REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR THE STATE OF WISCONSIN
Department of Employee Trust Funds
Benefits Administration System
ETC0003

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued by the Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) for a Benefit Administration System (BAS) and related services.

The Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) is the Wisconsin state agency that administers multiple benefit programs including:

• The Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS);
• Group health insurance programs for state employees, local employees, and WRS annuitants and their dependents;
• A variety of other employee benefit programs.

The WRS, the largest of the 12 ETF benefit programs, is the ninth largest public retirement and benefits system in the United States. The basis for WRS was created through 1947 legislative changes outlining measures for consolidating multiple, predecessor state and local public employee pension systems (some of which were formed as early as 1891). The WRS now provides retirement, disability and death benefits to all state employees and to most local government employees in Wisconsin.

As of February 2012, the WRS has approximately 267,000 active members, 144,200 inactive members, 162,000 current monthly benefit recipients and about 1,500 employers. The transition rate to annuitant status is anticipated to continue at the record pace that was set in 2010 and 2011.

This RFP defines in detail the scope of the BAS implementation effort. It addresses the business requirements to be satisfied, the project’s technical requirements (including standards to be observed, hardware and software to be provided, and interfaces to be accommodated), and other required services and deliverables, including project management services, data-related services, staffing, training, testing, disaster recovery planning, and warranty, maintenance, and support requirements. Options to be proposed are also identified.

This solicitation serves as notice, pursuant to Chapter 16 of the Wisconsin State statutes, of the commodity or service being sought and is to be considered the opportunity for vendors to indicate their interest in bidding on such commodity or service.

The contract is proposed to be effective January 1, 2014, and will extend through December 31, 2021, with an option, by mutual agreement of ETF and the selected vendor, to renew for up to two additional three-year periods.

Proposals are due August 27, 2013. Amendments, questions and answers will be posted on http://etfextranet.it.state.wi.us and will not be mailed.

ETF utilized the services and knowledge of LRWL Inc. in the development of this RFP. Certain clauses and formats and contents that pre-existed ETF’s relationship with LRWL and are not already the State of Wisconsin’s property are considered proprietary trade secrets by LRWL Inc., and may be protected by the copyright laws of the United States. This paragraph does not prohibit any government entity in Wisconsin from using this RFP’s content.

Contact Mark Blank via e-mail at ETFProcurement@etf.wi.gov with questions regarding this RFP. The RFP number must be referenced in the subject line of the e-mail.