Commissioners authorize pursuing RFP with Holmes Murphy to review property/workers—-comp insurance

Montgomery County staff reported that property-casualty and workers—-compensation insurance premiums are projected to rise substantially and asked the commission to approve moving the procurement process to the RFP stage with a responding broker, Holmes Murphy. Staff said preliminary estimates show a roughly 15% insurance cost increase next year, pushing total premiums toward roughly three-quarters of a million dollars if projections hold. The county opened a request for qualifications (RFQ); Holmes Murphy of Kansas City was the single vendor to submit a timely response and provided a detailed RFQ packet of capabilities and municipal client references. Why it matters: County officials said insurance costs are a major budget item and that bringing a broker into an RFP process could produce alternative pricing or coverage options. Staff recommended issuing an RFP to get pricing and evaluate potential savings. Supporting details: The RFQ lists reference clients with substantially larger employee counts (and premiums) than Montgomery County, which staff said could affect comparability. Commissioners asked staff to proceed with drafting an RFP to obtain firm pricing and said the county would not incur costs to request an RFP or to obtain Holmes Murphy—s proposal. Ending: Staff will develop an RFP and return with firm numbers and timeline for the commission—s next meeting.