Danbury Board of Awards unanimously backs Absence Plus for leave-management contract

The Danbury City Board of Awards voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to award a contract for leave-of-absence management services to Absence Plus, the board’s purchasing agent, Chip Volpe, said at the meeting.

Volpe told the board that Human Resources held presentations with three firms — 1 Digital, Absence Plus and The Human Resource Group — and received formal proposals from 1 Digital and Absence Plus. HR judged The Human Resource Group nonresponsive because it returned only a questionnaire and did not submit a full proposal, Volpe said.

According to the figures Volpe read into the record, Absence Plus proposed a monthly fee of $1,890 and a one-time implementation fee of $2,200. 1 Digital’s proposal was $2,082 per month with a $6,246 implementation charge. HR favored Absence Plus in part because leave-management is that firm’s core business and because its services include management of leaves, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, return-to-work coordination, light-duty assignments and related training.

Volpe said the procurement and contract will move to finance and risk management for the next steps in finalizing the award. He made the recommendation to award to Absence Plus and the board moved and seconded the measure. The transcript records votes from Jake Gerrit and attorney Tracy Norris in favor and states the motion “carried unanimously”; the meeting record does not include a full, named roll call for every attendee.

The board adjourned after the vote.

Next steps: the award will proceed to the city’s finance and risk-management offices for contract execution and any required administrative approvals, as noted during the meeting.