Council Approves $25,000 Contract to Help RFP for Pharmacy Benefit Manager

The Springfield City Council voted Sept. 2 to approve ordinance 2025-350, authorizing a professional services agreement with Travelers Inc. to assist the city’s Office of Human Resources with the request for proposals and selection of a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). The contract is effective March 1, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $25,000. "The pharmacy benefit manager is a very complicated RFP with credits and discounts and things like that," Kelly Martin, benefits senior manager for the City of Springfield, said. "So in order to do that, we do rely on Truverus or another vendor to help us out."

Alderman Notriano asked whether the city had used such a consultant before; Martin said the city had used Truverus for the past two RFPs. The council opened the item for final passage and the motion passed with nine voting yes and none voting no; Alderman Carlson was recorded as voting "aye." The clerk’s reading of the ordinance and the council’s roll call preceded the vote.

What the contract covers: the item on the council agenda authorized a professional services agreement to assist with the PBM RFP process, including vendor outreach, evaluation of credits and discounts, and guidance on the selection. The ordinance described the engagement as a temporary professional services contract rather than a recurring operating expense. The council did not amend the contract at the Sept. 2 meeting.