Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
in the United States
Invitation to Tender for Group Dental Insurance Contract
- Procurement Object
Group dental insurance service contract (“the Contract”)for Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (“TECRO”) and its subsidiary offices (“TECO”) except for TECO in Honolulu.
- Insured Persons
- TECRO/TECO full time employees and their dependents, which include spouse, eligible child and parents. “Eligible child” means minors; physically or mentally disabled sons or daughters without earning capacity; and unmarried sons or daughters under the age of 26 and still in school.
- Total accounts of TECRO/TECO current group dental insurance as of September 30, 2018:
- Employee only: 168 accounts (168 persons);
- Employee plus spouse or child(ren): 83 accounts(166 persons); AND
- Family: 142 accounts (519 persons).
- A quoted total price in a tender must be based on the accounts listed above and it must also contain monthly premium for each type of accounts.
- Contract Dates
- 01/01/2019-12/31/2019 (US calendar day)
- TECRO has the option to renew the Contract for 1 year (01/01/2020-12/31/2020) provided that:
- TECRO is satisfied with the performance of the coverage under the Contract; AND
- The renewed Contract Price is agreed by both sides before October 15, 2019 after negotiation of the renewal.
- Procurement Budget:
- 2019: US$ 346,500.
- The maximum premium for monthly rate for an employee only account shall be no higher than US$ 36.00.
- The maximum monthly premium for an employee plus spouse or child(ren) account and for a family account shall be calculated based on the carrier’s formula for the calculation of the maximum premium for the employee only account.
- 2020: US$ US$ 346,500.
- Provided that TECRO decides to renew the Contract for the year of 2020.
- 2019 maximum monthly premium aforesaid applies to 2020.
- Any quoted total price of tender that is over the procurement budget will not be considered.
- Dental Insurance Carrier/Broker
- Basic requirement: TECRO will review basic requirement for a dental insurance carrier/broker (“carrier/broker”) before evaluating its tender. A prospective carrier/broker shall submit documents to prove that it is licensed to provide dental insurance service in the United States.
- A carrier may permit no more than one broker to submit its tender to TECRO on behalf of the carrier. A broker must submit no more than one tender to TECRO on behalf of the carrier. This does not preclude industry practices of business contacts and insurance proposal quotes between carriers and brokers before they formally submit tenders to TECRO.
- Procurement Procedure
- The procurement of the Contract adopts “The Most Advantageous Tender” rule pursuant to subparagraph 9 of paragraph 1 of Article 22 of the Government Procurement Act (the “Act”) of ROC (Taiwan).
- TECRO will form a selection committee (“the Committee”) of 7 persons to review tenders submitted by carriers/brokers.
- TECRO will review the basic requirement listed in Paragraph V. above to determine whether a carrier/broker is qualified to submit its tender to TECRO. Qualified carries/brokers must make presentations to and take questions from the Committee on the date designated by TECRO.
- The Committee will evaluate each carrier/broker’s tender in accordance with the selection criteria listed in Paragraph VIII below. The total evaluation score is 100 points and an “ordinal ranking” method will be adopted by turning the scores of all carriers/brokers into the ranking for each member of the Committee. The rankings of the same carrier/broker among the Committee members will be combined and the one with lowest figure will be the first priority carrier/broker for price negotiation. If two or more carriers/brokers have the same lowest figure, the Committee will choose the lowest quoted price to start the negotiation.
- TECRO may award the Contract to the 1st priority carrier/broker provided that the quoted total price in its tender is below the procurement budget listed in Paragraph IV. above and that TECRO accepts the quoted total price. If the quoted total price is below the procurement budget but TECRO is not satisfied with the price, TECRO will negotiate the final price with the 1st priority carrier/broker before awarding the Contract. If TECRO cannot reach an agreement with the 1st priority carrier/broker on the final price, TECRO will move to the 2nd priority carrier/broker and negotiate the final price for its tender, and so on. TECRO will only negotiate with any qualified carriers/brokers one time on the final price of its tender for the year of 2019.
- TECRO may award the Contract in its’ sole discretion.
- TECRO does not have a contractual relationship with any carriers/brokers until TECRO signs the Contract.
- Benefit Requirements
- Please see benefit requirements in the Addendum.
- The benefit summary of the tender submitted to TECRO must be a PPO dental program. A comparison between the benefit requirements in the Addendum and the tender’s benefit summary must be submitted for the Committee’s review.
- The Committee will evaluate the insurance carrier/broker’s tender and benefit summary in accordance with selection criteria in Paragraph VIII below to determine which tender has the priority for price negotiation.
- Parents living in the same household of TECRO/TECO eligible employees may enroll in the group dental insurance plan in separate account. Diplomatic employees’ parents living in Taiwan may also enroll in the plan if they come to the United States for a short family visit.
- Prevention of medical fraud
No employees or dependents may enroll in the group dental insurance plan if their main purpose of coming to the United States or joining this plan is to seek dental treatment. The insurance carrier/broker must inform TECRO of the aforesaid or other serious medical fraud cases it discovers.
- Selection Standard
- Selection Criteria
Evaluation items
Sub-evaluation items
Score Distribution
Professional Service Team Human resources 15 Number of in-network dental providers Service Quality Procedure of enrollment and claims 15 Customer service for claims and dental service advice Broker Services Capability of Group Dental Insurance Foreign embassies/consulates clients 10 Fortune 500 companies clients Completeness of proposal 5 Benefit summary 15 Quoted Price Premium Calculation 40 Premium Reasonableness Reward(credit back) Total Score 100 - Any tender with a total score of less than 70 will not be considered further.
- Submission of Tender:
- Please contact TECRO personnel officer to request information of tender preparation.
Telephone number: 202-895-1840
Email: personnel.tecro@mofa.gov.tw
- Submission of tender is strictly limited to regular mail, courier service or personal delivery. Electric transmission of tender WILL NOT be accepted.
- The tender must be sealed and received by TECRO not later than 05:00pm on October 29, 2018 (ET). Please address the tender as follows:
Administrative Division (Group Dental Insurance Tender)
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States
4201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
- A tender must contain following documents:
- Group health insurance service proposal
The proposal must contain the information required in this invitation to tender.
- One copy of draft contract.
- Statement of the tender (form provided by TECRO).
- Price list of the tender (form provided by TECRO).
- A carrier/broker’s basic requirement documents listed in Paragraph V. above.
- Proposals received after the deadline WILL NOT be considered.
- TECRO will hold a meeting in its office to open sealed tenders it received at 10:00am on the next business day of the submission deadline.
- Enrollment Procedure and Efffectivemess of Coverage
- The coverage of diplomatic employees and their dependents shall become effective upon their arrivals at the port of entries in the United States if they decide to enroll in the plan.
- The coverage of eligible locally-hired employees and their dependents (parents not included with some exceptions) shall become effective 90 days after the commencement of employment with TECRO/TECO if they choose to enroll in the plan
- Premium Payment Period
TECRO will pay insurance premium in a 3-month period and will adjust its payment according to new enrollments and withdraws.
Addendum
Benefit Requirements for TECRO Group Dental Insurance Contract
Dental Plan: PPO
Coverage Type: |
In-Network1 % of Negotiated Fee2 |
Out-of-Network1 % of R&C Fee4 |
Type A - Preventive |
100% |
70% |
Type B - Basic Restorative |
80% |
50% |
Type C - Major Restorative |
50% |
30% |
Type D - Orthodontia |
50% |
50% |
Deductible3 |
||
Individual |
$25 |
$100 |
Family |
$50 |
$200 |
Annual Maximum Benefit: |
||
Per Individual |
$1400 |
$1400 |
Orthodontia Lifetime Maximum - Ortho applies to Child Only |
Child to age 19 |
|
$1000 per Person |
$1000 per Person |
|
Dependent Age: |
Eligible for benefits until the day that he or she turns 26. |
|
1."In-Network Benefits" refers to benefits provided under this plan for covered dental services that are provided by a participating dentist. "Out-of-Network Benefits" refers to benefits provided under this plan for covered dental services that are not provided by a participating dentist. 2.Negotiated fee refers to the fees that participating dentists have agreed to accept as payment in full, subject to any copayments, deductibles, cost sharing and benefits maximums. Negotiated fees are subject to change. 3.Applies to Type B and C services only. |
Selected Covered Services and Frequency Limitations
Type A - Preventive How Many/How Often:
Oral Examinations Full Mouth X-rays Bitewing X-rays (Adult/Child) Prophylaxis – Cleanings Topical Fluoride Applications Sealants Space Maintainers |
2 in 12 months 1 in 36 months 2 in 12 months 2 in 12 months 1 in 12 months - Children to age 19 1 in 36 months - Children to age 14 1 per lifetime per tooth area - Children up to age 19 |
Type B - Basic Restorative
How Many/How Often:
Amalgam and Composite Fillings Repairs Endodontics Root Canal Periodontal Surgery Periodontal Scaling & Root Planing Periodontal Maintenance Oral Surgery (Simple Extractions) Oral Surgery (Surgical Extractions) Other Oral Surgery Emergency Palliative Treatment General Anesthesia |
1 in 24 months. 1 in 12 months 1 per tooth per lifetime 1 in 36 months per quadrant 1 in 24 months per quadrant 2 in 1 year, includes 2 cleanings |
Type C - Major Restorative How Many/How Often:
Crowns/Inlays/Onlays Prefabricated Crowns Bridges Dentures Consultations TMJ |
1 per tooth in 60 months 1 per tooth in 60 months 1 in 60 months 1 in 60 months 1 in 12 months Major Service as part of Annual Maximum. |
Type D – Orthodontia
Dependent children up to age 19. Age limitations may vary by state. Please see your Plan description for complete details. In the event of a conflict with this summary, the terms of the certificate will govern. All dental procedures performed in connection with orthodontic treatment are payable as Orthodontia. Benefits for the initial placement will not exceed 20% of the Lifetime Maximum Benefit Amount for Orthodontia. Periodic follow-up visits will be payable on a monthly basis during the scheduled course of the orthodontic treatment. Allowable expenses for the initial placement, periodic follow-up visits and procedures performed in connection with the orthodontic treatment, are all subject to the Orthodontia coinsurance level and Lifetime Maximum Benefit Amount as defined in the Plan Summary. Orthodontic benefits end at cancellation of coverage |