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about the coverage. He was told one thing and later learned it was not true in several instances. He felt this could be corrected with a local administrator. Commissioner Macht did feel suspicious of relationships between consultants and suppliers and felt there might be such a relationship here. He felt very hesitant to vote affirmatively. Commissioner Bird did not understand the other Commissioners' concerns. He felt that if the consultant were able to suggest someone who could supply the most competitive bid, they would basically be doing their job. Robert McBurney, the senior vice president and senior consultant of Siver Insurance, added further information to clarify the matter. At the start of the County's project, Siver was working with 2 other clients, the City of Ft. Pierce and the Ft. Pierce Utilities Authority. By coincidence both of these clients had been using the same current vendor as Indian River County. In this area, state managed-care development is not as strong as areas such as Miami and Tampa. Siver had been asked by their Ft. Pierce clients to assist them in market development. Siver then took the results of that research and, from a network perspective, recommended that the Blue Cross/Blue Shield network be asked to quote on the County's rfp. Chairman Adams appreciated Mr. McBurney's comment but emphasized that the Board's concern is that Siver recommended the program as well as those who obtained the rfp packets. She felt the Board must go to extra lengths to have no appearance of impropriety. OMB Director Joe Baird stated that he felt partly responsible because he had asked Siver to give staff a list of all vendors who bid aggressively in order to get a good bid. Siver did not do all that on their own. Director Baird stated that he did not think you will find anyone who is totally happy with their insurance plan in America today. He felt we have a good bid and the budget has been set accordingly. Commissioner Bird questioned who was on the committee that developed the rfp, and Director Baird stated that Acting Personnel Director Donna Anderson, Tax Collector Karl Zimmermann and he went over the areas of concern and wanted to make certain that benefits were not decreased. Commissioner Bird then wanted to know how long the decision took, and Director Baird stated about 60 days. Commissioner Bird reiterated that the group met for 60 days and drew up the requirements for the rfp. If the Board is considering trying to obtain better coverage, that is an extremely JULY 16; 1996 31 98 F�,,F 561 L_