated crediting rate for month ending
12/31/2017 is 2.16%. The estimated crediting
rate may differ from actual investor returns.
2016 Net Crediting Rate: The estimated crediting rate for month ending
12/31/2016 is 1.98%. The estimated crediting
rate may differ from actual investor returns.
Guaranteed for how long: *
Guaranteed Contract Floor: *
* The Vantagepoint PLUS Fund, a commingled stable value fund, does not contractually
guarantee principal or a minimum interest rate. The Vantagepoint PLUS Fund’s rate is
established monthly.
Year-End Date Market-to-Book Value
2017 100.53%
2016 100.29%
2015 100.20%
2014 101.45%
2013 100.60%
2012 103.22%
2011 102.42%
2010 101.37%
2009 99.74%
2008 95.18%
Withdrawal Provisions for the Vantagepoint Plus Fund
Below is the specific contract language regarding participant- and plan-level withdrawals
from the Vantagepoint Plus Fund.
Participant-Level Restrictions:
The Vantagepoint PLUS Fund is benefit responsive and allows for benefit payments at
book value. The Fund offers daily liquidity to individual participants for such benefit
payments. Further, participants have full liquidity to move monies from the Vantagepoint
PLUS Fund to any other mutual fund options. However, due to restrictions from financial
wrap contract issuers, direct transfers from the Vantagepoint PLUS Fund to self-directed
brokerage accounts or other competing funds are not permitted. Funds considered to be
competing include, but are not limited to, short-term fixed income funds, money market
funds, certificate of deposit products, or other stable value products. Investors must
transfer their money to a non-competing fund for 90 days (equity wash) before investing
in a competing fund (this includes assets in the Vantagepoint PLUS Fund transferred to
co-providers, if applicable). Whether or not a particular fund is a competing fund will be
determined, at the sole discretion of ICMA-RC, on a fund-by-fund basis.
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Plan-Level Restriction:
ICMA-RC retains full discretion to release employer-initiated Vantagepoint PLUS Fund
withdrawals at book value in an orderly manner over a period of up to 12 months from
the date ICMA-RC receives written notification from the employer that it is initiating
withdrawals from the Vantagepoint PLUS Fund. This restriction on employer
withdrawals from the Vantagepoint PLUS Fund does not apply to participant directed
withdrawals from the Fund. The Vantagepoint PLUS Fund remains benefit responsive to
participants eligible to take participant-directed withdrawals from the Fund. ICMA-RC
does not impose any financial market value adjustments or other financial penalties on
withdrawals or transfers among mutual funds or rollover of mutual funds to another
provider (aside from amortization schedules for the payment of such charges imposed
by other vendors and charges for early withdrawal from bank CDs).
D. Minimum Qualifications
Vendors must meet all of the following requirements in order to be considered. Please
included a completed copy of the following matrix in your proposal submittal:
Requirement Y/N
Must have a minimum of 10 years of experience administering 401a and 457b plans.
Must have a minimum of five 401a and 457b plans with an asset size at least $400
million per plan.
Must have a minimum of five 401a and 457b plans with a participant size of at least
3,000 per plan.
The firm must offer a bundled service solution including recordkeeping/administration,
communication, education, trust custody services, and an open investment
management platform.
Develop and maintain custom branded employee communication materials.
Provide qualified, local, in-person educational support to City employees from salary-
based representatives who are employees of your firm and do not receive any
financial incentives or commissions based on participant investment selections or
promotion of any investment product or services.
Able to handle all aspects of benefit distribution processing including disbursements of
funds, preparation of required notices, tax withholding, tax reporting, tax filing and
preparation and distribution of the 1099-R forms.
Must have compliant SSAE 16, 18, or SOC1 or SOC 2 on internal controls for a
service organization.
Must accurately and fully disclosure all expenses and revenue associated with any
investment or service made available under the plan(s). This includes mutual funds
available to the plan, managed accounts, investment advice, financial planning, and
self-directed brokerage accounts.
Ability to recordkeep the existing investment menu or a willingness to add investments
in the menu not currently available on your platform to your platform.
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E. Anticipated Schedule
The following represents the City’s target schedule for the RFP. The City reserves the
right to amend the target schedule at any time.
• Question deadline: 5:00 PM MST on March 20, 2019
• Q&A Addendum Issued via RMEPS Week of March 25, 2019
• Proposal due date: 3:00 MST (our clock) on April 5, 2019
• Interviews: June 18, 2019
• Site Visits (tentative): July 2019
• Award of Contract (tentative): August 2019
F. Interviews
In addition to submitting a written proposal, the top-rated Vendors may be interviewed by
the RFP assessment team and asked to participate in an oral presentation to provide an
overview of the company, approach to the project and to address questions. The
evaluation criteria for the oral interviews will be the same as the criteria for the written
evaluations and is included in Section IV.
G. Site Visits
The top-rate Vendors may also be asked to host site visits with City representatives.
H. Laws and Regulations
The Vendor agrees to comply fully with all applicable local, State of Colorado and Federal
laws and regulations and municipal ordinances.
III. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
For this section, Vendors are required to provide detailed written responses to the following
items in the order outlined below. The responses shall be considered technical offers of what
Vendors propose to provide and shall be incorporated in the contract award as deemed
appropriate by the City. A proposal that does not include all the information required may be
deemed non-responsive and subject to rejection.
Responses must include all the items in the order listed below. It is suggested that the Vendors
include each of the City’s questions with their response immediately following the question.
The City of Fort Collins shall not reimburse any firm for costs incurred in the preparation and
presentation of their proposal.
A. Cover Letter / Executive Summary
The Executive Summary should highlight the content of the proposal and features of the
program offered, including a general description of the program and any unique aspects
or benefits provided by your firm.
B. Vendor Information
1. Describe the Vendor’s business and background
2. Number of years in the business
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3. Details about ownership
4. An overview of services offered and qualifications
5. Size of the firm
6. Location(s) of offices. If multiple, please identify which will be the primary for our
account.
7. Primary contact information for the company including contact name(s) and title(s),
mailing address(s), phone number(s), and email address(s). Complete Section V,
Vendor Statement.
C. Scope of Proposal
Please complete the attached Section VI, Questionnaire. For your convenience, a
Microsoft Word version of the questionnaire, titled RFP 8878 – Questionnaire, has been
uploaded to RMPES.
D. Additional Information
1. The following documents should also be included in your proposal:
• Copy of SSAE 16 or 18 or SOC1 or SOC2 (or link to NDA and self-service
access)
• Copy of privacy/security policy
• Copy of system security plan (ssp) or equivalent
• ADV I & II, if applicable
• Examples of custom branded communication materials
• Stable Value Fund Fact Sheet, if applicable
2. Provide any information that distinguishes Vendor from its competition and any
additional information applicable to this RFP that might be valuable in assessing
Vendor’s proposal.
3. Explain any concerns Vendor may have in maintaining objectivity in recommending
the best solution. All potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
4. Exceptions to the Scope of Services shall be documented.
IV. REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
A. Proposal and Interview Criteria
Vendors will be evaluated on the following criteria. These criteria will be the basis for
review and assessment of the written proposals and optional interview session. At the
discretion of the City, interviews of the top-rated Vendors may be conducted.
The rating scale shall be from 1 to 5, with 1 being a poor rating, 3 being an average rating,
and 5 being an outstanding rating.
Evaluation Criteria Weight
Key Considerations 15%
Personnel 15%
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Employee Education, Communication, and Participant
Services 15%
Administrative & Plan Sponsor Services 10%
Investment Options 10%
Transition 5%
Service Level Agreements 5%
References 5%
Fee Proposal with Transparent and Clear Revenue
Requirement 20%
Weighted Total 100%
B. Reference Evaluation Criteria
Prior to award, the Project Manager will check references using the following criteria.
Negative responses from references may impact the award determination.
CRITERIA STANDARD QUESTIONS
Overall Performance Would you hire this Vendor again? Did they show
the skills required by this project?
Timetable Was the original transition timeline completed within
the specified time?
Service
Was the Relationship Manager responsive to client
needs; did the Relationship Manager anticipate
problems? Were problems solved quickly and
effectively? How would you describe the overall
service of the entire Service team?
Job Knowledge Did they administer the plan according to the agreed
upon services?
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V. VENDOR STATEMENT
Vendor hereby acknowledges receipt of the City of Fort Collins Request for Proposal and
acknowledges that it has read and agrees to be fully bound by all of the terms, conditions and
other provisions set forth in the RFP. Additionally, Vendor hereby makes the following
representations to City:
a. All of the statements and representations made in this proposal are true to the best of the
Vendor’s knowledge and belief.
b. Vendor commits that it is able to meet the terms provided in this proposal.
c. This proposal is a firm and binding offer, for a period of 180 days from the date hereof.
d. Vendor further agrees that the method of award is acceptable.
e. Vendor acknowledge receipt of addenda.
Firm Name:
Physical Address:
Remit to Address:
Phone:
Name of Authorized Agent of Firm:
Signature of Authorized Agent:
Primary Contact for Project:
Title: Email Address:
Phone: Cell Phone:
NOTE: VENDOR STATEMENT IS TO BE SIGNED & RETURNED WITH YOUR PROPOSAL.
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VI. QUESTIONAIRE
A. Key Considerations
1. Based on your understanding of the objectives of this proposal and the client why
should the City select your firm? Please limit your response to 500 words.
2. Which of the retirement plans would you consolidate on your recordkeeping platform
and why?
a. What would be the process and timeline to consolidate them?
b. How much would you charge per consolidate plan?
3. Provide a detailed plan on how you would increase participant’s retirement
readiness.
a. Identify and establish goals regarding retirement readiness.
b. How would you implement the plan and how would you measure and evaluate
the success of the plan?
4. Describe any CFP services you offer, what they entail, and any participant eligibility
requirements. Are there any costs associated with this service?
a. How many days of CFP services will you provide per year?
5. Briefly describe your plan sponsor website. Limit your response to 300 words.
6. Briefly describe your participant website. Limit your response to 300 words.
7. What ancillary programs or services do you offer beyond recordkeeping, education
and investment advisory services (e.g. student loan programs, will preparation, etc.)?
a. What are the costs associated with these services?
b. What information do you need from the City in order to provide these services?
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B. Personnel Questions
Please fill out the following tables for all Service Team members that will be assigned to
this plan.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
Name & Title
Description of role and
responsibilities
Location
Education/Credentials
Tenure with the company
Years of retirement plan
experience
Years of 401(a) & 457(b)
retirement plan experience
Number of clients
Number of 401(a) & 457(b)
clients
Compensation Structure
DAY-TO-DAY ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
Name & Title
Description of role and
responsibilities
Location
Education/Credentials
Tenure with the company
Years of retirement plan
experience
Years of 401(a) & 457(b)
retirement plan experience
Number of clients
Number of 401(a) & 457(b)
clients
Compensation Structure
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PARTICIPANT EDUCATION REPRESENTATIVE
Name & Title
Description of role and
responsibilities
Location
Education/Credentials
Tenure with the company
Years of retirement plan
experience
Years of 401(a) & 457(b)
retirement plan experience
Number of clients
Number of 401(a) & 457(b)
clients
Compensation Structure
TRANSITION MANAGER
(if not applicable please respond with “N/A”)
Name & Title
Description of role and
responsibilities
Location
Education/Credentials
Tenure with the company
Years of retirement plan
experience
Number of transitions completed
Number of 401(a) & 457(b)
transitions completed
Compensation Structure
C. Participant Education & Communication Questions
8. Identify the key elements provided as part of a standard communication and
education program package included in your proposal. Limit you answer to 500
words.
9. Describe your customization capabilities for participant level statements.
RFP 8878 Record Keeping & Plan Administrative Services for Retirement Plans Page 20 of 28
10. Please describe any capabilities to customize the web, mobile, call- center, or print
content.
11. Describe the enrollment process. To what extent do you need Plan Sponsor
involvement to complete the enrollment and begin deferrals?
12. Describe the distribution process. To what extent do you need Plan Sponsor
involvement to approve and process distributions?
13. To what extent are each of the following representatives fiduciaries to the participant:
a. in-person educational staff delivering group and/or one-on-one education
b. call center representatives
14. Holistic Financial Education
In addition to retirement and investment topics, which of the following financial
education topics are available to participants and via which mode of delivery?
In-person Call Center Website
Basic budgeting
Saving (e.g., major purchases,
college)
Managing debt (e.g., credit cards,
student loans)
Estate planning
Home buying
Insurance
Other (provide details)
15. Identify non-standard elements to a communication and education program you may
provide for an additional charge. Limit you answer to 500 words.
16. Do you provide the following participant tools?
Yes/No
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Retirement income projections with gap analysis and suggested actions
Budgeting tools
Retirement healthcare cost tools
Ability to include or exclude social security in estimates and projections
Ability to manually add external account information
Ability to automatically pull in external account information
Spend down projections using different market risk
17. Please provide login credentials for the participant website demo.
D. Administrative & Plan Sponsor Services Questions
18. Provide a sample “plan health” or “annual plan report”. Describe the medium(s) used
to deliver the report(s) and the timing of the report(s).
19. Describe the types of reports or analytics your team will provide to Plan Sponsors
(i.e. City) on a periodic basis. Indicate whether the information must be requested by
the Plan Sponsor or whether the team proactively sends the information to the Plan
Sponsor.
20. What administrative services can be fully outsourced to the recordkeeper? Which
administrative services will require plan sponsor involvement?
21. Please provide login credentials for the plan sponsor website demo.
E. Investment Services Questions
22. Can you support an open architecture fund lineup? (Yes/No). If not, please provide
your reasoning.
23. Describe any mutual fund families, fixed account options, or other investments that
you cannot or will not recordkeep. Can you recordkeep the plan’s current lineup?
24. Describe the process and timeline for adding a new fund to your investment platform.
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25. Can your system limit the participant to choose either an array of funds or a single
model/target date fund? (Yes/No)
26. Do you offer online advice? If so, is it coupled with managed accounts?
a. Can the online advice be offered separately?
27. Self-Directed Brokerage and Managed Accounts
Brokerage Firm Name
Self-Directed Brokerage Y/N
Fully integrated with your website and call center?
Participants can permit outside advisors to access their brokerage
account?
Outside advisors’ fees can be paid from the account?
Managed Accounts
Provider Utilized (e.g., Morningstar, Ibbotson, etc)
Participants can load outside and/or spousal assets into the system to
be used in planning/calculations?
F. Transition Services Questions
28. Provide a high-level sample timeline for the transition, starting from when the
contract is signed and ending with the lifting of the blackout period (or later if
applicable to your transition process). Include major milestones for the
payroll/technical aspects, the investment platform, mapping, and asset transfer, as
well as key participant communication/education elements of the transition.
29. Based on your understanding of the City’s retirement plans and goals, what would be
the Transfer of Assets Date, or “Go-Live” date?
30. How will you guarantee your stated implementation timeframe?
G. Service Level Agreements/Performance Guarantees
31. Please complete the chart below with your service level agreements, if any. Please
provide the dollar amount at risk for failing to meet these standards.
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Service Level Agreement Dollars at Risk
Participant Services
Average call center wait
time per call
Number of onsite
individual meetings per
year
Number of onsite group
meetings per year
Plan participation rate
increases per year
Deferral rate increases
per year
Participant statement
mail date
Participant statement
online posting date
Plan Sponsor Services
Number of days after
quarter end for plan
report
Time to return plan
sponsor phone calls
Annual plan sponsor
training
Administration
Contribution
reconciliation
Contribution posting
Withdrawals paid
Rollovers and transfers
out
Processing of fund
transfers
Loan processing
Loan distribution
Transition (if applicable)
Number of group
meetings
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Service Level Agreement Dollars at Risk
Number of individual
meetings
Number of days in
blackout
H. References
32. Please provide 3 current client references of similar size for the proposed
relationship manager.
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Total Plan Assets
Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Total Plan Assets
Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
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Total Plan Assets
Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
33. Please provide 3 terminated client references of similar size for the proposed
relationship manager.
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Total Plan Assets
Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Total Plan Assets
Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
Client Name
Contact Name & Title
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Total Plan Assets
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Total Plan Participants
Contract Start and End
Date (If applicable)
Services Provided
I. Fees & Expenses Questions
34. Please price (109361), (300067), (108528), (301049) and (108618) plans below
separately, with the following below assumptions.
In addition, please price the (306335) (106514), (306191), (306589), (590067),
(108530), (106375), (108533) plans together with the same assumptions below.
• Completely open architecture fund lineup
• No proprietary mutual funds, fixed options or services (including Managed
Accounts)
• Full-time, dedicated onsite education representative
• 5-year contract
Plan
(109361)
Plan
(300067)
Plan
(108528)
Plan
(301049)
Plan
(108618)
(306335),
(306191),
(306589),
(590067),
(106514),
(108530),
(106375),
(108533)
Asset-Based Fee
Total
Per-
Participant Fee
Total
State all other
assumptions in your
pricing
35. Please price (109361), (300067), (108528), (301049) and (108618) plans below
separately, with the following below assumptions.
In addition, please price the (306335) (106514), (306191), (306589), (590067),
(108530), (106375), (108533) plans together with the same assumptions below.
• Completely open architecture fund lineup
• Use of a proprietary stable value account only (no general account products)
• No proprietary mutual funds or services (including Managed Accounts)
• Full-time, dedicated onsite education representative
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• 5-year contract
Plan
(109361)
Plan
(300067)
Plan
(108528)
Plan
(301049)
Plan
(108618)
(306335),
(306191),
(306589),
(590067),
(106514),
(108530),
(106375),
(108533)
Asset-Based Fee
Total
Per-
Participant Fee
Total
State all other
assumptions in your
pricing
36. Describe how recordkeeping fees are paid by participants who utilize a Self-Directed
Brokerage Account.
37. Please describe all other fees below. Only the fees clearly disclosed in the chart
below (as well as the asset based and per capita recordkeeping fees above) will be
allowed in the final recordkeeping contract. Do not refer to any outside attachments
for any fee. Additionally, do not refer to any other portion outside of this chart of the
RFP to describe any fee.
Other Fees and Expenses
Adding a New Fund to Your Investment Platform
Each Additional On-Site Participant Education Day
Custom Client Branded Communication and Education
Materials
Holistic Financial Planning Services
Unitized Custom Model Portfolios
Non-unitized Custom Model Portfolios
Loan Origination
Annual Loan Maintenance Fee
Other Loan Fees
Hardship Approval and Processing
Qualifying and Processing DROs
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Distribution Check
ACH
Wire Transfer
Overnight Delivery
Managed Account Fees
Self-Directed Brokerage Fees
Creation of Required Annual Notices
Mailing of Required Notices
Creation of Fund Change Notices
Mailing of Fund Change Notices
Mailing of Participant Statements
One-Time Costs Related to the Transition or Plan
Recordkeeping Contract Termination Fees
Special Project Fees
Other Fees (list)