The state has procurement rules that we must follow when procuring a contract for services, in this case, dental insurance.
The state procurement rules specify that the benefits in a contract may not extend beyond five calendar years. Therefore, Benefits Administration issues a request for proposals, or RFP.
All companies authorized to issue group dental insurance in the state of Tennessee could submit a proposal for providing the dental insurance benefits. Each proposal received will be evaluated by an evaluation team for the experience and technical qualifications of the company. A score will be assigned to each evaluation. Then the cost proposal from each responding company will be opened and a score assigned to each company’s proposal. The technical evaluation score and the cost proposal score are then summed for an overall score. The State, Local Education and Local Government Insurance Committees then vote on whether or not a contract for five years should be awarded to the best evaluated respondent.
It is understood that with each new contract for insurance services (dental, medical and vision) there will likely be changes in the provider network. Reviewing the provider network during the Annual Enrollment period is always recommended.
How often are the dental insurance companies selected for the state’s insurance program?
