Health Insurance Services for Locally Employed Staff

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding Solicitation Number 19BA3026R0001 for LE Staff Health Insurance.

• Member Data: Detailed member lists with DOB, gender, marital status, and relation are available in Attachment 2 (Sheets 1 & 2).
• Claims Experience: Claims data for policy years 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 (until January 2026) is provided. Bidders requested more recent in-force claims data and monthly data for the current and previous years, with confirmation that all available information will be shared equally.
• Table of Benefits: Refer to pages 15-27 of the Solicitation for Plan 1 and Plan 2 details.
• Plan 2 Projections: Employee projections for Plan 2 are minimal (2-3 hires before end of 2026). Bidders can indicate premium rates only, without total amounts, for Plan 2.
• Zadroga (9/11 Victims) Tax: Offerors must attach Form W-14 to claim exemption from the 2% excise tax. The 2% tax will be calculated on the net amount (exclusive of VAT).
• Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance: DBA insurance is applicable and must be obtained from Department of Labor approved providers. See Section L of the Solicitation.
• Contract Maximum Amount: The contract maximum amount is currently TBD and will be determined after offers are received.
• Out-of-Country Medical Treatment: Coverage is worldwide, including the US, with no duration limit for stays outside Bahrain.
• SAM Registration: Not required; however, a valid CAGE/N-CAGE code is necessary.
• Bahrain Registered Insurer: Refer to Section L2 of the Solicitation for requirements regarding partnership with or operation through an insurer registered in Bahrain.

This Q&A document clarifies several aspects of the solicitation, including data requirements, tax obligations, insurance coverage, and submission details. Bidders should review these responses carefully as they may impact proposal preparation and pricing.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document, "Attachment 2 Census Data.xlsx", provides detailed demographic information for personnel related to the "19BA3026R0001 LE STAFF HEALTH INSURANCE" opportunity. It appears to be an amendment (Amendment 001) to the original solicitation.

The data is organized by sheet, with "Embassy Personnel" and "ORE Staff" being the primary sections. For each individual, the data includes:

• Year of Birth and calculated Age
• Relationship (SELF, SPOUSE, CHILD)
• Category (SELF PLUS ONE, FAMILY, SELF, DEPENDENT)
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Counts for Single, Couple, Family, and Dependents.

This census data is crucial for bidders responding to the "LE STAFF HEALTH INSURANCE" requirement. It provides an estimate of the covered population, including employees, spouses, and children, along with their age demographics. This information is essential for accurately calculating health insurance costs, developing a comprehensive proposal, and understanding the scale of the service required. Bidders should use this data to inform their pricing strategies and demonstrate their understanding of the beneficiary population.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is for Health Insurance Services for employees of the U.S. Embassy in Manama, Bahrain. The government requires two distinct health insurance plans (Plan 1 and Plan 2) with varying employee copay structures based on hire dates. Plan 1 is for employees hired before May 2026, with a 10% employee copay. Plan 2 is for employees hired after May 2026, with a 20% employee copay. Both plans offer the same benefit levels.

• Provision of health insurance services to U.S. Embassy employees and their dependents in Bahrain.

• Two distinct plans (Plan 1 and Plan 2) with specific employee copay percentages.

• Comprehensive health benefits including hospitalization, emergency services, outpatient services, maternity care, prescription drugs, dental, optical, and mental health services, with specified minimum coverage levels.

• Inclusion of Official Residence Expense (ORE) Staff as a rider, billed separately.

• Contractor must provide brochures in English and Arabic for Plan 1 and in English for Plan 2.

• Contractor must maintain a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) and adhere to inspection and acceptance standards.

• Contract Type: Firm-fixed-price with economic price adjustment.

• Period of Performance: One base year with two one-year option periods, plus a potential 6-month extension.

• Minimum Order: $1000 USD per performance period.

• Maximum Order: TBD.

• Offers are due by March 8, 2026, 4:00 PM local time.

• Proposals will be evaluated on a lowest-priced, technically acceptable, responsible offeror basis.

• Key evaluation factors include meeting minimum benefit levels, demonstrating understanding of requirements, acceptable management approach, relevant experience, past performance, and proper licensing/accreditation in Bahrain.

• Pricing must be firm-fixed for base and option years.

• NAICS Code: 524114 (Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers).

• Offerors must be licensed/certified/accredited by the Government of Bahrain or demonstrate capacity to provide health benefits in Bahrain.

• The solicitation includes detailed benefit descriptions in Section C.

• Pricing tables for both plans, including base and option years, are provided in Section B.

• Value Added Tax (VAT) must be included as a separate charge.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This solicitation is a Request for Proposals (RFP) from the U.S. Embassy Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, for locally employed staff health insurance coverage. The government seeks to award a contract to a responsible company offering an acceptable proposal at the lowest price. The government intends to award based on initial proposals but may hold discussions if necessary.

Offerors are encouraged to provide off-the-shelf plans that meet minimum benefit levels. Specific requirements will be detailed in Sections B, K, and L of the solicitation documents.

Not explicitly stated in this cover letter, but the government intends to award a contract.

• Pre-Proposal Conference: February 16, 2026, at 10:00 am at the US Embassy Manama. RSVP by February 11, 2026, to ManamaGSOprocurement@state.gov.

• Proposal Due Date: March 8, 2026, by 4:00 pm local time.

• Submission Method: Electronically to ManamaGSOprocurement@state.gov.

• Format: MS-Word 2007/2010, MS-Excel 2007/2010, or Adobe Acrobat (PDF). File size must not exceed 30MB per email; multiple emails are permitted for larger submissions.

• Evaluation: Award will be based on lowest price among acceptable offers. Discussions may be held.

• SAM registration is not required, but offerors must have a valid CAGE/N-CAGE code for verification (see Section K).

• SF-33

• Section B, Pricing Schedule

• Section B, Retention Amounts in B.3 and B.7

• Section K, Representations and Certifications

• Additional information as required in Section L

• Completed IRS Form W-14 (for FAR 52.229-11 compliance)

• Proof of SAM Registration (Note: This contradicts the earlier statement that SAM registration is not required; clarification may be needed from Section K).

• Proposals must be in English.

• Incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

• The cover letter references other sections (B, K, L) which contain further details.