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