Can be done by a professional plan administrator or a
institutional trustee.
REQUIRED PROPOSAL INFORMATION
At a minimum, the following information must be included in proposals that are submitted in response to this solicitation:
Name of Firm, Address and Contact Information
Corporate Certification
The proposal must include a corporate certification that the person signing the proposal is entitled to represent the vendor; is empowered to submit the proposal, including the costs and charges proposal and make the vendor responsible for such; and, is authorized to sign a contract with the CAA.
Signature of the Authorized Individual
Specific Approach
The proposal should set forth a work plan, including an explanation of the investment options offered which should include fixed investment options, as well as a blend of small, medium and large cap funds.
Firm Qualifications and Experience
The proposal should demonstrate the qualifications of the firm and of the particular staff to be assigned to this account.
The proposal should state the history and size of firm; the size of the firm's staff; the location(s) of the office(s) from which the work for the CAA is to be performed; the number and nature of the professional staff to be employed in this engagement on a full-time basis; and, the number and nature of the staff to be so employed on a part-time basis.
Independence
The proposal should provide an affirmative statement that the proposer has the independence and authority to act solely on behalf of the CAA in matters pertaining to the plan and the services to be provided and that its doing so will not result in a conflict of interest.
In addition, the firm shall give the CAA written notice of any professional relationships entered into during the period of this agreement that may impact its independence and ability to properly provide the services called for in this solicitation.
Licensed and Approved to Practice in Connecticut
An affirmative statement should be included in the proposal indicating that the vendor and all assigned key professional staff are properly licensed to practice in the State of Connecticut and to legally provide the kind/type of services requested in this solicitation.
Current or Prior Engagements with the State of Connecticut or its Political Entities
The proposal should list separately and describe the vendor's (or any proposed subcontractor's) professional relationships involving the State of Connecticut or any of its political entities for the past (5) years together with a statement explaining why such relationships do not constitute a conflict of interest, real or perceived, relative to performing the requested services. For each engagement, the vendor should indicate the scope of work, date, engagement partners, total hours, the location(s) of the vendor's office(s) from which the engagement was performed, and the name and telephone number of the client’s principal vendor contact.
Similar Engagements with Other Government Entities
The proposal should list separately and describe the vendor's (or any proposed subcontractor's) professional relationships involving the other states or governmental entities for the past (5) years together with a statement explaining why such relationships do not constitute a conflict of interest, real or perceived, relative to performing the requested services. For each engagement, the vendor should indicate the scope of work, date, engagement partners, total hours, the location(s) of the vendor's office(s) from which the engagement was performed, and the name and telephone number of the client's principal vendor contact.
Proposed Costs and Charges
The proposed costs and charges to be assessed to perform the work necessary to provide the plan features within this solicitation should be articulated for each year of the anticipated 3-year contractual period as well as for each of the two optional years and should be clearly identified and explained. This should include all professional fees and expenses. The totals of these five annual proposals should also be shown as the anticipated maximum cost of the contract.
The CAA will not be responsible for expenses incurred by vendors in preparing and submitting their proposal. Such costs should not be included in the cost proposal.
Non-Discrimination Certification
Vendors must provide certification that it does not discriminate against any
employee or subcontractor based on race, religion, color, gender, age, physical condition, national origin or any other legally protected status and that it maintains an environment free from discrimination and harassment.
PROPOSAL EVALUATIONS
Proposals will be evaluated on the following:
The responding vendor is independent and licensed to practice in the State of Connecticut.
The responding vendor’s professional personnel have received adequate professional education within the preceding two years and are licensed to practice in the State of Connecticut.
The responding vendor has no conflict of interest with regard to any other work
performed by it and its personnel and the services to be performed under this engagement.
The responding vendor’s overall past experience and in particular its experience and performance on comparable engagements.
The quality, expertise and experience of the responding vendor’s professional personnel to be assigned to this engagement and the quality, expertise and experience of the responding vendor’s management support personnel who will be available for technical consultation.
Responding vendor’s experience and expertise in working with governmental and other public sector entities.