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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.d. Review Draft Position Paper to Authorize the General Manager to EXecute a Contract Not to Exceed $213,500 with Foster & Foster to Provide other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) and Pension Actuarial Services for a Five-Year PeriodPage 1 of 4 Item 4.d. BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITION PAPER MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 19, 2022 SUBJECT: REVIEW DRAFT POSITION PAPER TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT I N AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $213,500 WITH FOSTER & FOSTER TO PROVIDE OTHER POST - EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (OPEB)AND PENSION ACTUARIAL SERVICES FORA FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT PERIOD SUBMITTED BY: INITIATING DEPARTMENT: KEVIN MIZUNO, FINANCE MANAGER ADMINISTRATION -FINANCE REVIEWED BY: PHIL LEIBER, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE &ADMINISTRATION ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER ISSUE Other post -employment benefit (OPEB) and pension actuarial services are necessary to meet Central San's current and long-term budgeting and financial reporting needs. With the expiration of Central San's incumbent contract for OPEB actuarial services on December 31, 2022, staff has conducted competitive solicitation and evaluation procedures, and proposes the Board approve a new five-year contract for actuarial services. BACKGROUND Since the adoption of Government Accounting Standard Board Statement No. 45 (GASB 45) effective in FY 2007-08, Central San has retained the services of a professional and independent actuary to provide actuarial reports on its OPEB plan. These actuarial reports served chiefly to comply with provisions of GASB 45 regarding the adequate disclosure of Central San's OPEB plan and any related long-term obligations in the annual independently audited financial statements. Additionally, the GASB 45 report provided Central San's unfunded actuarially accrued liability (UAAL) associated with the OPEB plan, and the annual contribution amount necessary to deposit into the OPEB trust to ensure responsible amortization of the OPEB UAAL over a period of time. A decade later, GASB 75 became effective in FY 2017-18 which superseded GASB 45. GASB 75 mandated that an agency's OPEB UAAL must be recognized on its balance sheet in full and on a market valuation basis. This contrasted significantly with GASB 45 which only required public agencies disclose any OPEB UAAL balances in their footnotes and calculated the OPEB UAAL on an actuarial valuation basis, which incorporated actuarial smoothing to avoid the significant volatility in liabilities that can occur in the financial markets. December 19, 2022 Special FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 174 of 194 Page 2 of 4 Since the adoption of GASB 75, Central San has retained an actuary for the following purposes: 1. Compilation of a bi-annual "funding" actuarial report, determining the amount necessary to budget and contribute to the OPEB trust for a two-year period; 2. Compilation of an annual "reporting" actuarial report, necessary to comply with the provisions of GASB 75 in the annual independently audited financial statements, and 3. Additional actuarial consulting services on an as -needed basis (i.e., analyses for CaIPERS healthcare transition, labor negotiations, OPEB/pension policy review, alternative funding scenario calculations, etc.) Request for Proposal (RFP) and Selection Process I n September 2022, Central San released an RFP for actuarial consulting services. Consistent with Central San's policies, the RFP instructed bidders to submit their proposals in two parts: (1) a technical proposal and (2) a cost proposal. The purpose of the technical proposal is to demonstrate the qualifications, competence and capacity of the firm seeking to provide services in accordance with the requirements of the RFP. The purpose of the cost proposal is to include all of the pricing information relative to performing the services described in the RFP, which is both submitted and evaluated separately from the technical proposal. I n total, six firms responded to the RFP, and Central San evaluated the proposals against six separate criteria specified in the RFP. Services requested in the RFP were consistent with those outlined previously, including a combination of mandatory annual actuarial report and service needs as a provision for as -needed consulting services. The six selection criteria specified in the RFP to be included in the technical proposal were based on the following: 1. Proposed Approach and Work Plan 50% 2. Proposed Staffing and Project Organization 30% 3. Firm Qualifications, Experience and 20% References Total: 100% The proposal scored highest by staff was from Foster & Foster. Foster & Foster is a highly regarded national firm that provides all of the needed actuarial consulting services specified in the RFP to a multitude of public agencies, many of which are located in California and similar to Central San. Additionally, in 2022 Foster & Foster acquired Central San's incumbent actuary firm, Bartel & Associates, increasing their firm size to 106 consultants, including 33 credentialed actuaries and, 10 Fellows of the Society of Actuaries (FSA), which is the highest distinction an actuary can gain. In their proposal, Foster & Foster committed to retaining the same consulting staff Central San staff has previously worked with effectively over the past several years. Term The RFP requested, and the contract provides for a total five-year term, consisting of an initial three-year term, with an option to extend an additional two years. Services can be terminated by Central San at any time. Costs are discussed in the Financial Impact section of this paper. December 19, 2022 Special FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 175 of 194 Page 3 of 4 Next Steps Once the contract is approved, staff will immediately begin working with Foster & Foster to produce the biennial funding actuarial report, which is necessary to determine the plan's funded status and the actuarially determined contribution to be included in the upcoming FY 2023-24 budget. Staff is hopeful to have those results no later than March 2023 to ensure the timely completion of the FY 2023-24 budget. ALTERNATIVES/CONSIDERATIONS Actuarial consulting services are typically used by public agencies who need expert advice on managing OPEB and pension plans and their associated long-term obligations. While staff could attempt to perform some of these calculations internally using off the shelf software solutions, this is not recommended as it is a best practice to obtain independent advice on such important and complex fiscal matters and to supplement staff knowledge with experts involved in actuarial consulting services on a full time basis with a level of expertise that cannot be realistically replicated by in-house staff who do not possess actuarial credentials, experience, and education. The Board may also direct staff to reject Foster & Foster's bid for any valid reason and direct staff to evaluate the next highest scored bidder. This is not advisable as staff is confident Foster & Foster possesses, the knowledge, expertise, experience, and staffing to meet Central San's needs, and as their cost proposal is within foreseeable budget constraints over the five-year term of the contract. FINANCIAL IMPACTS The costs for actuarial consulting work for a five-year period are estimated at $213,500 comprised of the following elements: 1. $69,500 - Biennial Actuarial Funding Reports - Central San would obtain three such actuarial reports over the term of the contract, with the first one providing the actuarially determined contributions for FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25. 2. $20,000 - Annual GASB 75 Reports - Central San would obtain five such actuarial reports over the term of the contract, with the first one providing the necessary footnote disclosures and amounts specified by GASB 75 for the annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) for FY 2022-23. 3. $124,000 - Other As -Needed Actuarial Consulting Services - This represents funding for 80 hours of as -needed actuarial services on an annual basis to be billed in accordance with a specified hourly rate schedule. The hourly rate schedule specifies rates ranging from $200-250 for an Actuarial Analyst to $475 for a Senior Consulting Actuary. As it is uncertain which level staff will be needed for the various as -needed consulting services, an estimated weighted average hourly rate of $310 was used for purposes of calculating the cost ceiling. As -needed other actuarial consulting services can include, but is not limited, to the following: periodic evaluation of existing OPEB and pension policies, calculation of alternative funding scenario projections and related impacts to plan funded status, alternate scenario forecasting for long-range financial planning and/or labor negotiations, etc. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION The Finance Committee reviewed this matter at its meeting on December 19, 2022 and recommended December 19, 2022 Special FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 176 of 194 Page 4 of 4 RECOMMENDED BOARD ACTION Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Foster & Foster in an amount not to exceed $213,500 to provide actuarial consulting services over a five-year period, the last two of which are option years. Strategic Plan re -In GOAL FOUR: Governance and Fiscal Responsibility Strategy 1 - Promote and uphold ethical behavior, openness, and accessibility, Strategy 3 - Maintain financial stability and sustainability December 19, 2022 Special FINANCE Committee Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 177 of 194