The University of Minnesota contracts individuals working in countries outside the US; and has current employees that need to work outside the US for extended periods of time, for a variety of reasons, often related to research projects and/or collaboration.

Additional situations do exist. Instances of this will continue to increase as remote work and globalization evolve.

As an employer, the University has a responsibility to comply with the employment-related laws in the countries where we have employees working. A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) provides this service for employers, mitigating related risks and helping ensure compliance.

This PEO service will serve as the employer of record for University workers located internationally. The service ensures compliance with host country employment-related regulations, therefore helping mitigate related risk with employment, tax, labor, permanent establishment, and other laws.

Ideally, there is no upfront cost to the University, but one of the University goals is to have an agreement on pricing structure in place, for international employment needs as they arise. Having one PEO provider for the University of Minnesota system will ensure consistency in how and when services provided are used. Departments / units choosing to hire outside the United States will be responsible for the cost associated with the international worker.

This program does not involve the use or disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI), but each country has their own set of privacy laws that the PEO will have to follow.

The PEO program will be an ongoing need of the University of Minnesota.

The initial agreement will run for three (3) years, and then include three separate, optional one-year renewal terms.

Before submitting clarification questions about the RFP, read and review the Supplier Process and Information Attachment and ALL Attributes in the Attributes Tab, especially Background and Project Summary/Scope of Work. These provide valuable information and address frequently asked questions.

Please submit any clarification questions via the Questions Tab within MBid (as opposed to emailing them to the Purchasing Services contact).

PLEASE NOTE THE CLARIFICATION QUESTION CUTOFF DATE ADVERTISED IN THIS RFP (WITHIN THE "EVENT DETAILS" TAB).

It is anticipated that selected supplier finalists may be required to participate in a presentation / demonstration session once the University's cross-functional RFP team has completed their initial proposal evaluation. These sessions will typically occur via Zoom. The timing of such sessions will become clearer as the project progresses.

Submit your proposal (INCLUDING ALL ATTACHMENTS) EARLY, to allow time for any errors, internet connectivity issues, or MBid system issues.