All proposals will be reviewed by the RFP Coordinator to determine compliance with administrative requirements and instructions specified in this solicitation. The Proposer is specifically notified that the County may reject or withdraw a proposal at any time as nonresponsive for any of the following reasons:Incomplete proposal,Failure to comply with any part of this solicitation or any Attachments to this procurement,Submission of incorrect, misleading, or false information.The County also reserves the right, however, at its sole discretion to waive minor administrative irregularities, which are defined as variances which do not provide a proposer an advantage or benefit over other proposers.

The County will notify all proposers of the outcome of their proposal in writing upon completion of the evaluation process.

The County reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this RFP.

This RFP does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein.

PROPOSERS WHO REGISTER AND DOWNLOAD RFP DOCUMENTS will be automatically added to the FOLLOWERS' list in the County's eProcurement Portal. Notifications for solicitation updates, addendum and other procurement information will be sent to all who register on the Pierce County eProcurement Portal.

The County intends to select the Contractor most qualified for this solicitation and begin the negotiation and award process based on the requirements of this solicitation.Selected Proposer(s) will be invited to enter into contract negotiations with the County. Should the County and the selected proposer not reach a mutual agreement, the County will terminate negotiations and move to the next ranked contractor and proceed with negotiations. A Proposer’s inability to agree to the terms of the County’s standard contract may be a basis for the County to terminate negotiations and begin negotiating with one or more other Contractors.

The initial period of performance of any contract resulting from this procurement is anticipated to begin on or around 10/01/2026 and end on 09/30/2027. Amendments extending the period of performance, if any, shall be at the sole discretion of the County. The County reserves the option to extend contracts for 4 additional terms of 12 months each. However, no Contractor will be guaranteed an extension.

The proposal must be received by the time/date as indicated in Section 2.2.

Each evaluator will score the Proposals separately. The scores of all the evaluators will be averaged to determine the Proposer’s score.

In the event it becomes necessary to revise any part of this RFP, addenda will be published in the County's eProcurement Portal.All amendments and notifications of cancellation shall be posted in the County's eProcurement Portal. If you did not receive this solicitation via the County’s eProcurement Portal, please register there to receive further notifications.The County also reserves the right to amend or add to, retract from, or cancel this Procurement at any time, in whole or in part, and without penalty.In the event of a conflict between amendments or between an amendment and this Solicitation Document, the document issued latest in time shall control.

Pierce County, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Proposers may submit questions through the County's eProcurement Portal, under the Question & Answer Section, no later than 4:30 pm on the date set forth in Section 2.2. Proposers must be registered in the eProcurement Portal software to submit questions, receive addendums and notifications, and ultimately submit a proposal. Proposers may only rely on written statements issued by the County. Any oral communications are unofficial and are not binding on the County.

The RFP Coordinator is the sole point of contact in the County for this procurement. All communications between the Proposer and the County upon release of this RFP shall be with the RFP Coordinator.Aaron BiblePCS IIEmail: aaron.bible@piercecountywa.govPhone: (253) 798-7456Department:Procurement and Contract ServicesAny other communication will be considered unofficial and non-binding on the County. Proposers are to rely on written statements issued by the RFP Coordinator. Communication directed to parties other than the RFP Coordinator may result in disqualification of the Proposer.

The ASP will be expected to enter into a contract which is substantially the same as the Sample Contract and its General Terms and Conditions attached as Exhibit C. In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions in response to this solicitation. If a Proposer has a concern regarding a certain General Term & Condition, they can raise the issue per the Questions and Answers section of this solicitation.

Organizations should be aware that any records they submit to the County or that are used by the County even if the organization possess the records, may be public records under the Washington Public Records Act (RCW 42.56). The County must promptly disclose public records upon request unless a statute exempts them from disclosure. Organizations should also be aware that if even a portion of a record is exempt from disclosure, generally, the rest of the record must be disclosed. Exemptions are narrow and specific.Organizations should clearly mark any record they believe is exempt from disclosure.

Proposers who do not meet these minimum qualifications will be considered non-responsive and their proposal will not be evaluated or scored. Minimum Qualifications for Request for Proposals (RFPs)Experience and Expertise: The proposing firm must have at least ten years of experience administering governmental 457(b) deferred compensation plans. They must currently manage at least six 457(b) deferred compensation retirement plans, each with assets of at least $350 million.No Charges or Penalties: Any contract must state that there will be no front-end or back-end charges. There will be no restrictions or penalties for any plan- or participant-initiated transfers or withdrawals, except for specific provisions like equity wash or mutual fund-specific short-term trading fees.Full Disclosure of Expenses: The proposing firm must fully disclose all fund expenses and revenue sharing arrangements for all funds offered within the plan. This includes an accurate assessment of product expenses and revenue for Fixed or General Account products.Service Expenses Disclosure: The proposing firm must fully disclose all expenses and revenue for any services available under the plan, such as managed accounts, investment advice, financial planning, or self-directed brokerage accounts.Product Promotion Restrictions: The proposing firm must agree not to sell or promote products not directly affiliated with the plan unless given specific, written authorization by the County.Qualification to Do Business: Upon contract award, the proposing firm must be qualified to do business in the State of Washington.Compliance with Regulations: The proposing firm must comply with all applicable State of Washington and federal regulations regarding governmental retirement plans and investment options. All applicable laws of the State of Washington will apply to this contract.Consistency in Terms: The terms outlined in the RFP response and any enhancements must remain in place through negotiations and be part of the final contract unless specifically waived by the County in writing.

Pierce County, Washington (hereinafter “County” or “Plan Sponsor”) is soliciting proposals from qualified firms (hereinafter “Proposing Firm(s)” or “Firm(s)”) to provide retirement plan administrative services such as recordkeeping, education, communications, and investment-related services for its current 457(b) deferred compensation plan (hereinafter “Plan”).

Scope of Work1) Plan Setup, Transition, and Ongoing Administration FrameworkPlan implementation and onboardingTransition planning, procedures, and coordination of conversion activitiesData mapping and conversion from prior recordkeeper; historical data import and reconciliationPlan document review, maintenance, and setup; summary plan description draftingEstablishment of plan-specific business rules and eligibility criteriaAdministrative training and support for HR, payroll, and administrative teams to ensure accurate processing and compliance2) Participant Recordkeeping and Account MaintenanceEligibility tracking; processing new enrollmentsEnroll new participants and support existing participants with account updatesEstablish and maintain participant accounts and election percentagesMaintenance of money classifications; vesting trackingBeneficiary designation and maintenance; address maintenanceMaintain/update participant data necessary to support plan administration; daily audit and reconciliation of plan and participant accounts3) Payroll and Contribution ProcessingProcess regular and ad-hoc payroll contributions via payroll filesSupport multiple payroll frequencies and sourcesAutomated validation and error reportingCoordination of contribution and maintenance file delivery4) Investment Administration, Trust and/or CustodyTrust and/or custody servicesDaily plan- and participant-level accounting for all investments and money classifications; daily valuation of participant accountsTrade execution and settlementInvestment fund mapping and changes; rebalancing and participant-directed investment election changesProvide plan investment information to participants via phone/electronic/other meansSupport custom investment options (e.g., stable value, self-directed brokerage), if applicable5) Compliance Support, Testing, and Regulatory UpdatesContribution limit monitoring (e.g., 402(g), 415(c))Required employee notification preparation and distributionProvide legislative/regulatory updates and fiduciary training; keep sponsor informed of evolving regulations and required changes6) Participant Services, Service Center, and TransactionsParticipant call center availability and service center supportSecure participant website for account access and transactions; participant resource site for documents, tools, and updatesEducational tools and retirement planning calculatorsLoans: modeling/processing and repayment trackingDistributions and related processing:Hardship withdrawals; in-service distributionsRMD processing and participant communicationsTermination distributions (lump sum/installment); mandatory de minimis distributionsRollover contributions into the planDRO qualification and processing1099-R preparation and distributionQuarterly participant statement preparation and distribution7) Plan Sponsor Services, Governance Support, and ReportingSecure plan sponsor portal/web access with current and historical plan/participant reportingPlan sponsor website support, including plan and participant reporting; online features to streamline administrationCustom reporting/analytics, plan health dashboards, and regular reporting on plan activity, contributions, participation trends, and performance metricsDedicated retirement plan account manager to support operations, resolve issues, coordinate training, and help maintain efficient plan managementSupport plan amendments and updatesParticipation/attendance at quarterly and other on-site plan sponsor meetings to provide updates, review performance, and support fiduciary decision-making8) Communication, Education, Engagement, and Financial WellnessCustomized participant communication strategy; enrollment materials and campaigns; targeted messaging based on fairly specific demographicsMulti-channel distribution methods targeted to broad groups such as text, email, app notifications, etc. On-site or virtual education sessions/visits (individual and group) on investment and retirement planning topicsFinancial wellness tools and resourcesWeekly financial education webinars on budgeting, saving, investing, retirement readiness, and broader wellness topicsFinancial planning consultations (one-on-one availability) to help employees clarify goals and drive behaviors toward those goalsPlan design and participant education recommendations to optimize plan design and participant outcomes

Welcome to Pierce County's eProcurement System. This system is inclusive to the procurement process, including submission of any questions and/or clarifications, the release of any addenda/notices, and submission of proposals. It is strongly encouraged that organizations responding to any procurement first read the entire procurement, paying close attention to the timelines, scope of work, eligibility, submission requirements, and specifically to the questionnaire section, which may include required attachments (when applicable), and ask for any clarifications regarding content and instructions early in the process.

The Washington State Interlocal Cooperation Act, Ch. 39.34 RCW, authorizes public agencies to cooperatively purchase goods and services if all parties agree. By responding to this RFP, Consultants agree that other public agencies may purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract at their own cost and without Pierce County incurring any financial or legal liability for such purchases. Pierce County agrees to allow other public agencies to purchase goods and services under this procurement or contract, provided that Pierce County is not held financially or legally liable for purchases and that any public agency purchasing under such procurement or contract file a copy of this invitation and such contract in accordance with RCW 39.34.040.

“Apparently Successful Proposer (ASP)” means a proposer selected as an entity to perform the anticipated services, subject to completion of contract negotiations and execution of a written contract."Applicant," "Bidder," and "Proposer" mean an organization, agency or provider that submits a formal response to this procurement."Application," "Bid," or "Proposal" mean a formal response to this solicitation. “CFR” means Code of Federal Regulations.“Client,” "Participant," "Household," or "Member" means an individual (or individuals) who receives services, or is eligible to receive services, under this procurement. “Contractor” means an individual or organization whose proposal has been accepted by the County and has been awarded a fully executed, written contract.“Procurement” means the process by which the County obtains services.“Request for Proposal (RFP)” or "Solicitation" means this document and its attachments in which needed goods and/or services are identified and organizations are invited to provide information as to how they propose to meet the County's needs. “RCW” means Revised Code of Washington.“WAC” means Washington Administrative Code.

A virtual or in-person Procurement Workshop will be conducted by Pierce County staff at the time, date, and location as indicated in the Procurement Schedule section of this RFP.Pre-proposal meeting attendance is not required but is highly encouraged for all organizations considering a response to this solicitation. It is the County’s belief that attending the meeting will assist proposers in presenting the best possible request for funding. During the Pre-Proposal Meeting Workshop, Pierce County staff will give an overview of the procurement, the procurement process, an overview of the requirements, and will also be available to answer questions and provide technical assistance. Please have the instruction/proposal packet available as well as any questions that the organization may have related to the procurement. The County will be bound only to written answers provided in response to questions. Questions arising during the Procurement Workshop will be documented and answered in the eProcurement Portal.

The County reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms which the Proposer can offer. There will be no best and final offer procedure.The ASP should be prepared to accept this RFP for incorporation into a contract resulting from this RFP. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or all of the Proposer’s proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to the County.

This procedure is available to potential Proposers who are contemplating submitting a proposal in response to this RFP. Only Concern Resolution submissions (Submissions) concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A claim that the solicitation unnecessarily restricts competition.A claim the solicitation evaluation or scoring process is unfair or flawed, orA claim the solicitation requirements are inadequate or insufficient to prepare a response.Proposers submitting a concern about this procurement shall follow the procedures described below. Submissions that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. If a Proposer registers a concern against this solicitation, the issue(s) cannot be raised again during the protest period.All submissions must be in writing and signed by the submitting party or an authorized Agent. The submission must be sent to the Procurement Coordinator, or designee, and needs to be received no later than 4:00 pm, local time, Tacoma, WA, per Section 2.2 Timeline, and must clearly articulate the basis for the submission. The Proposer submitting a concern must also include a proposed remedy.Upon receipt of a submission, a submission review will be held by the County. The RFP coordinator will respond to submissions in writing and the Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director will be notified of all submissions and provided a copy of the County’s response. A copy of the response to the submission, including any changes to the solicitation, will also be posted in County's eProcurement Portal.The concern resolution process does not include an appeal process.

Protests may be made only by Proposers or authorized representative of a Proposer who submitted a response to this solicitation document and who have participated in a debriefing conference. Upon completing the debriefing conference, the Proposer is allowed five (5) business days to file with the Procurement Coordinator a protest of the award decision. Protests must be received by the Procurement Coordinator no later than 3:30 PM, local time in Tacoma, Washington on the fifth business day following the debriefing. Protests must be in writing, addressed to the Procurement Coordinator, and submitted by email to PCPURCHASING@piercecountywa.gov. The protest must state the RFP number, the grounds for the protest with specific facts and complete statements of the action(s) being protested. A description of the relief or corrective action being requested should also be included.Protests that do not follow these procedures shall not be considered. This protest procedure constitutes the sole administrative remedy available to Proposers under this procurement.Only protests stipulating an issue of fact concerning the following subjects shall be considered:A matter of bias, discrimination, or conflict of interest on the part of an evaluator.Errors in computing the score.Non-compliance with procedures described in the procurement document or County policy.Protests not based on procedural matters will not be considered. Protests will be rejected as without merit if they address issues such as: 1) an evaluator’s professional judgment on the quality of a proposal, or 2) County’s assessment of its own needs or requirements.Upon receipt of a protest, a protest review will be held by the County. The Finance & Enterprise Services Department Director or an employee delegated by the Director who was not involved in the procurement will consider the record and all available facts and issue a decision within five (5) business days of receipt of the protest. If additional time is required, the protesting party will be notified of the delay. In the event a protest may affect the interest of another Proposer who also submitted a proposal, such Proposer will be given an opportunity to submit its views and any relevant information on the protest to the Procurement Coordinator. The final determination of the protest shall:Find the protest lacking in merit and uphold the County’s action; orFind only technical or harmless errors in County’s procurement process and determine County to be in substantial compliance and reject the protest; orFind merit in the protest and provide the County options which may include:Correct the errors and re-evaluate all proposals, and/orReissue the solicitation document and begin a new process, orMake other findings and determine other courses of action as appropriate.If a protest is filed, the County will wait to execute the contract until a final determination on the protest is made.

The County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bidders should contact the RFP Coordinator to request an accommodation.

Proposal Release Date:June 26, 2026Question Submission & Concern Resolution Request Deadline:July 10, 2026, 4:00pmProposal Submission Deadline:July 22, 2026, 4:00pmEstimated Date of Contract Execution:September 2026 The County reserves the right to revise the above timeline.

The County will not be liable for any costs incurred by the Proposer in preparation of a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, in conduct of a presentation or interview, or any other activities related to responding to this RFP.

Any Proposer, who was not disqualified, who has submitted a proposal and been notified that they were not selected as an ASP may request a debriefing. The request for a debriefing conference must be received by the Procurement Coordinator within 5 days of having been notified that they were not selected.Discussion at the debriefing conference will be limited to the following:Evaluation and scoring of the Proposal.Critique of the requesting Proposer’s Proposal based on the comments made by the Application Evaluation Committee or individual comments made by an evaluator; andReview of Proposer’s final score in comparison with other final scores without identifying the other firms.Comparisons between proposals or evaluations of the other proposals will not be allowed. Debriefing conferences may be conducted in person or remotely and will be scheduled for a maximum of one (1) hour.

The County is a public agency with approximately 3,200 employees eligible for the Plan. Employees are paid bi-weekly through one centralized payroll system for a total of 26 pay periods annually. The County uses Workday for its payroll administration system. All active full-time County employees participate in the Public Employees’ Retirement System administered by the Washington Department of Retirement Systems. There are approximately 50 separate locations/buildings located throughout the County. Regarding employee outreach, it would be expected that a record keeper representative visit each of the County worksites as part of their initial and ongoing participant education efforts. This last point is important to the Committee and participants; on-site participant representative(s) delivering education and other services in-person are highly valued. The County currently uses Nationwide to provide basic administration, enrollment, participant communication and education, investment management and record keeping services for the Plan and its participants. As of March 31, 2026, there was approximately $350 million in the Plan.

Follow instructions carefully - if attachments are provided under this solicitation, they are to be utilized as part of the proposal - do not replace or use the organization's own format, as the proposal may be deemed "non-responsive" or "not eligible."

The total value of this procurement is to be determined. The County anticipates awarding a single contract from this procurement. The County reserves the right to make no award, based on the quality and scope of proposals received, available funding, and identified service needs.Additional federal, State, or local funds may become available during the contracting cycle and allocated through this solicitation. Funding may only be awarded for the same scope of services as described in this solicitation. It is important to note, any contract awarded as a result of this procurement is contingent upon the availability of funding. If at any time during the term of the contract the funding relied upon for the contract is reduced, modified, or eliminated, or if the funding terms are modified, Pierce County reserves the right to amend the contract as appropriate or to terminate the contract.

All proposals are evaluated on the completeness and quality of the content. Only those Proposers providing complete information as required will be considered for evaluation. The County will not contact the organization for correction of proposals and Proposers are strongly encouraged to carefully review their proposals for completeness and accuracy before submitting. For proposals to be considered responsive and move to the review process, the Proposer must, under Section 3, RFP Questionnaire:Acknowledge all required “confirmations.”Complete all required attachments, to include uploading any supplemental documents requested in attachments; and Submit the following materials as part of the proposal. (List the required attachments)

Administer Section 457 (B) Deferred Compensation Plan.

This section provides a curated list of help articles addressing common questions and challenges proposers may encounter during the Request for Proposal process. The resources below are intended to offer clear guidance, practical solutions, and relevant information to support a smooth and successful submission. Proposers are encouraged to review these materials as needed to better understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate the process with confidence.Vendor RegistrationFollowing a ProjectGetting Started with SubscriptionsHow to Submit a Question in OpenGovHow to Submit a Proposal Response in OpenGovHow to Edit or Withdraw a Proposal after Submission in OpenGov

Only electronic submittal via the County's eProcurement Portal shall be accepted for this procurement. No hard copies, emails, or fax submittals shall be accepted. The accepted forms of submitted materials are .pdf, png., jpeg., and MS Office formats such as docx. and xlsx.

Proposers must acknowledge and confirm each addendum and notice issued under this solicitation. The system will not allow final submission unless all required confirmations are checked.

Proposers should allow sufficient time to ensure timely receipt of the proposal by the County’s e-procurement System, OpenGov. Late responses will not be accepted and will be automatically disqualified. The County assumes no responsibility for delays caused by Proposer's technical related system errors.

All proposals and any accompanying documentation become the property of the County and will not be returned.