Request for Proposal
Employee Benefits Broker and Consultant
Ridgeline Manufacturing
Prepared forRidgeline Manufacturing
IndustryPrecision manufacturing
HeadquartersCedar Rapids, Iowa
Operating statesIowa, Illinois, Wisconsin
Proposals dueSeptember 19, 2026
Questions dueSeptember 5, 2026
Submit toprocurement@ridgeline.example
80 requirements across 20 sections. 26 are mandatory. Assembled 2026-07-25.
01Introduction and Purpose
Ridgeline Manufacturing is seeking proposals from qualified employee benefits brokerage and consulting firms to serve as broker of record for its employee benefits program. This request for proposal describes our organization, the services we require, the information we need from your firm, and the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated.
We intend to select a single firm to advise on strategy, market and place coverage, support compliance, and serve our employees throughout the plan year. This is a competitive process. Incumbent status confers no advantage.
02Employer Profile
Benefit-eligible employees: 240
Industry: Precision manufacturing
Headquarters: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
States of operation: Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin
Current medical funding arrangement: Level funded
Plan year / renewal date: January 1, 2027
03Scope of Services Requested
The selected firm will be responsible for the services described in the sections that follow. Respondents must indicate for each requirement whether the service is included in base compensation, available at additional cost, or not provided.
04Firm Qualifications and Background
FRM-01Informational
Describe your firm: year founded, ownership structure, number of employees, and whether your firm is independent, part of a national brokerage, or affiliated with an aggregator or private equity sponsor.
FRM-02Informational
State the number of employer clients your firm serves in the 100 to 249 employee range, and the number in our industry.
FRM-03Highly Preferred
Disclose any ownership interest, joint venture, or financial relationship between your firm and any carrier, TPA, PBM, general agent, or benefits technology vendor you may recommend.
FRM-04Informational
Describe your firm's client retention rate over the past three years and the reasons for any accounts of similar size lost in that period.
FRM-05Mandatory
Confirm your firm carries errors and omissions coverage and state the limits. Disclose any professional liability claims, regulatory actions, or license suspensions in the past five years.
05Service Team and Staffing
TEAM-01Mandatory
Identify by name every individual who would be assigned to this account. For each, provide their role, years of experience, credentials, office location, and a biography.
TEAM-02Mandatory
For each named team member, state the number of accounts they currently service and the total number of covered lives they support.
TEAM-03Highly Preferred
Identify who is our day-to-day contact, who is the escalation point, and who has authority to commit the firm. State whether the lead consultant is compensated on new business production.
TEAM-04Highly Preferred
Describe your continuity plan if the assigned lead leaves your firm or is reassigned, and the notice we would receive.
TEAM-06Highly Preferred
Identify the individual responsible for compliance on this account and state whether they are dedicated compliance staff or a producer performing compliance work.
TEAM-07Highly Preferred
Identify your in-house underwriting and actuarial resources. State whether financial analysis is performed internally or outsourced, and by whom.
06Service Delivery and Account Management
SVC-01Mandatory
Describe the annual service model for an account of our size: how many scheduled meetings we should expect in a plan year, which are in person and which are virtual, who attends each, and what each meeting covers.
SVC-02Mandatory
State your response time commitments for routine requests, urgent employee issues, and executive requests. Describe what happens when a commitment is missed.
SVC-03Highly Preferred
Describe your annual stewardship report. Attach a redacted sample from a client of comparable size.
SVC-04Highly Preferred
Describe the renewal process and timeline, including when we will receive claims data, initial renewal figures, marketing results, and final recommendations relative to our renewal date.
SVC-06Highly Preferred
Describe how you support employees and HR staff located outside our headquarters state, including time zone coverage and local carrier relationships.
07Market Access and Placement Strategy
MKT-01Mandatory
Describe your marketing strategy for our account, including which carriers you would approach and why, and your process for market assignment and avoiding duplicate submissions.
MKT-02Highly Preferred
List your firm's carrier appointments in our operating states. Identify any carrier where your firm holds preferred, tiered, or elevated status, and describe how that status affects your recommendations.
MKT-03Highly Preferred
Describe how often you take our program to market and what triggers a full marketing versus a renewal negotiation.
MKT-04Highly Preferred
Describe your capability with alternative funding arrangements, including level funding, self-funding, group captives, and consortium or coalition purchasing. Provide the number of clients you support in each.
08Financial and Underwriting Analysis
FIN-01Mandatory
Describe the financial reporting you provide, the frequency, and attach a redacted sample report package from a client of comparable size.
FIN-02Highly Preferred
Describe how you project renewal cost, validate carrier renewal calculations, and negotiate. Provide an example where your analysis changed a carrier's initial renewal position, with the outcome.
FIN-03Highly Preferred
Provide a written multi-year cost containment strategy appropriate to an employer of our size, funding arrangement, and workforce. Identify projected savings, required investment, employee impact, and the year each initiative would take effect.
FIN-04Highly Preferred
For three clients of comparable size, provide actual medical trend over the past three years compared to market trend for the same period.
FIN-05Mandatory
Describe the claims reporting you provide, including frequency, lag, large claimant tracking, and how IBNR is estimated and communicated.
FIN-06Highly Preferred
Confirm we will receive our claims data in a usable format on a defined schedule, and that we retain the right to that data if the relationship ends.
AEvaluation criteria & weights
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|
| Service team and account management | 10% |
| Market access and placement strategy | 10% |
| Financial and underwriting analysis | 25% |
| Benchmarking and analytics | 15% |
| Compliance support | 15% |
| Technology and benefits administration | 10% |
| Employee communication and enrollment | 5% |
| Claims and member advocacy | 5% |
| Compensation and transparency | 5% |
| Total | 100% |